A Generic Approach to Creating a National Soil Security Strategy

ABSTRACT Soil is a living and non‐renewable resource that underpins our very existence. It produces our food, filters our water, stores vast amounts of carbon, cycles essential nutrients, and sustains the rich tapestry of biodiversity on which our planet depends. Yet, in policy and governance, the security of the soil itself remains largely invisible with fragmented legislation. To address this critical sustainability issue, we suggest a blueprint that any government could adopt, adapt, and legislate to secure its soil for sustainable use and management. This includes a potential strategy for making national measures, rooted in the principles of the soil security concept and scientific research. Based on iterative discussion among a diverse group of authors with expertise in soil science, law, socio‐economics, policy, and public consultancy, we suggest five key components that are essential for coherent policy. These include monitoring, soil‐centric planning, economic valuation, threat prevention, and stakeholder stewardship alongside implementation implications. By having a national soil security strategy, nations can take the decisive steps needed to protect soil and our planet for generations to come.

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Publication Details

Journal
Sustainable Development
Published
2026-07-23
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.71467
Primary Topic
Soil Geostatistics and Mapping
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

A Generic Approach to Creating a National Soil Security Strategy

Nicolas Francos, Jae E. Yang, Mara Thiene, Bruce Lascelles et al.
Sustainable Development
Soil Geostatistics and Mapping
article

A Generic Approach to Creating a National Soil Security Strategy

Nicolas Francos, Jae E. Yang, Mara Thiene, Bruce Lascelles, Amin Sharififar, Quentin Styc, Mercedes Román Dobarco, Damien J. Field, Wartini Ng, Fátima Maria de Souza Moreira, Sandra J. Evangelista, Anilkumar Hunakunti, Julio C. Pachón Maldonado, Thilini Jayasekara, Julia Feeth, Irene Heuser, David Watt, Cristine L. S. Morgan, Daniel Irving, Pasquale Borrelli, Alex McBratney, Budiman Minasny
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Soil is a living and non‐renewable resource that underpins our very existence. It produces our food, filters our water, stores vast amounts of carbon, cycles essential nutrients, and sustains the rich tapestry of biodiversity on which our planet depends. Yet, in policy and governance, the security of the soil itself remains largely invisible with fragmented legislation. To address this critical sustainability issue, we suggest a blueprint that any government could adopt, adapt, and legislate to secure its soil for sustainable use and management. This includes a potential strategy for making national measures, rooted in the principles of the soil security concept and scientific research. Based on iterative discussion among a diverse group of authors with expertise in soil science, law, socio‐economics, policy, and public consultancy, we suggest five key components that are essential for coherent policy. These include monitoring, soil‐centric planning, economic valuation, threat prevention, and stakeholder stewardship alongside implementation implications. By having a national soil security strategy, nations can take the decisive steps needed to protect soil and our planet for generations to come.

Sustainable Development
Roma Tre University (IT), International Union for Conservation of Nature (Bangladesh) (BD), International Labour Organization (CH), The University of Sydney (AU), Universidade Federal de Lavras (BR), University of Padua (IT), Kangwon National University (KR), University of Basel (CH), Arcadis (United Kingdom) (GB), Euskadiko Parke Teknologikoa (ES), Research for Action (US), International Union for Conservation of Nature (United States) (US)
Australian Research Council
Life in Land
Openalex Percentile: Top 15%
Soil Geostatistics and Mapping
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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