The new FAO report highlights the role of soil microorganisms in ensuring sustainable agri-food systems and mitigating climate change. It defines soil biodiversity as the variety of life below-ground, from genes and species to the communities they form, as well as the ecological complexes to which they contribute and to which they belong, from soil micro-habitats to landscapes.

The role of soil biodiversity through the ecosystem services they provide is critical for agriculture and food security. For example, soil microorganisms transform organic and inorganic compounds releasing nutrients in a form that plants can feed on. In addition, soils diversity contributes to improving the control, prevention, or suppression of pests and pathogens.

However, soil biodiversity is threatened by human activities, climate change and natural disasters. The overuse and misuse of agrochemicals remains one of the major causes of soil biodiversity loss, thus reducing the potential of soil biodiversity. Other causes include deforestation, urbanization, agricultural intensification, pollution, and salinization.

Soil microorganisms have a significant potential to mitigate climate change. They play a key role in carbon sequestration and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The report finds that farming activities are the biggest source of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide gases emitted by soils.

Soil biodiversity supports human health, both directly and indirectly. Several soil bacteria and fungi are traditionally used in the production of soy sauce, cheese, wine, and other fermented food and beverages. Plants produce chemicals such as antioxidants that stimulate our immune system and contribute to hormone regulation. Soil microorganisms can also help prevent chronic inflammatory diseases, including allergy, asthma, autoimmune diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, and depression.

Since the early 1900s, many drugs and vaccines have been derived from soil organisms, from well-known antibiotics such as penicillin to bleomycin used to treat cancer and amphotericin for fungal infections. In a context of increasing diseases caused by resistant microorganisms, soil biodiversity has enormous potential to provide new drugs to combat them.

Generally, there is a lack of detailed data, policies and actions on soil biodiversity at local, national, regional, and global levels. In order to better understand the threats to soil biodiversity and implement relevant policies and regulations, it is crucial to invest in harmonized soil biodiversity assessments worldwide, standardize sampling and analysis protocols to enable the collection of large comparable datasets, and promote the use of efficient monitoring tools to record changes in soil biodiversity.

The publication also underscores the need to promote innovative technologies in soil management. For instance, new molecular techniques using next-generation molecular sequencing allow a better understanding of soil organisms and the effects these organisms may have on associated cropping systems.