Soil degradation and climate crisis are mutually dependent, as elevated temperatures and extreme weather conditions present a serious threat to agricultural productivity and contribute to the depletion of healthy soils. This condition could result in a 25% shortfall in food production by 2050. Today, the agricultural sector faces the imperative to feed an expanding population, while concurrently trying to reduce emissions (e.g. through the reduction of fertiliser use).
As the global population has increased from 1 to 8 billion people, the land used for farming has expanded significantly, from around 400 to 5.000 million hectares. More than 95% of our food supply comes from soil, including crops, forage for livestock production, as well as meat, dairy, and eggs. To meet the growing demand for food, peatlands have been converted, grasslands changed, and agriculture has undergone industrialization to secure food security. This transformation in land use has significantly diminished the capacity of carbon sinks. Furthermore, the intensification of agriculture through the use of heavy machinery, deeper ploughing, greater fertiliser and pesticide application has led to permanent soil damage and the depletion of vital soil microbiome. Should current agricultural practices persist, the sector will consume 70% of the Earth’s GHG “budget” by 2050. Currently, it is estimated that 75% of arable land is degraded, with approximately 25% experiencing severe degradation.
The FAO predicts that by 2050, 90% of all soils are set to be degraded with 1% soil being lost permanently each year.
Possible consequences for farmers are: less yield, increased costs for fertiliser, water scarcity and erosion, decline in biodiversity.
Through our Hydrothermal humification process we create nature identical humic substances in order to reverse soil degradation and store carbon, thereby creating agricultural benefits and restoring soil fertility.
