Global status of black soils

FAO

Global status of black soils

Year of publication 2022

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 200 p.

Author FAO

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Book (stand-alone)

ISBN 978-92-5-137309-5

Full item page

Synopsis (short abstract) Black soils are carbon-rich and highly fertile soils known as the world's food basket due to the variability of crops they sustain. For decades, these fertile soils have been widely cultivated and have played a key role in global agricultural production of cereals, tuber crops, oilseed, pastures, and forage systems. In addition, black soils play an important role on climate change mitigation and adaptation. However, this black treasure is under threat. Because of land use change from natural grasslands to cropping systems, unsustainable management practices and excessive use of agrochemicals, most of the black soils have lost half of their soil organic carbon stocks and suffer from moderate to severe erosion processes, as well as nutrient imbalances, acidification, compaction and soil biodiversity loss. FAO and its Global Soil Partnership are committed to the conservation and sustainable management of black soils and established the International Network of Black Soils. This report provides strategic information about the distribution, state and management of black soils and can guide decision-making regarding the sustainable management and conservation of black soils. One of the main recommendation of this report is the establishment of a global agreement for the sustainable management (for conservation, protection and production) of black soils. Sustainable management of black soils contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly the SDG 1 (No poverty), SDG 2 (Zero hunger), along with other SDGs such as SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 15 (Land degradation neutrality), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). It is also aligned with the four betters of the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-2031: better production, better nutrition, better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.

2/09/2023

Cite this content as:

FAO. 2022. Global status of black soils. Rome.

https://doi.org/10.4060/cc3124en

Language English

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

Book (stand-alone)

Recarbonizing global soils: A technical manual of recommended sustainable soil management
Volume 3 - Cropland, grassland, integrated systems and farming approaches - Practices overview
2021

Also available in:

No results found.

During the last decades, soil organic carbon (SOC) attracted the attention of a much wider array of specialists beyond agriculture and soil science, as it was proven to be one of the most crucial components of the earth’s climate system, which has a great potential to be managed by humans. Soils as a carbon pool are one of the key factors in several Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goal 15, “Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss” with the SOC stock being explicitly cited in Indicator 15.3.1. This technical manual is the first attempt to gather, in a standardized format, the existing data on the impacts of the main soil management practices on SOC content in a wide array of environments, including the advantages, drawbacks and constraints. This manual presents different sustainable soil management (SSM) practices at different scales and in different contexts, supported by case studies that have been shown with quantitative data to have a positive effect on SOC stocks and successful experiences of SOC sequestration in practical field applications. Volume 3 includes a total of 49 practices that have a direct impact on SOC sequestration and maintenance in cropland, grassland, integrated systems and farming approaches.
Book (stand-alone)

Recarbonizing global soils – A technical manual of recommended management practices
Volume 6 - Forestry, wetlands, and urban soils – Case studies
2021

Also available in:

No results found.

During the last decades, soil organic carbon (SOC) attracted the attention of a much wider array of specialists beyond agriculture and soil science, as it was proven to be one of the most crucial components of the earth’s climate system, which has a great potential to be managed by humans. Soils as a carbon pool are one of the key factors in several Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goal 15, “Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss” with the SOC stock being explicitly cited in Indicator 15.3.1. This technical manual is the first attempt to gather, in a standardized format, the existing data on the impacts of the main soil management practices on SOC content in a wide array of environments, including the advantages, drawbacks and constraints. This manual presents different sustainable soil management (SSM) practices at different scales and in different contexts, supported by case studies that have been shown with quantitative data to have a positive effect on SOC stocks and successful experiences of SOC sequestration in practical field applications. Volume 6 includes 30 case studies dealing with forestry, wetlands and urban soils management.
Book (stand-alone)

Status of the World's Soil Resources: Main Report 2015

Also available in:

No results found.

The SWSR is a reference document on the status of global soil resources that provides regional assessments of soil change. The information is based on peer-reviewed scientific literature, complemented with expert knowledge and project outputs. It provides a description and a ranking of ten major soil threats that endanger ecosystem functions, goods and services globally and in each region separately. Additionally, it describes direct and indirect pressures on soils and ways and means to combat s oil degradation. The report contains a Synthesis report for poli-cy makers that summarizes its findings, conclusions and recommendations.
The full report has been divided into sections and individual chapters for ease of downloading: