PARIS: More than half of the world’s soils are in poor condition, threatening global food supplies and biodiversity, while proven measures to improve soil health are not being implemented, said a UN report released on Thursday. “Globally, we must shift from a mindset of soil exploitation to one of soil stewardship,” the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned. Soils “support 95 percent of our food production, host 59 percent of global biodiversity, and serve as the planet’s second-largest carbon sink after the oceans,” said the report’s authors.

The soil that grows the world's food and holds its water is becoming less productive, yet governments are struggling to agree on how to respond to this crisis. As political talks…

PARIS: More than half of the world’s soils are in poor condition, threatening global food supplies and biodiversity, while proven measures to improve soil health are not being…