This Brief offers a working definition of water security developed from contributions made by the broad range of organizations, agencies, programmes and institutions that form UN-Water. Through this Brief, UN-Water aims to capture the constantly evolving dimensions of water-related issues, offering a holistic outlook on challenges under the umbrella of water security. It highlights the main challenges to be addressed, the role water security plays in policy agendas, and possible options for addressing water security challenges.

Soils are a limited natural resource, but their role in food security is crucial. In light of climate change, soil degradation and erosion, farmers struggle to protect soil health. This video highlights the crucial role soils play in achieving food security, and provides examples of how local farmers in Bolivia and Kenya are adopting innovative methods to protect their soils.

Animated video produced by the Global Soil Partnership promoting the creation of a UN World Soil Day and the adoption of 2017 as the International Year of Soils. The animation outlines the importance and benefits of soils and the hazards currently facing them.

It has been suggested that conversion to organic farming contributes to soil carbon sequestration, but until now a comprehensive quantitative assessment has been lacking. Therefore, datasets from 74 studies from pairwise comparisons of organic vs. nonorganic farming systems were subjected to metaanalysis to identify differences in soil organic carbon.

The Global Soil Partnership has launched its new web site. The Partnership is an important collaboration to develop capacities, build on best available science, and facilitate/contribute to the exchange of knowledge and technologies among stakeholders for sustainable management of soil resources at all levels.