Soil Degradation Threatens Food Security and Climate Stability Across Europe, Report Warns
More than 60% of agricultural soils in the European Union and around 40% in the UK are now degraded as a result of decades of intensive farming, according to a new report by the Save Soil initiative.
The report warns that this widespread soil decline is fuelling climate instability, exacerbating extreme weather, and putting future food security at risk.
Experts from the initiative say restoring soil health is crucial to tackling the climate crisis. Healthy soils retain water, store carbon, and support food production, but degraded soils are structurally weak, unable to hold water during rainfall, and lack resilience in drought. This creates a vicious cycle of flooding and arid conditions, intensifying the impact of climate change.
Save Soil is urging governments to make soil restoration a central focus of climate strategies and to reform agricultural subsidies to reward regenerative farming practices. These include methods such as crop rotation, reduced tillage, and the use of organic matter to rebuild soil fertility.
“Europe and the UK are experiencing extremes – parched fields one month, flooded towns the next. What this report makes clear is that our soils are no longer buffering us,” said a spokesperson for the group. “We are losing the natural infrastructure that manages water.”
The report highlights the growing severity of Europe’s water crisis. In 2022, water scarcity affected 40% of EU land and a third of its population. Devastating floods hit Spain, Italy, and Germany in 2023 and 2024, while France has seen a dramatic one-third drop in groundwater levels. Despite experiencing record rainfall last year, the UK is now facing the likelihood of drought.
Globally, the threat is no less severe. The UN estimates that by 2050, 2.4 billion urban residents—nearly half the global city population—will face water shortages. Meanwhile, climate-driven disruptions are already impacting commodity prices, with noticeable increases in staples like coffee and chocolate.
A separate UN study from last year revealed that excessive salinity is already reducing the fertility of 10% of the world’s land, with another billion hectares at risk. Healthy soils are also vital carbon sinks, helping mitigate the effects of fossil fuel emissions.
Karen Johnson, professor of environmental engineering at Durham University, who was not involved with the report, said: “Soil is a living material intimately connected to human and planetary health and it is only by working with soil as a living material that we can address the global challenges [facing] water. Let’s work with the soil microbiome instead of against it – we may as well harness over three billion years of evolutionary knowledge.”
Hannah Blitzer of the Soil Association warned that uncertainty around support is deterring farmers from adopting sustainable practices.
“It is essential that soil is better protected – the UK government should give this vital resource the same protection as water and air, while also backing nature-friendly farming like organic that puts soil health first. This means moving away from reliance on harmful artificial pesticides and fertilisers and switching to building resilience in soils through nature-based solutions.”
In the UK, government schemes allow farmers to receive payments for protecting soil. However, the flagship Sustainable Farming Incentive has been paused, and broader funding for environmentally friendly agriculture is under review.
A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “This government recognises the importance of healthy, functioning soil for resilience against the impacts of climate change, such as flooding and drought and to protect food security. That is why we are taking action through agri-environment schemes to encourage land management practices that focus on a sustainable approach to farm and soil management.”
——————————————————————————
At Natural World Fund, we are passionate about restoring habitats in the UK to halt the decline in our wildlife.
Donate now and join in the solution!
