IUCN champions soil health at the UN Food Systems Summit +4

As the Summit opened, UN Food Systems Coordination Hub Director Stefanos Fotiou called for a move from commitment to acceleration. 

The stakes are high. Food systems shape outcomes in climate, nature, livelihoods, conflict, and public health. And they are under pressure – from rising costs, ecological breakdown, and deepening inequality. But they also offer some of the most promising entry points for systemic change. When countries invest in inclusive governance, equitable markets, sustainable production, and social protection, the ripple effects extend well beyond the food sector.

The growing importance of biodiversity considerations at the UN Food Systems Summit was demonstrated by the decision to allocate one of the official side event slots to the issue of soil health.

IUCN took part in this official side event which spotlighted a truth that is as old as agriculture itself: healthy, living soil is the foundation of sustainable, equitable, and resilient food systems. Today, over one-third of the Earth’s surface is degraded, threatening our ability to grow nutritious food, store carbon, support biodiversity, and sustain livelihoods. How can we turn this situation around? Panellists said we need to start from the ground up.

The session on soil health, organised by CA4SH (Coalition of Action for Soil Health) was more than a technical discussion — it was a call to action. Reflecting on progress since the 2021 Summit, panellists identified persistent gaps, and explored how soil health can drive systemic transformation across four key pillars:

• Evidence-based implementation
• Cross-sectoral partnerships
• Inclusive investment pathways
• Policy coherence

Speakers said these pillars are essential to scaling soil health solutions through coordinated, context-specific action.

IUCN’s Land Health Monitoring Framework (LHMF)

Speaking at the session, Silvia Cardellino, Senior Programme Officer, Food and Agricultural Systems at IUCN emphasized that land health is the foundational layer for achieving the objectives of the Rio Conventions and the UN Food Systems Summit: sustainable food systems, climate action, biodiversity conservation, and land degradation neutrality. IUCN has developed the Land Health Monitoring Framework (LHMF) — a science-based, peer-reviewed approach to track land condition across scales, from farms to national landscapes.

Biodiversity is the ecological backbone

In her closing remarks, Cardellino offered a powerful call to action to include biodiversity considerations in food systems discussions. Because only by aligning goals, sectors, and stakeholders can we truly transform food systems while delivering on biodiversity, climate, and land commitments. Biodiversity is the ecological backbone of resilient food systems.

Session achievements

• Panellists and audience felt that the session had been the catalyst for a number of steps forward:
• A shared understanding of tools and success factors for scaling soil health.
• Strengthened collaboration between governments, farmers, youth, Indigenous Peoples, scientists, and the private sector.
• Co-created recommendations for integrating soil health into national and global policies and investments.
• A youth-focused statement and commitment to include young professionals in follow-up actions.
• Recognition of the role of soil health data in driving financial investments.

Conclusion: Soil as the Starting Point

The message from IUCN and all the panel participants was clear: to transform food systems, we must start from the ground up — with the soil. IUCN’s LHMF offers a practical, scalable way to align monitoring, policy, and action across sectors and scales. It is a tool for coherence, a platform for inclusivity, and a pathway to resilience.

As Silvia Cardellino puts it, “when we care for the soil, we care for everything that grows from it — our food, our climate, our biodiversity, and our future.”

UNFSS+4 defining the future of food systems

The UNFSS+4 attracted 3,500 participants from 150 countries. In the UN Secretary General’s concluding Call to Action, environmental and biodiversity concerns featured strongly. The Co-host Ethiopia was commended for the environmental rehabilitation at the heart of its food systems investments, and the inclusion of family farmers, front-line food workers, women, youth, Indigenous Peoples and local communities in policy processes is a point from the Call to Action that aligns with IUCN’s approach to food system transformation.

IUCN focuses on agroecology as a means to build resilience in food systems and the Call to Action recommends strengthening the links between environmental economic and social dimensions of food systems, “promoting approaches such as agroecology and regenerative agriculture.” IUCN is a member of the Agroecology Coalition which will be in the lead in taking this forward.

Finally, as the world’s oldest and largest environmental network, with 17,000 scientists and experts in its Commissions, IUCN aligns with the Call to Action’s endorsement of “strong science-policy-society interfaces – science and innovation are prerequisites for food systems transformation”.

The last word should go to UN Food Systems Coordination Hub Director Stefanos Fotiou:

“I leave Addis Ababa inspired by the solidarity and solutions we witnessed, but also deeply aware of the urgency ahead. Food systems are not simply problems to solve – they are engines of opportunity for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.”