Sustainable use of soil

Soil is formed over the course of millennia. Once destroyed, it takes a long time to recover. This makes it all the more important to use soil sustainably. At the end of five years of research, the National Research Programme “Soil as a resource” (NRP 68) has published a number of recommendations. “Sustainable use is possible if  spatial planning, agriculture and forestry take into account all  the functions of soil,” says Emmanuel Frossard, president of the Steering Committee of NRP 68. “These include food production, water filtration and carbon storage.” Nationwide mapping of soil is necessary to achieve this goal. “Each soil function contributes to people’s well-being,” emphasises Emmanuel Frossard. “We need to take concrete measures to protect the soil, otherwise we will be paying a high price in the future.”

The results of NRP 68 have been published in 6 reports and have led to over 130 publications.