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Experts say Planet Earth is quickly losing its topsoil layer

2019-06-06 41 Dailymotion

EARTH — Earth's topmost layer is slowly eroding away due to the effects of overgrazing and conventional farming methods.<br /><br />According to the Guardian, nearly half of the world's topsoil has already disappeared.<br /><br />The lack of cover crops, over-tilling, and the use of pesticides have all contributed to soil degradation. This has caused farmlands to be stripped of important nutrients, minerals, and organisms which typically help in plant growth.<br /><br />This layer is essential to food production, as the Guardian reports that 95 percent of food on our planet is grown on topsoil.<br /><br />According to estimates from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, earth could run out of topsoil as quickly as 60 years from now.<br /><br />It could take around 500 years for healthy topsoil to cultivate but it could take less than a century for it to degrade, according to The Guardian.<br /><br />If the topsoil does disappear, vegetables and other foods grown in the soil could possibly contain lower vital nutrients.<br /><br />Healthy topsoil will be a necessity in order to feed a growing population, as the world's population is set to reach around 9 billion people by 2050.

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