The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), together with the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils and the Global Soil Partnership, has published the 2026 edition of the Status of the World’s Soil Resources, providing an updated global assessment of soil conditions and the threats affecting this essential natural resource.
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Soils underpin food production and provide a wide range of ecosystem services that are fundamental to human well-being. They support biodiversity, regulate water, store carbon and nutrients, and sustain agricultural productivity. Yet, despite more than a century of advances in soil science, significant knowledge gaps remain regarding the condition of soils worldwide and how rapidly they are changing.
The new report comes ten years after the first Status of the World’s Soil Resources, published in 2015. That landmark assessment provided countries with a common scientific reference for understanding global soil conditions and identifying the principal processes contributing to soil degradation. A decade later, the second edition provides an opportunity to assess how these conditions and pressures have evolved and where greater attention is still required.
The 2026 assessment draws on scientific literature and evidence published over the past decade, complemented by regional assessments of soil conditions and threats. By bringing this information together, the report aims to provide a clearer picture of trends in global soil health and strengthen the evidence available to governments and other stakeholders when determining priorities for soil protection and sustainable management.
This updated assessment is particularly relevant as soils face growing and interconnected pressures. Agricultural intensification, contamination, erosion, loss of soil fertility, and other forms of degradation can undermine the ability of soils to continue providing essential ecosystem services. Understanding how these threats are evolving is therefore crucial not only for environmental protection, but also for sustainable agriculture and long-term food security.
The publication also highlights the importance of regular and scientifically robust soil assessments. Effective soil policies depend on reliable information about existing conditions, emerging threats and changes over time. Strengthening monitoring and knowledge-sharing can help countries identify areas at risk and target appropriate management measures.
Ten years after the first global assessment, the new Status of the World’s Soil Resources provides an important opportunity to evaluate progress while renewing international attention on soil health. Turning this growing body of scientific knowledge into effective policies and sustainable soil management practices will be essential to protect soils and the food systems that depend on them for future generations.
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