Healthy soil is the hidden ingredient

Soil quality is crucial for sustaining production in vineyards, such as this one near Montilla in southern Spain.Credit: JORGE GUERRERO/AFP via Getty When it comes to the land, the European Union faces a reckoning: 60–70% of its soils are considered unhealthy, resulting in soil degradation. That costs €50 billion (US$55 billion) annually because of the loss of essential services and the effect on human health. Spain has the highest rates of soil degradation in Europe, with an average of 14.2 tonnes of soil lost per hectare to erosion each year1. Although its importance is often overlooked, quality soil is essential for sustaining agriculture and crucial ecosystems. Its importance was highlighted in the 2015 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, with soil health named as a key factor in achieving several of the goals. Nature Spotlight: Spain Having studied soil erosion in vineyards across Europe, Jesús Rodrigo Comino, a geographer at the University of Granada, Spain, is hopin ... Read full article.