Global Soils: Preserving the Capacity for Food Production - Soils and Food Security - page 32

1 Introduction
Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs. 1 Given the current population growth trends and the forecasted global
population of more than 9.3 billion by 2050, 2 it seems a rather ambitious target
to achieve. Non-renewable natural resources are becoming depleted at a rate
that will certainly not allow future generations to meet their own needs, unless
we adopt a new approach to the management of these resources. Sources of
minerals, metals and energy, as well as stocks of fish, timber, water, fertile
soils, clean air, biomass, and biodiversity are all under pressure, as is the
stability of the climate system. Whilst demand for food, feed and fibre may
increase by 70% by 2050, 60% of the world's major ecosystems that help
produce these resources have already been degraded or are used unsustainably.
If we carry on using resources at the current rate, by 2050 we will need, on
aggregate, the equivalent of more than two planets to sustain us, and the
aspirations of many for a better quality of life will not be achieved. 3
A fundamental issue that is emerging as the main concern for sustainable
development is the key question of food security for the 9 billion (or maybe
more) humans that will populate the planet earth by 2050. Will there be
enough food for all? We know that already now we are not able to feed the
world's population: 850 million people in the world are still suffering from
undernourishment and there is no sign of improvement of this figure. 4 Recent
assessments 5 indicate that addressing the challenge of future food security is a
complex issue that needs to take into account a much broader perspective than
in the past, integrating the various socio-economic factors with the available
knowledge in agricultural sciences and technologies. Nevertheless, it remains a
basic fact that without sufficient soil and water resources 6 any policy
intervention and adjustment will be of little effect in solving the food security
problem at the global scale.
Preserving the Earth's lands and soils is crucial if we are to provide sufficient
food, clean water and healthy recreational spaces, and cut greenhouse gas
emissions. We need to use land and soil resources more sustainably, set a
measurable path towards preventing degradation, and strengthen existing
global governance to tackle land and soil degradation.
Land and soil are finite resources. The growth in world population, the
rising consumption of meat and dairy products, and the increased use of
biomass for energy and other industrial purposes, all lead to additional
pressure on land and soil worldwide and a shrinking land base.
Soils are not only the basis for food production, but also for delivering
numerous ecosystems services and functions relevant to human well-being, like
water storage, filtration and buffering.
Soil is important for mitigating climate change and its management can
support human adaptation efforts. Soil is at the same time both a source of and
a sink for greenhouse gases. There is a delicate balance between sink and
source functions. Soil contains, worldwide, twice as much carbon as the

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