Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • SPOTLIGHT

Healthy soil is the hidden ingredient — here’s how I’m fighting to save it

Around 60% of the European Union’s soils are considered unhealthy, but geographer Jesús Rodrigo Comino is determined to help change that in his native Spain.
By
  1. Nikki Forrester

    1. Nikki Forrester is a science journalist based in Davis, West Virginia.

When it comes to the land, the European Union faces a reckoning: 60–70% of its soils are considered unhealthy, resulting in soil degradation. That costs €50 billion (US$55 billion) annually because of the loss of essential services and the effect on human health. Spain has the highest rates of soil degradation in Europe, with an average of 14.2 tonnes of soil lost per hectare to erosion each year1. Although its importance is often overlooked, quality soil is essential for sustaining agriculture and crucial ecosystems. Its importance was highlighted in the 2015 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, with soil health named as a key factor in achieving several of the goals.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-01026-x

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

This article is part of Nature Spotlight: Spain, an editorially independent supplement. Advertisers have no influence over the content.

References

  1. Rodríguez-Berbel, N., Soria, R., Ortega, R., Lucas-Borja, M. E. & Miralles, I. In Impact of Agriculture on Soil Degradation II: A European Perspective. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry Vol. 121 (eds Pereira, P., Muñoz-Rojas, M., Bogunovic, I. & Zhao, W.) 263–297 (Springer, 2023).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Subjects

Latest on:

Nature Careers

Jobs

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing

Search

Advanced search

Quick links