2 May 2018, Rome--- Soil pollution poses a worrisome threat to agricultural productivity, food safety, and human health, but far too little is known about the scale and severity of that threat, warns a new FAO report released today at the start of a global symposium. Some 95% of food comes from the soil, making its conservation and sustainable management essential to meet the roughly 50 per cent increase in food production required by mid-century to meet growing demand.

This week’s event at FAO represents a first step in identifying and plugging global information gaps and advancing a more cohesive international response to the threats posed by soil pollution. That includes establishing an agenda for action to promote implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Management developed by FAO and partners in 2016, as well as recent international commitments to better manage soil pollution.