In 2024, 83.7 square kilometers of soil disappeared in Italy, transformed into new concrete or asphalt surfaces, an increase of 15.6% compared to the previous year. This is reported in the latest report, “Land consumption, territorial dynamics, and ecosystem services,” by ISPRA and the National Network System for Environmental Protection (SNPA), which highlights how erosion is proceeding at an alarming rate: approximately 2.7 m² of land is lost every second, equal to almost 230,000 m² per day. Net consumption exceeded 78.5 square kilometers, the highest figure in the last decade, with serious consequences for ecosystem services.
“Although soil is a vital resource, it is being eroded day after day, putting our future at risk,” emphasizes Maria Grazia Mammuccini, President of FederBio – The fragility of this resource has a direct impact on human health: fertile and resilient soil is able to protect biodiversity, absorb excess carbon that destabilizes the climate, ensure hydrogeological stability, and enable agriculture to produce safe, high-quality food. In this scenario, we welcome the new European Directive on soil monitoring and resilience, which represents a decisive step towards the goal of soil restoration, although in order to have a real impact, it must be urgently implemented by all Member States. Despite scientific evidence of the benefits of agroecology for soil fertility, legislation lags behind: while the environmental and health control system monitors the presence of synthetic chemical active ingredients in water and food, the presence of molecules that are potentially harmful to the environment is not systematically detected in soil, the primary receptor of substances used in conventional agriculture. Thus, the soil—the fundamental basis that provides us with food every day—does not enjoy specific protections. Filling this gap is essential, because fertile and resilient soil is a necessary condition for ensuring food security and well-being.
Alongside land consumption, we are also witnessing its progressive deterioration. Previews of the “Status of the World’s Soils” report, which updates the picture painted by the FAO in 2015, emphasize how soil health is now one of the major global emergencies, on a par with climate and biodiversity. Erosion, loss of organic matter, poor nutrient management, pollution, salinization, loss of biodiversity, and urbanization are eroding the ability of soils to produce food, retain carbon, regulate the water cycle, and sustain life. Healthy soils support ecosystem services, but in many cases, the situation continues to worsen rather than improve.
In this context, a positive element comes from data recently released by the Agrofarma Observatory which, comparing the three-year period 2021-2023 with that of 2012-2014, recorded an 18% decrease in the use of synthetic plant protection products, one of the main causes of soil depletion, and a 133% increase in active ingredients of natural origin. This is a sign that even conventional agriculture is increasingly moving towards sustainable solutions.
The growing interest in natural active ingredients confirms the concrete benefits of agroecology in terms of protecting health, the environment, and biodiversity. At a crucial time like the present, the development of organic farming remains the most effective tool for reducing the use of synthetic chemicals and offering innovative solutions to the entire agricultural sector. However, strategic investments in research and innovation are needed, as well as specific regulations for the registration of ‘biocontrol’ products, thus avoiding delays in accessing natural alternatives that may already be available to farmers. Safeguarding soil health is a collective responsibility; it means ensuring food security and well-being for future generations. Food choices play a decisive role in this, and choosing organic food is an act of responsibility and a concrete investment in a sustainable future,” concludes Mammuccini.
