Saving our soil: why it matters and how you can help

Soil is extraordinary.

From supporting life on Earth to fighting climate change, healthy soil underpins our food, nature and future. Here are 10 fascinating facts that show why soil deserves more attention and better protection.

1. Soil has layers

Healthy soil is made up of 6 distinct layers, known as horizons. It starts at the top horizon with organic matter, like plant and animal residues, and ends with the bottom horizon of bedrock.

2. More than half of life on Earth lives in soil

From the familiar earthworms, to the lesser-known tardigrade and many undiscovered species - there are many creatures living right under our feet.

3. A spoonful of soil contains billions of living organisms

Just 1 gram of soil (a quarter of a tablespoon) can harbour up to 10 billion organisms. That's more than the number of people living on the planet.

4. Most soil life is still a mystery

Only about 1% of the microorganisms found in soil have been identified so far. Our soils are one of the largest reservoirs of microbial diversity on Earth. This includes many single-celled organisms, such as bacteria and archaea, as well as certain fungi, too.

There's so much about the organisms that live in our soils that we still don't understand. Many think that further research could lead to important developments in agricultural, medical and climate sciences.

5. Almost all our food depends on soil

95% of food production relies on the soil. Healthy topsoil is vital to our existence on this planet, but we are losing topsoil at an alarming rate - 10 to 40 times faster than it's formed.

6. Soil is a powerful weapon against climate change

Soils store more carbon than the atmosphere, and all of the world’s plants and forests combined. This means that soil is one of our most important weapons in the fight against climate change.

Did you know that the UK's soil alone holds nearly 10 billion tonnes of carbon? That's equivalent to the total global emissions created by the human population in 1 year.

7. Healthy soil helps prevent floods and droughts

Soils can store one and a half Olympic swimming pools full of water per hectare. In total, the UK's soils store around 130 trillion litres of water - more than all UK lakes and rivers combined.

8. Earthworms are soil superheroes

Earthworms do amazing work in soils. Their activity offers many benefits, from increased nutrient availability and better drainage, to creating a more stable soil structure. You can find more earthworms in the soil on organic farms.

9. We’re losing soil at an alarming rate

Every minute we lose the equivalent of 30 football pitches of fertile soil. When we don’t look after it, soil can lose its ability to support plant growth, become contaminated or erode away, and it can take up to 1,000 years for a single centimetre of topsoil to form.

10. Organic farming helps rebuild soil health

Organic farms have 20% more organic matter in their soil on average. Organic farmers make soil health a key priority on their farms, building fertility naturally through the use of compost, crop rotation and nitrogen-fixing crops. Organic farmers use, on average, 65% more compost on their farms. Organic matter is really important for building healthy, fertile soils, and helping the soil to hold and store water.