What Do We Know About Soil?

HORIZON EUROPE
MISSION AREA SOIL HEALTH & FOOD
What do
you know
about soil?
Research and
Innovation
HORIZON EUROPE MISSIONS
Mission Area:
Soil health and food
Healthy soils are essential for our life and that of integral part of Horizon Europe, the next EU research
future generations. Soils form the skin of the earth and innovation programme (2021-2027).
and are fundamental for all life-sustaining processes
on our planet. A mission in the area of soil health and food will
mobilise resources and people (e.g. researchers,
Partly inspired by the Apollo 11 mission to put a man land managers, public authorities, business and
on the moon, European research and innovation citizens) to engage in activities for soil restoration,
missions aim to deliver solutions to some of the as this is the basis for healthy people and a
greatest challenges facing our world. They are an healthy planet.
And you?
What do you know about soils?
Let’s play together! Find out more
1 HORIZON EUROPE MISSIONS
Soils form the skin of the

earth are essential for all
life-sustaining processes on
our planet. What are their
physical components? a
organic matter,
air, water, mineral matter
b organic matter and mineral matter
c air, water and organic matter

What are the vital a Provision of food, fibre, wood and

other materials;
functions performed by purifying water, preventing floods and
healthy soils? b
droughts;
c hosting biodiversity;
recycling nutrients essential to our

d
ecosystems;
e storing carbon
f all the functions mentioned above

How many living organisms

(microorganisms) can you
find in a handful of soil?
a There is none
b More than 10 billion
Between 5000 and 10000. It depends

c
on the type of soil.
Can healthy soils help to

mitigate climate change?
a No, they have no impact on climate
We don’t know, more research is

b needed to understand the relationship
between soil and climate.
Yes, they can capture carbon and
c therefore reduce greenhouse gas
emissions into the atmosphere
What percentage of our

food comes directly or
indirectly from the soil?
a Less than 50%
b Almost 70%
c More than 95%

Sustainable soil
management can increase
agricultural crop yields by
a 30%
b 53%
c 58%
How long does it take to

create one cm of fertile soil
on average?
Hundreds to
a
thousands of years
b A few months
c 50 - 100 years
Globally, what is the

percentage of degraded
soils and therefore no longer
available for food production?
a 33%
b 50%
c 12%
Erosion of soils caused by

water is one of the most
common forms of soil
degradation in Europe.
What percentage of the a About 33%
total area of Europe
b About 16%
(excluding the Russian
Federation) is affected by c About 25%
this phenomenon?
When is World Soil Day

celebrated?
a 4 January
b 6 June
c 5 December
QUIZ ANSWERS
1 a Organic matter, air, water, mineral matter 7 a.

a Hundreds to thousands of years
Soils are composed by an average of 5% organic matter, 25% Depending on the type of soil, topography, climate, vegetation,
air, 25% water, 45% mineral matter. etc., it can take up to 1000 years to produce 1 cm of soil.
2 f All the functions mentioned above Soils that are lost because of degradation processes (such as
3 b More than 10 billion erosion or pollution) need hundreds or thousands of years to be
Soil is a living organism: the decomposition processes are carried regenerated. From a human perspective, soils are considered as
out by micro-organisms found in the earth. You can have more non-renewable resources. So it’s very important to protect this
microorganisms (like bacteria, insects, spiders, worms, etc.) in a scarce and valuable resource.
handful of soil than humans on the planet! Protecting and restoring 8 a 33%
soil health is therefore fundamental to safeguarding biodiversity. About 1/3 of soil is no longer available for food production.
4 c Yes, they can capture carbon and therefore reduce Soils become degraded due to erosion, salinization, compaction,
greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. acidification, contamination or leaching of nutrients. Land
Healthy soils are the largest carbon storage on Earth. When degradation can result in food shortages, higher prices for food
managed sustainably, soils can play an important role in mitigating and other raw materials, and the destruction of ecosystems.
climate change, by storing carbon (sequestration) and reducing 9 b About 16%
greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. However, if the soil The Mediterranean region is particularly affected by soil erosion
is poorly managed, soil carbon can be released into the atmosphere caused by water, because periods of drought are followed by intense
as carbon dioxide (CO2), thereby contributing to climate change. rains on steep slopes with fragile soils. In northern Europe, this type
5 c More than 95% of phenomenon is less pronounced because erosion through rain is
Almost all of our food comes from soil. We need healthy soils for less intense and because there is a higher vegetation cover.
safe and nutritious food. 10 c 5 December
6 c 58% On 20 December 2013, the Sixty-eighth General Assembly of
Methods that take soil health into account can increase average the United Nations proclaimed 5 December, 2014 World Soil
crop yields by 58%. This includes farming practices based on Day and 2015 as the International Year of Soils. This day is your
principles of low or no till, high vegetation cover, crop diversity, and opportunity to take action at local level – in schools, gardens,
low input with regard to pesticides and fertilisers. cities and rural communities…!
© European Union, 2020
Unless otherwise noted the reuse of this presentation is authorised under the CC BY 4.0 license. For any use or reproduction of elements that are not owned by the EU, permission may
need to be sought directly from the respective right holders.
Image credits:
Pages: 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, © Alfred Grand. Page 3: © 279photo #125082594, page 7: © Pixel-Shot #228266641, page 8: © Андрей Яланский #307707679, page 9: © H_Ko
#3271111502020, page 12: © yanadjan #291240242, 2020. Source: stock.adobe.com

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HORIZON EUROPE

MISSION AREA SOIL HEALTH & FOOD

Soils form the skin of the

b organic matter and mineral matter

c air, water and organic matter

What are the vital a Provision of food, fibre, wood and

recycling nutrients essential to our

f all the functions mentioned above

How many living organisms

b More than 10 billion

Between 5000 and 10000. It depends

Can healthy soils help to

a No, they have no impact on climate

We don’t know, more research is

What percentage of our

a Less than 50%

c More than 95%

How long does it take to

Globally, what is the

Erosion of soils caused by

When is World Soil Day

1 a Organic matter, air, water, mineral matter 7 a.

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