The FN report on degraded agricultural land mentions Denmark's overuse of nitrogen.

The soil, our food grows in, is deteriorating worldwide. This is happening despite the existence of several well-known methods to protect the soil and reverse the trend. However, farmers and landowners are not adopting them quickly enough. This is the conclusion of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in the report "Status of the World's Soil Resources 2026." The report is the second global assessment of the world's soil resources – the first was published in 2015 – and was prepared with contributions from over 290 experts in 75 countries. The report has evaluated how well soil is being managed in each region and whether sustainable methods are gaining ground. In 52.5% of regional and subregional assessments, soil management is rated as "poor" or "very poor," while only 14% are rated as "good" or "very good." Since the first report was published, the development has also regressed: in 58% of assessments, the adoption of sustainable soil management has declined since 2015, while it has only improved in 10% of assessments. This has occurred while pressure on the soil has increased. Since 2015, the world's population has grown by 800 million people, and between 2015 and 2022, the harvested area of the main crops increased by 80 million hectares. Deteriorating agricultural land is a serious problem – not only for food supply but also for biodiversity and climate, because soil supports 95% of food production, 59% of the world's biodiversity, and is the planet's second-largest carbon reservoir after the oceans. Need for financial support According to the report, farmers adopt sustainable methods when they quickly see benefits such as improved fertility, higher yields, or lower costs. When the benefits primarily accrue to society, such as cleaner water, lower emissions, or increased biodiversity, it is more challenging to get these methods implemented. Therefore, political support and financial incentives are needed to cover the costs during the transition period, the report recommends. Known methods, including reduced tillage, integrated nutrient management, crop diversification, cover crops (including cover crops), organic soil amendments, and agroforestry, can help address the problem, FAO assesses, describing organic farming as one of the systems that can ease pressure on the soil. In organic farming, synthetic fertilizers and chemical pesticides are prohibited, and organic farmers work extensively with crop rotation, organic fertilization, and measures to prevent erosion. The report highlights studies showing that converting to organic farming reduces energy use on farms and emissions of nitrous oxide and other greenhouse gases. Overall, it also decreases nitrate leaching and increases microbial biodiversity in the soil. Despite lower yields – about 18% according to the report – organic farming can be significantly more profitable due to the premium on organic products. In 2020, 1.6% of the world's agricultural land was farmed organically, totaling 74.9 million hectares. Of this, 17.1 million hectares were in Europe. "We now have much better documentation of the pressures facing the world's soils – and of the methods that can protect and restore them. But this report makes it clear that proven solutions are still not being implemented at the pace and scale needed. The priority now is to provide countries, farmers, and other land users with the knowledge, capacity, and incentives they need to translate these solutions into practice," says FAO Deputy Director Beth Bechdol in a press release. Erosion is the greatest threat Erosion, where the top and most fertile soil is washed or blown away, is according to the report the most serious threat, followed by the loss of organic carbon and poor nutrient management. These three threats are interconnected: when the soil layer disappears, the soil loses nutrients and carbon, plants have less space for roots, and water infiltrates less effectively. This increases the risk of both floods and droughts. Across the world's seven regions, efforts to combat erosion are rated as "poor" or "very poor" in 81% of assessments, and in 65%, the situation has worsened since 2015. Other parts of the report support the effectiveness of individual methods. When soil is kept covered with plant residues, mulch, or cover crops, runoff from rain decreases by 25-81% in the analyzed meta-analyses, with cover crops having the greatest effect. When legumes like clover and peas are included in crop rotation, the yield of the following crop increases on average by 20.4%. It is estimated that about 9% of arable land in the EU is cultivated with cover crops. Denmark adds too many nutrients The report points to two challenges here in Denmark: Denmark is one of 12 countries in Europe and Central Asia that add excessive amounts of both nitrogen and phosphorus to the soil. At the same time, erosion in Central and Northern Europe is expected to increase by 10-50% on average between 2016 and 2050. Countries that currently have low erosion, such as Denmark, France, and the Netherlands, are expected to see the largest increases, primarily due to climate change. FAO outlines five priorities: stronger legislation and management of soil resources, more education and knowledge sharing, better and more consistent monitoring of soils, stronger incentives for sustainable soil management, and decision-making processes that involve multiple stakeholders and disciplines. Along with the report, FAO and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) have published a guide on how to avoid, limit, and reverse land degradation. Both publications were presented at UNCCD's 17th Conference of the Parties, COP17.