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href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309/https://twitter.com/irinnews" data-width="140px" class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-count="false">Follow @{0}</a><script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//web.archive.org/web/20151018181309/http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");</script><div id="ShareReport"><ul class="NewsList"><li class="NewsList FeedBack"><a href="#comment">COMMENT</a></li><li class="NewsList Email"><a href="#" id="lnkEmail">EMAIL</a></li><li class="NewsList Print"><a href="/web/20151018181309/http://www.irinnews.org/printreport.aspx?reportid=101019" target="_blank">PRINT</a></li><li class="NewsList Reader"><a href="#" id="lnkComment">EASY READ</a></li></ul><div class="ShareThis"><a class="addthis_button" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309/http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=300&pubid=ra-5165551068a72215"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309im_/http://www.irinnews.org/SharedResources/Images/design/share_icon.png"><span class="ShareThisText">SHARE</span></a></div></div><div class="SideBox ReportPhoto"><a href="/web/20151018181309/http://www.irinnews.org/Photo/Details/201008251121470984/Value-what-is-under-our-feet"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309im_/http://www.irinnews.org/photo/Download.aspx?Source=Report&Year=2010&ImageID=201008251121470984&Width=490"/></a><div class="credit">Photo: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309/http://www.irinnews.org/photo/">Siegfried Modola/IRIN</a></div><div class="caption">Value what is under our feet</div></div>NAIROBI, 16 January 2015 (IRIN) - Be it laterite, loam, peat or clay, soil is life. It's the foundation of food security, and so the UN has declared 2015 as the year to draw attention to the stuff.<br/> <br/> As much as 95 percent of our food comes from the soil, but 33 percent of global soils are degraded, and experts say we may only have <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309/http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/GSP/imgs/WSD2014/buttons/infographics/infographics_en.jpg">60 years</a> of nutrient-rich top soil left - it is not a renewable resource.  <p>Africa is especially <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309/http://www.thisisafricaonline.com/News/Why-Africa-s-degraded-soils-will-cost-the-continent-dearly?ct=true">hard hit</a>. Land degradation denudes the top soil, shrinking yields and the ability of the earth to absorb harmful greenhouse gases. In sub-Saharan Africa, an estimated <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309/http://www.fao.org/docrep/011/i0291e/i0291e00.htm">65 percent</a> of agricultural land is degraded. That costs the continent US$68 billion a year, and affects 180 million people - mainly the rural poor, already struggling to eke out a living.  But better land management practices could deliver up to $1.4 trillion <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309/http://www.sei-international.org/publications?pid=2386">globally</a> in increased crop production. </p> <p>So how to implement sustainable policies that protect the food security of future generations? The uptake of sound soil management approaches is currently low. Farmers are under pressure to abandon effective traditional methods in favour of practices that deliver quicker, short-term, returns. <br/> <br/> </p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" align="left" style="margin: 2px 8px 8px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: #cccccc #bbbbbb #bbbbbb #cccccc; padding: 5px; width: 220px; background-color: #eeeeee;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="color: #006699; font-size: 12px; font-family: Tahoma; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: #cccccc; padding-bottom: 5px;">Further reading on the issue</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="padding-top: 8px; padding-left: 8px; color: #006699;"><img alt="" height="13" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309im_/http://www.irinnews.org/images/design/page.gif" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;"/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309/http://www.fao.org/soils-2015/about/en/" style="background-color: #eeeeee;">2015 – International Year of Soils</a></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="padding-top: 8px; padding-left: 8px; color: #006699;"><img alt="" height="13" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309im_/http://www.irinnews.org/images/design/page.gif" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;"/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309/http://www.fao.org/soils-portal/soil-degradation-restoration/en/" style="background-color: #eeeeee;">FAO Soils Portal</a></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="padding-top: 8px; padding-left: 8px; color: #006699;"><img alt="" height="13" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309im_/http://www.irinnews.org/images/design/page.gif" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;"/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309/http://ag4impact.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/MP_0106_Soil_Report_LR1.pdf" style="background-color: #eeeeee;">Agriculture for Impact</a></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="padding-top: 8px; padding-left: 8px; color: #006699;"><img alt="" height="13" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309im_/http://www.irinnews.org/images/design/page.gif" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;"/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309/http://www.caadp.net/" style="background-color: #eeeeee;">The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme</a></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="padding-top: 8px; padding-left: 8px; color: #006699;"><img alt="" height="13" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309im_/http://www.irinnews.org/images/design/page.gif" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;"/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309/http://agra-alliance.org/what-we-do/policy-across-the-agricultural-value-chain/" style="background-color: #eeeeee;">AGRA</a></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="padding-top: 8px; padding-left: 8px; color: #006699;"><img alt="" height="13" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309im_/http://www.irinnews.org/images/design/page.gif" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;"/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309/http://www.unccd.int/Lists/SiteDocumentLibrary/Rio+20/UNCCD_PolicyBrief_ZeroNetLandDegradation.pdf" style="background-color: #eeeeee;">United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification</a></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="padding-top: 8px; padding-left: 8px; color: #006699;"><img alt="" height="13" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309im_/http://www.irinnews.org/images/design/page.gif" style="color: #006699; border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; background-color: #eeeeee;"/><span style="color: #006699; background-color: #eeeeee;"> </span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309/http://www.africasoils.net/data/digital-soil-mapping" style="background-color: #eeeeee;">Africa Soil Information Service</a><br/> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>But a <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309/http://ag4impact.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/MP_0106_Soil_Report_LR1.pdf">report</a> - No Ordinary Matter: Conserving, Restoring, and Enhancing Africa’s Soils - released in December 2014, points to potential pathways. These include combining targeted and selected use of fertilisers alongside traditional methods such as application of livestock manure, intercropping with nitrogen-fixing legumes or covering farmland with crop residues. The goal is an ambitious - if contradictory sounding - “Sustainable Intensification” of agriculture.<br/> <br/> oa/rh</p> <br/> <p> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> </p> <p> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> </p> <p> <br/> <br/> </p> <div> </div> </div> </div> <p> <strong> <span id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_repTheme_ctl00_Label1">Theme (s)</span>: </strong><span id="Themes"> <a href="/web/20151018181309/http://www.irinnews.org/theme.aspx?theme=POL"> Aid Policy</a>, <a href="/web/20151018181309/http://www.irinnews.org/theme.aspx?theme=DRR"> Disaster Risk Reduction</a>, <a href="/web/20151018181309/http://www.irinnews.org/theme.aspx?theme=ENV"> Environment</a>, <a href="/web/20151018181309/http://www.irinnews.org/theme.aspx?theme=FOO"> Food Security</a>, <a href="/web/20151018181309/http://www.irinnews.org/theme.aspx?theme=GEN"> Gender Issues</a>, <a href="/web/20151018181309/http://www.irinnews.org/theme.aspx?theme=GOV"> Governance</a>, <a 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class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-count="false">Follow @{0}</a><script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//web.archive.org/web/20151018181309/http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");</script><div id="ShareReport"><ul class="NewsList"><li class="NewsList FeedBack"><a href="#comment">COMMENT</a></li><li class="NewsList Email"><a href="#" id="lnkEmail">EMAIL</a></li><li class="NewsList Print"><a href="/web/20151018181309/http://www.irinnews.org/printreport.aspx?reportid=101019" target="_blank">PRINT</a></li><li class="NewsList Reader"><a href="#" id="lnkComment">EASY READ</a></li></ul><div class="ShareThis"><a class="addthis_button" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309/http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=300&pubid=ra-5165551068a72215"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309im_/http://www.irinnews.org/SharedResources/Images/design/share_icon.png"><span class="ShareThisText">SHARE</span></a></div></div><div class="SideBox ReportPhoto"><a href="/web/20151018181309/http://www.irinnews.org/Photo/Details/201008251121470984/Value-what-is-under-our-feet"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309im_/http://www.irinnews.org/photo/Download.aspx?Source=Report&Year=2010&ImageID=201008251121470984&Width=490"/></a><div class="credit">Photo: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309/http://www.irinnews.org/photo/">Siegfried Modola/IRIN</a></div><div class="caption">Value what is under our feet</div></div>NAIROBI, 16 January 2015 (IRIN) - Be it laterite, loam, peat or clay, soil is life. It's the foundation of food security, and so the UN has declared 2015 as the year to draw attention to the stuff.<br/> <br/> As much as 95 percent of our food comes from the soil, but 33 percent of global soils are degraded, and experts say we may only have <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309/http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/GSP/imgs/WSD2014/buttons/infographics/infographics_en.jpg">60 years</a> of nutrient-rich top soil left - it is not a renewable resource.  <p>Africa is especially <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309/http://www.thisisafricaonline.com/News/Why-Africa-s-degraded-soils-will-cost-the-continent-dearly?ct=true">hard hit</a>. Land degradation denudes the top soil, shrinking yields and the ability of the earth to absorb harmful greenhouse gases. In sub-Saharan Africa, an estimated <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309/http://www.fao.org/docrep/011/i0291e/i0291e00.htm">65 percent</a> of agricultural land is degraded. That costs the continent US$68 billion a year, and affects 180 million people - mainly the rural poor, already struggling to eke out a living.  But better land management practices could deliver up to $1.4 trillion <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309/http://www.sei-international.org/publications?pid=2386">globally</a> in increased crop production. </p> <p>So how to implement sustainable policies that protect the food security of future generations? The uptake of sound soil management approaches is currently low. Farmers are under pressure to abandon effective traditional methods in favour of practices that deliver quicker, short-term, returns. <br/> <br/> </p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" align="left" style="margin: 2px 8px 8px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: #cccccc #bbbbbb #bbbbbb #cccccc; padding: 5px; width: 220px; background-color: #eeeeee;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="color: #006699; font-size: 12px; font-family: Tahoma; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: #cccccc; padding-bottom: 5px;">Further reading on the issue</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="padding-top: 8px; padding-left: 8px; color: #006699;"><img alt="" height="13" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309im_/http://www.irinnews.org/images/design/page.gif" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;"/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309/http://www.fao.org/soils-2015/about/en/" style="background-color: #eeeeee;">2015 – International Year of Soils</a></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="padding-top: 8px; padding-left: 8px; color: #006699;"><img alt="" height="13" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309im_/http://www.irinnews.org/images/design/page.gif" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;"/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309/http://www.fao.org/soils-portal/soil-degradation-restoration/en/" style="background-color: #eeeeee;">FAO Soils Portal</a></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="padding-top: 8px; padding-left: 8px; color: #006699;"><img alt="" height="13" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309im_/http://www.irinnews.org/images/design/page.gif" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;"/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309/http://ag4impact.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/MP_0106_Soil_Report_LR1.pdf" style="background-color: #eeeeee;">Agriculture for Impact</a></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="padding-top: 8px; padding-left: 8px; color: #006699;"><img alt="" height="13" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309im_/http://www.irinnews.org/images/design/page.gif" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;"/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309/http://www.caadp.net/" style="background-color: #eeeeee;">The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme</a></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="padding-top: 8px; padding-left: 8px; color: #006699;"><img alt="" height="13" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309im_/http://www.irinnews.org/images/design/page.gif" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;"/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309/http://agra-alliance.org/what-we-do/policy-across-the-agricultural-value-chain/" style="background-color: #eeeeee;">AGRA</a></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="padding-top: 8px; padding-left: 8px; color: #006699;"><img alt="" height="13" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309im_/http://www.irinnews.org/images/design/page.gif" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;"/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309/http://www.unccd.int/Lists/SiteDocumentLibrary/Rio+20/UNCCD_PolicyBrief_ZeroNetLandDegradation.pdf" style="background-color: #eeeeee;">United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification</a></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="padding-top: 8px; padding-left: 8px; color: #006699;"><img alt="" height="13" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309im_/http://www.irinnews.org/images/design/page.gif" style="color: #006699; border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; background-color: #eeeeee;"/><span style="color: #006699; background-color: #eeeeee;"> </span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309/http://www.africasoils.net/data/digital-soil-mapping" style="background-color: #eeeeee;">Africa Soil Information Service</a><br/> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>But a <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20151018181309/http://ag4impact.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/MP_0106_Soil_Report_LR1.pdf">report</a> - No Ordinary Matter: Conserving, Restoring, and Enhancing Africa’s Soils - released in December 2014, points to potential pathways. These include combining targeted and selected use of fertilisers alongside traditional methods such as application of livestock manure, intercropping with nitrogen-fixing legumes or covering farmland with crop residues. The goal is an ambitious - if contradictory sounding - “Sustainable Intensification” of agriculture.<br/> <br/> oa/rh</p> <br/> <p> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> </p> <p> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> </p> <p> <br/> <br/> </p> <div> </div> </div> </div><input id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_winComment_ClientState" name="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_winComment_ClientState" type="hidden"/> </div><div id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_winEmail" style="z-index:10010;display:none;"> <div id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_winEmail_C" style="display:none;"> </div><input id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_winEmail_ClientState" name="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_winEmail_ClientState" type="hidden"/> </div><div id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_winStringer" disabled="disabled" style="z-index:10010;display:none;"> <div id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_winStringer_C" style="display:none;"> </div><input id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_winStringer_ClientState" name="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_winStringer_ClientState" type="hidden"/> </div><div id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_RadWindowManager1_alerttemplate" style="display:none;"> <div class="rwDialogPopup radalert"> <div class="rwDialogText"> {1} </div> <div> <a onclick="$find('{0}').close(true);" class="rwPopupButton" href="javascript:void(0);"> <span class="rwOuterSpan"> <span class="rwInnerSpan">##LOC[OK]##</span> </span> </a> </div> </div> </div><div id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_RadWindowManager1_prompttemplate" style="display:none;"> <div class="rwDialogPopup radprompt"> <div class="rwDialogText"> {1} </div> <div> <script type="text/javascript"> function RadWindowprompt_detectenter(id, ev, input) { if (!ev) ev = window.event; 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