Soil degradation: why it matters and how we can measure its impact

Each time soil loses its fertility, structure, or biodiversity, we also lose the invisible yet essential services that ensure food security, water quality, and climate stability. Soil degradation is a silent but devastating process, often underestimated. Understanding its causes and effects—and especially being able to quantify its impact on ecosystem services—is the first step toward regenerating landscapes and building more resilient territories.

What Is Soil Degradation?

Soil degradation is a process of deterioration that compromises the soil’s ecological, productive, and regulatory functions. In practice, it means the soil loses its ability to provide vital ecosystem services such as food production, water filtration, carbon sequestration, and support for biodiversity. According to the United Nations, around 24 billion tons of fertile soil are lost every year, worsening issues like hunger, desertification, and the climate crisis.

What Are the Causes of Soil Degradation?

The causes of soil degradation are multiple and interconnected. Key drivers include:

• Soil erosion caused by intense rainfall or wind, often worsened by deforestation and intensive agriculture

• Soil pollution from chemicals, pesticides, or industrial waste

• Compaction and loss of structure due to heavy machinery or over-treading

• Salinization caused by poorly managed irrigation

• Land use change, such as urbanization or deforestation

All these factors reduce the soil’s capacity to sustain life and natural cycles, contributing to wider environmental degradation and desertification.

What Are the Consequences of Soil Degradation?

The consequences of soil degradation manifest at ecological, economic, and social levels. Key impacts include:

• Declining agricultural fertility, leading to reduced yields and food insecurity

• Loss of plant and animal biodiversity

• Increased frequency of extreme events, such as floods and landslides

• Release of CO₂ and reduced carbon sequestration capacity

• Population displacement and increased conflict over resources

Degraded soil also becomes more vulnerable to pollution and loses its ability to absorb rainwater, worsening climate-related risks.

How to Quantify the Impacts of Soil Degradation on Ecosystem Services

Effectively addressing soil degradation requires a clear understanding of its consequences for the provision of ecosystem services, such as water regulation, soil fertility, and carbon sequestration. Etifor starts from the economic valuation of the loss or reduction of these services to estimate the overall impact of degradation.

Through scientific methodologies and multidisciplinary tools, it is possible to express the value of compromised ecosystem services in economic terms and assess the damage caused by soil degradation. This approach reveals often hidden costs and provides public authorities and land managers with a robust basis for planning regenerative interventions, prioritizing vulnerable areas, and making policy decisions responsibly.

Soil Degradation and Agriculture: A Deep Connection

Intensive agriculture, when not managed sustainably, is one of the main causes of soil degradation. Practices such as monoculture, heavy use of chemical fertilizers, and overexploitation of land accelerate the process. Yet agriculture is also one of the sectors most affected: degraded soil yields less, is more vulnerable to drought, and leads to higher costs for farmers.

Best Practices in Agricultural Soil Management: The Verderosa Farm Case

To counter degradation, we must promote regenerative agricultural models capable of restoring soil health and the ecosystem services it provides. A concrete example is Verderosa Farm, an agricultural business that applies practices like regenerative grazing, conservation of permanent meadows, and biodiversity protection.

This approach shows that productive and nature-positive agriculture is possible—one that restores rather than exhausts the soil. It’s a replicable model for other farmers and a sustainable solution for public administrations investing in resilient territories.

Valuing to Regenerate: The Role of Ecosystem Service Valuation

Soil degradation is not only an ecological issue—it is also an economic one. When the soil loses its ability to provide services such as water regulation, fertility, or carbon sequestration, hidden costs arise for society. Assigning an economic value to these services is essential to recognizing their importance and guiding decisions toward sustainable land management.

Etifor offers a dedicated service for the economic valuation of ecosystem services, enabling public entities and land managers to quantify the benefits provided by natural systems. Using scientific methods and real data, it is possible to integrate natural capital value into planning policies and soil regeneration strategies.