At UNEA‑7, soil was not just a technical topic — it was recognized as a strategic asset for people, nature, and climate. The side event “Scaling Soil Health for People, Nature, and Climate: From Resolution to Implementation” brought together UNEP, CIFOR‑ICRAF, CA4SH, WWF International, Solutions from the Land, Kenya National Farmers’ Federation and Emerging Ag to explore how global commitments are being translated into national policies and community‑level action and how these can be scaled to achieve more impact for people, nature and climate.

At the twenty-third session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC 23) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), in Panama City, Panama, young people from around the world gathered to explore how land, food systems, and climate resilience are deeply interconnected. Among the highlights was a keynote conversation with Dr. Barron Joseph Orr, Chief Scientist of the UNCCD, whose work has shaped global understanding of land degradation, drought resilience, and sustainable land management. 

At the twenty-third session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC 23) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), in Panama City, Panama, the side event “Youth Policy Pathways for Land and Food: Advancing Action on Land Degradation Neutrality” brought together young people, technical experts, and partners to explore the interlinkages between food systems and land, and how youth perspectives can help shape more coherent, inclusive, and actionable approaches to Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN). The session was co-hosted by the UNCCD Youth Caucus, World Food Forum (WFF) Global Youth Action Initiative, and Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH) Youth4Soil Initiative.

At the recent twenty-third session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC 23) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), in Panama City, Panama, 15-year-old Angie Michelle Huezo Gámez from El Salvador delivered a powerful and deeply moving intervention. Speaking from lived experience in a region marked by drought, soil degradation, and water scarcity, Angie illuminated how environmental crises shape the lives of children and adolescents, and how young people are already acting to restore land and protect their communities.

Beneath the concrete, beneath the parks, and beneath our very feet lies the silent, vital foundation of our urban future: soil. On December 5th, 2025, this unassuming resource took center stage as youth leaders, scientists, and advocates from across Nigeria and beyond convened virtually for a powerful World Soil Day webinar. The message was unified and urgent: Healthy soils are non-negotiable for building healthy, resilient, and sustainable cities.

Across every continent, from UK farmland to the Amazon rainforest, nature has engineered one of the most advanced biological pest-control systems on Earth. These defenders are not insects, birds, or fungi—they are entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs): microscopic worms that track, infect and eliminate destructive soil-dwelling insect pests using a level of precision that rivals modern technology.

Advances such as Bionema’s encapsulated formulation technology are unlocking new global potential, making it possible to use these microscopic hunters in countries and climates where traditional formulations have failed.

Wise words from William Blake, and truly at the heart of Andy Murray’s macro photography journey.

My name is Andy Murray and for the last fourteen years I have been studying, photographing and writing about springtails and the other soil animals that make up the soil mesofauna. I document their lives on a website, chaosofdelight.org and try to pass on the unshakable and profound love and respect I have for these beautiful, tiny lives and the hidden world they sustain.

Healthy soil is essential for ecosystem restoration, biodiversity conservation, food security and nutrition, and climate mitigation and adaptation. At the COP30 plenary session “From Policy to the Ground: Scaling Action for Healthy Soil”, governments, development agencies, farmer organizations, and youth networks came together to reflect on how policies can drive real change for soil health, and it must be brought into the center of climate negotiations.

At the heart of COP30’s Blue Zone, the Action on Food Hub became a stage for one of the most urgent conversations of our time: how to scale farmer-centered restoration through the power of youth leadership. On Saturday, 15 November 2025, global voices converged to spotlight the role of young changemakers in driving soil health, food security and climate resilience.

The session was organized by the Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH) in partnership with leading youth networks—including the Youth4Soil Initiative, the UNCCD Youth Caucus, Global Landscapes Forum Restoration Stewards, World Food Forum, International Association for Agriculture Students (IAAS), YOUNGO, and the Young Professionals for Agriculture Development (YPARD). Participants represented a global population from India, Belgium, Netherlands, Costa Rica, Kenya, Burkina Faso, Zambia, Peru, and more.

From 10–21 November 2025, delegates from UN Member States, civil society organizations, the research community, Indigenous peoples, youth, non-profit organizations, the private sector, and more, came together in Belém, Brazil to drive the future of the global climate agenda. 

Representation from diverse groups is paramount to ensuring the voices of all are heard, and central to the approach from the Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH). At this year’s COP, we centred youth voices, presented experiential learning from farmer-centred food security initiatives, called for increased attention to soil health as a climate solution from policy and financial stakeholders, and stressed the need for approaches to be rooted in Indigenous knowledge and value systems. The CA4SH Secretariat participated in 20 unique sessions across the Action on Food Hub, Brazil Pavilion, Food & Agriculture Pavilion, Spanish Pavilion, and the Nordic Pavilion, and we supported our network of partners and collaborators by promoting their engagements through our annual #COPSoil landing page.

Read on for an overview of our engagements at COP, positioning soil health as a key climate solution with co-benefits for global food security, biodiversity, sustainable landscapes, and rural livelihoods.

Le 11 septembre 2025, le groupe du travail Jeunes4Sol Francophone, sous l’égide de la Coalition of Action for Soil Health (CA4SH), a tenu un webinaire inspirant sur le thème « Cultiver l’Avenir : Histoires Inspirantes et Solutions Innovantes des Jeunes pour la Santé des Sols et l’Agriculture Durable ». Cet événement a mis en lumière des initiatives portées par de jeunes leaders africains œuvrant pour la régénération des sols et la promotion de pratiques agricoles durables.

A side event showcased rising global momentum for land restoration, with the Riyadh Action Agenda surpassing one hundred initiatives and the COP28 Action Agenda on Regenerative Landscapes mobilising more than USD nine billion in private investment.

The Global Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) Conference is more than a knowledge exchange platform; it is a platform to incite climate action in agriculture. Immediately preceding the UN Climate Conference (UNFCCC COP30) taking place in Belem, Brazil, organizers of the 2025 CSA conference saw this year’s assembly as a critical opportunity to align on the future of food and agriculture ahead of COP30.

As an organization with action as a primary tenet, the Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH) was invited to co-chair the Soil Health and Plant Nutrition thematic session with partners from the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC). The session comprised two sub-sessions on 5th and 6th November, dedicated to finance and technology, respectively. Below, we summarize the innovations and key messages shared in these sessions, and chart a way forward for soil health at COP.

By Dr Anneke Trux, Co-Lead of Global Programmes “Soil Protection and Rehabilitation for Food Security” (ProSoil) and “Soil Matters – Innovations for Soil Health and Agroecology”

Soils are finally stepping into the spotlight of global climate action! They do so for good reasons. Long underestimated, they are now recognised as a pillar for climate mitigation. Yet, let’s be clear: while soils are an emerging hero, they are not a silver bullet. They must complement, not replace, mitigation efforts in energy, transport, industry and other.

The African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) and the African Union Commission have convened a Soil Health Monitoring Task Force to design and operationalize a systematic, scientifically sound monitoring system aligned with the CAADP Biennial Review (BR) process. 

Ahead of the CAADP Partnership Platform (CAADP PP), which took place in Kigali, Rwanda, from 29-31 October 2025, AGRA supported the convening of the Task Team meeting on 27 and 28 October. The validation meeting provided a platform for the Task Force to present its work on building a soil health monitoring system in support of the AFSH Action Plan, including identifying key indicators and a relevant soil health definition. Members of the Task Force and the broader AFSH stakeholder group attended and provided feedback through several participatory workshop sessions.

From 20-24 October 2025, researchers, innovators, public institutions, private sector actors and end users of agricultural technologies in West Africa, convened in Bamako, Mali for the Market for Agricultural Innovations and Technologies (MITA) flagship event. Organized around the theme of "facilitating access to integrated soil management agricultural technologies and innovations," the event is hosted by the Conseil Ouest et Centre Africain pour la Recherche et le Développement Agricoles (West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development or CORAF). 

Click to read reflections from CIFOR-ICRAF Scientist, Dr Bertin Takoutsing

At the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025 in Abu Dhabi, the Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH) and partners led an interactive session on Soil Health for Nature Conservation and Resilience. Bringing together policymakers, researchers, and youth leaders, the discussion spotlighted soil health as a unifying solution for biodiversity, climate, and food systems. The approval of IUCN Motions 002 and 007 marked a major step forward for improving soil health globally.

When I joined #Youth4Soil, I was genuinely excited, especially about the mentorship component. My main expectation was to learn from experienced professionals, particularly women in my career pathway, and to benefit from their insights on how to excel in research and development.

Read more about Clemence Mnyika’s journey with Mentor Shallom Abla Lumor

From 14–16 October 2025, the Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils (GFCs) from the World Economic Forumtook place in Dubai, UAE. The GFCs are the World’s foremost multistakeholder and interdisciplinary knowledge network dedicated to promoting innovative thinking to shape a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable future. Each of the 37 Councils’ thematic insights are taken forward by the Forum’s ongoing initiatives, communities and meetings to ensure impact. The October meeting brought together over 500 global experts and 150 cybersecurity leaders to address the complex intersections of technology, resilience, and sustainability.

The GFC on Soils was established by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as a strategic and timely response to the escalating global crisis of soil degradation. With over one-third of the world’s soils already degraded and desertification threatening food security, climate stability, and biodiversity, the council was formed to galvanize international action and innovation around soil health.

The COP30 Action Agenda is the UNFCCC COP30 Presidency’s flagship initiative to mobilize voluntary climate action from multistakeholder organizations to tackle the climate crisis in line with the Paris Agreement. The Action Agenda engages actors outside of government, those who are not included in the formal negotiations, but who are essential for actioning the climate agreements on the ground.

The Coalition of Action 4 Soil Health (CA4SH) is an initiative of Action Group 8, Land Restoration and Sustainable Agriculture, that addresses one of the six thematic axes laid out by the COP30 Presidency, namely, Axis 3. Transforming Agriculture and Food Systems. Learn more about the structure and calls of the Action Agenda here and about the composition of the Action Groups here

Included in the Action Agenda is a call for active solutions to achieve the goals of the Convention. CA4SH and several partners have submitted a solution which aims to bring soil health to the forefront of agricultural transformation. In advance of the COP30, we are excited to share an outline of the solution below.