Soil governance and sustainable agriculture in Mexico

Abstract

Soils provide multiple ecosystem services fundamental to the continuity of life on the planet. This valuable natural resource is directly and indirectly linked to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially through activities related to agri-food systems; however, soils have not been sufficiently valued. In Mexico more than half of the soils present some level of degradation and in a quarter of production units the main problem is the loss of soil fertility. In this context, sustainable soil management (SSM) represents the only way to recover soils. The governance of soils is essential to be implemented them in a locally adaptable framework. In the case of Mexico, the development of national strategies that integrate comprehensive, fair, and effective governance as the axis of actions aimed at the restoration and sustainable management of soil is fundamental to move forward to SSM.

Keywords

• Soil governance
• Sustainability
• Recarbonization
• Soil degradation