On the occasion of World Soil Day, December 5, 2022, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) published the c, which is also the first such report.
Key highlights
- Black soils, which feed the global population, are under threat, with most losing at least half of their soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks.
- They have lost 20 to 50% of their original SOC stock, with the carbon being released into the atmosphere mostly as carbon dioxide, exacerbating global warming.
- Most of the black soils suffered from moderate to severe erosion processes, as well as nutrient imbalances, acidification and biodiversity loss.
Soluton
- Preserving natural vegetation on black soils such as grasslands, forests and wetlands and adopting sustainable soil management approaches on cropped black soils.
About Black soils
- Black soils are mineral soils which have a black surface horizon, enriched with organic carbon that is at least 25 cm deep.
- It is also known as Regur or black cotton soil. Found in the Deccan plateau, Black soil has high clay content and is iron-rich. The most common crops grown in Black soil are Cotton, sugarcane, wheat, etc.
- The inherent fertility of the soils make them the food basket for many countries and are considered essential to the global food supply.
- These soils are characterised by a thick, dark-coloured soil horizon rich in organic matter.
- Land-use change, unsustainable management practices and excessive use of agrochemicals are to blame.
- Black soils are extremely fertile and can produce high agricultural yields thanks to their elevated moisture storage capacity.
- They constitutes 5.6 per cent of global soils and contain 8.2 per cent of the world’s SOC stocks: Approximately 56 billion tonnes of carbon.
- Black soils were home to 2.86 per cent of the global population and had 17.36 per cent of cropland, 8.05 per cent of global SOC stock and 30.06 per cent SOC stock of global cropland.
