{"id":13203,"date":"2026-06-20T12:26:35","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T12:26:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.iita.org\/news-item\/healthy-soil-the-foundation-for-healthy-people-and-landscapes\/"},"modified":"2026-06-20T12:26:35","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T12:26:35","slug":"healthy-soil-the-foundation-for-healthy-people-and-landscapes","status":"publish","type":"news-item","link":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/news-item\/healthy-soil-the-foundation-for-healthy-people-and-landscapes\/","title":{"rendered":"Healthy soil – the foundation for healthy people and landscapes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"World<\/a>
World Soil Day poster<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 5 December \u2013 World Soil Day \u2013 we celebrate the importance of soil as a foundation for healthy people and l andscapes. As global population grows and places dem ands on agricultural outputs, we need to think carefully about how we use resources, including l and. In the context of food security, simply increasing the amount of agricultural l and we use is neither desirable nor feasible. What we need is innovation, from the ground up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creating healthy soil<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sustainable intensification is critical for producing more food using the same, or less, l and in a way that minimises negative impacts on resources. Sharing scientific knowledge, local best practice and relevant innovation with smallholder farmers can help achieve this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) is an obvious example. It substantially increases crop health and yield, sometimes two- or threefold, through various means including fertilizers. The goal is to take existing ISFM information and put it in the h ands of farmers who can benefit from it in other parts of the world. Partnerships such as the Africa Soil Health Consortium (ASHC) accomplish this objective through training extensionists and scientists, and by using practical materials such as books, cartoons and posters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Small changes, for example altering the way in which fertilizers are introduced to soil, can have a substantial impact. Using micronutrient-enriched fertilizers also helps transmit nutrients from soil to plant, to animals, and to humans, benefitting the health of all. Good water management systems must also be researched and implemented, to help yield \u2018more crop per drop\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supporting healthy people<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can further maximise health benefits by researching new crop varieties that are resilient to drought and submersion, for example. Developing better crops for the future may also mean re-evaluating neglected or underutilised local varieties that can offer potential new sources of improved food, nutritional, culinary and medicinal value for smallholder farmers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is important because, until recently, food security has been focused on research investment in traditional staple crops \u2013 maize, rice, wheat \u2013 to tackle hunger. It is now widely accepted that we must go beyond calorie intake and look at the nutritional balance of crops grown and consumed. We need more focus on fruit, legumes and vegetables. Helping people achieve a well-balanced diet will address the \u2018hidden hunger\u2019 of malnutrition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many rural communities, growing and selling relatively high-value horticultural produce offers indirect health benefits, since the income gives farmers the choice to buy nutritionally-valuable produce they cannot grow. We must also look at the way we use l and and water resources for animals, fish and poultry, which are valuable sources of protein, fatty acids and essential vitamins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Managing healthy l andscapes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When considering l and use, it is important to see the bigger picture, underst anding that agricultural production systems interact in many ways and levels of scale, from plot to farm, and from farm to l andscape. Challenges arise when trade-offs must be made between different l and use objectives, for example, sustainable agriculture and environmental protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Helping farmers to put research into use when they make decisions on l and management will be essential. The members of AIRCA are committed to tackling agriculture and the environment at the l andscape level. This approach to sustainable agriculture requires the creation of solutions that take into account the diversity of interactions among people and the environment, agricultural and non-agricultural systems, the crossing of national boundaries, and other factors that represent the entire context of agriculture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working with women and young people will also be important. As global food dem and rises, so too do opportunities for young people\u2019s careers in agriculture. Education and skills training can help create the next generation of eco- and nutrition-savvy farmers. Empowering women in rural communities is also essential, helping them build healthy futures through agriculture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The earth is the foundation upon which we can sustain human health, food security and natural ecosystems. Soil health is an essential component to meeting some of the world\u2019s most important challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Dr Dyno (J.D.H.) Keatinge, AIRCA<\/a> Chair and Director General of AVRDC<\/a>, Dr Trevor Nicholls, CEO of CABI<\/a> and Dr Amit Roy, President and CEO of FIDA<\/a><\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On 5 December \u2013 World Soil Day \u2013 we celebrate the importance of soil as a foundation for healthy people and landscapes. As global population grows and places demands on agricultural outputs, we need to think carefully about how we use resources, including land. In the context of food security, simply increasing the amount of agricultural land we use is neither desirable nor feasible. What we need is innovation, from the ground up…<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"tags":[],"science-area":[],"program":[],"location":[32],"news-type":[],"hub":[],"crop":[],"impact-areas":[],"item-year":[192],"class_list":["post-13203","news-item","type-news-item","status-publish","hentry","location-nigeria","item-year-192"],"yoast_head":"\nHealthy soil - the foundation for healthy people and landscapes - IITA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/news-item\/healthy-soil-the-foundation-for-healthy-people-and-landscapes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_FR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Healthy soil - the foundation for healthy people and landscapes - IITA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On 5 December \u2013 World Soil Day \u2013 we celebrate the importance of soil as a foundation for healthy people and landscapes. As global population grows and places demands on agricultural outputs, we need to think carefully about how we use resources, including land. In the context of food security, simply increasing the amount of agricultural land we use is neither desirable nor feasible. What we need is innovation, from the ground up...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/news-item\/healthy-soil-the-foundation-for-healthy-people-and-landscapes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"IITA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/IITA.CGIAR\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@IITA_CGIAR\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Dur\u00e9e de lecture estim\u00e9e\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iita.org\\\/news-item\\\/healthy-soil-the-foundation-for-healthy-people-and-landscapes\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iita.org\\\/news-item\\\/healthy-soil-the-foundation-for-healthy-people-and-landscapes\\\/\",\"name\":\"Healthy soil - the foundation for healthy people and landscapes - IITA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iita.org\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iita.org\\\/news-item\\\/healthy-soil-the-foundation-for-healthy-people-and-landscapes\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iita.org\\\/news-item\\\/healthy-soil-the-foundation-for-healthy-people-and-landscapes\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/newint.iita.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/11\\\/World-Soil-Day-poster-212x300.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-20T12:26:35+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iita.org\\\/news-item\\\/healthy-soil-the-foundation-for-healthy-people-and-landscapes\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/iita.org\\\/news-item\\\/healthy-soil-the-foundation-for-healthy-people-and-landscapes\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iita.org\\\/news-item\\\/healthy-soil-the-foundation-for-healthy-people-and-landscapes\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/newint.iita.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/11\\\/World-Soil-Day-poster-212x300.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/newint.iita.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/11\\\/World-Soil-Day-poster-212x300.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iita.org\\\/news-item\\\/healthy-soil-the-foundation-for-healthy-people-and-landscapes\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iita.org\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iita.org\\\/news-item\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Healthy soil – the foundation for healthy people and landscapes\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iita.org\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iita.org\\\/\",\"name\":\"IITA\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iita.org\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iita.org\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iita.org\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"International Institute of Tropical Agriculture\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iita.org\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iita.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iita.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/IITA-Logo-finalll.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iita.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/IITA-Logo-finalll.png\",\"width\":1788,\"height\":591,\"caption\":\"International Institute of Tropical Agriculture\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/iita.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/IITA.CGIAR\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/IITA_CGIAR\",\"http:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/iita\",\"http:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/IITAPUBLISHING\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Healthy soil - the foundation for healthy people and landscapes - IITA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/news-item\/healthy-soil-the-foundation-for-healthy-people-and-landscapes\/","og_locale":"fr_FR","og_type":"article","og_title":"Healthy soil - the foundation for healthy people and landscapes - IITA","og_description":"On 5 December \u2013 World Soil Day \u2013 we celebrate the importance of soil as a foundation for healthy people and landscapes. As global population grows and places demands on agricultural outputs, we need to think carefully about how we use resources, including land. In the context of food security, simply increasing the amount of agricultural land we use is neither desirable nor feasible. What we need is innovation, from the ground up...","og_url":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/news-item\/healthy-soil-the-foundation-for-healthy-people-and-landscapes\/","og_site_name":"IITA","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/IITA.CGIAR","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@IITA_CGIAR","twitter_misc":{"Dur\u00e9e de lecture estim\u00e9e":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/iita.org\/news-item\/healthy-soil-the-foundation-for-healthy-people-and-landscapes\/","url":"https:\/\/iita.org\/news-item\/healthy-soil-the-foundation-for-healthy-people-and-landscapes\/","name":"Healthy soil - the foundation for healthy people and landscapes - IITA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/iita.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/iita.org\/news-item\/healthy-soil-the-foundation-for-healthy-people-and-landscapes\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/iita.org\/news-item\/healthy-soil-the-foundation-for-healthy-people-and-landscapes\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/newint.iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/World-Soil-Day-poster-212x300.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-20T12:26:35+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/iita.org\/news-item\/healthy-soil-the-foundation-for-healthy-people-and-landscapes\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"fr-FR","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/iita.org\/news-item\/healthy-soil-the-foundation-for-healthy-people-and-landscapes\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"fr-FR","@id":"https:\/\/iita.org\/news-item\/healthy-soil-the-foundation-for-healthy-people-and-landscapes\/#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/newint.iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/World-Soil-Day-poster-212x300.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/newint.iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/World-Soil-Day-poster-212x300.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/iita.org\/news-item\/healthy-soil-the-foundation-for-healthy-people-and-landscapes\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/iita.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/iita.org\/news-item\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Healthy soil – the foundation for healthy people and landscapes"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/iita.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/iita.org\/","name":"IITA","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/iita.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/iita.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"fr-FR"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/iita.org\/#organization","name":"Institut International d'Agriculture Tropicale","url":"https:\/\/iita.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"fr-FR","@id":"https:\/\/iita.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IITA-Logo-finalll.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/IITA-Logo-finalll.png","width":1788,"height":591,"caption":"International Institute of Tropical Agriculture"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/iita.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/IITA.CGIAR","https:\/\/x.com\/IITA_CGIAR","http:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/iita","http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/IITAPUBLISHING"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-item\/13203","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-item"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news-item"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-item\/13203\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13203"},{"taxonomy":"science-area","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/science-area?post=13203"},{"taxonomy":"program","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/program?post=13203"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=13203"},{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=13203"},{"taxonomy":"hub","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hub?post=13203"},{"taxonomy":"crop","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/crop?post=13203"},{"taxonomy":"impact-areas","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/impact-areas?post=13203"},{"taxonomy":"item-year","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/item-year?post=13203"}],"curies":[{"name":"bien jou\u00e9","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}