Soil and Water, the Key Ingredients for Promoting Nature-based Solutions and Sustainable Agriculture

World Soil Day is celebrated every December 5. Its origins date back to 2002, promoted by the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS), which placed on the environmental agenda the need to raise awareness of the importance of caring for, conserving, and regenerating soils for food security and adaptation to climate change.

This day invites us to reflect on the fact that soil is a resource that sustains life, and that its health determines our permanence on the planet. This is because soil is not just earth: it is the foundation of all living ecosystems, regulating water, feeding crops, capturing carbon, and providing a home for millions of species.

Healthy soil is key to water security

When we talk about soil, we talk about water. These two resources are closely linked, since healthy soil reduces erosion, absorbs rainwater better, retains moisture for longer, and allows water to recharge the aquifers. In contrast, when soil is degraded, whether by erosion, burning, or loss of organic matter, rain becomes a risk rather than a usable resource.

Conserving soil is managing water 

Did you know that a small handful of soil contains billions of microorganisms? 

The biodiversity found in soils is what transforms nutrients, stores carbon, gives soil its structure, and keeps agricultural systems productive.

Although more than 30% of the planet's soil shows a moderate to high level of degradation due to erosion, salinization, compaction, acidification, or contamination (FAO), the good news is that it can be regenerated by implementing appropriate and sustainable practices such as NbS (Nature-based Solutions) and/or Sustainable Agriculture.

At Aguas Firmes we know there is a direct relationship between sustainable agricultural practices and the conservation of the land through NbS. Agricultural practices improve water productivity and crop yields, while NbS restore ecosystems, including soil health and quality.

Some of the practices we are implementing in Apan, Hidalgo; Calera, Zacatecas; and Mexico City, which contribute to soil regeneration and conservation, are:

In agricultural areas, soil quality defines productivity, families' quality of life, and their ability to remain in their communities. But caring for it does not fall to a single actor, does not depend on a single sector, and is not solely the responsibility of those who till it.

Caring for soil must be a priority on the public and private agenda. That is why at Aguas Firmes we have built partnerships with public institutions such as SADER, SEMARNAT, and CONAGUA, which have made it possible to strategically direct the project's actions to multiply their impact on the care of soil and water.

Soil is part of our identity, our culture, and our future. That is why conserving it is not only an environmental practice; it is also a social and economic decision that concerns us all.

At Aguas Firmes we promote this collaboration because we know that only by building together will we secure the future we want to see for this generation and those yet to come.

Tags: fertile soil