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Isaac Larsen, an associate professor in the College of Natural Sciences’ Department of Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences, is a lead author of “Status of the World's Soil Resources 2026,” a new report produced by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) that draws on recent scientific literature and contributions from hundreds of experts around the world.

The report’s findings identify erosion as one of the most serious threats facing soils globally, and Larsen’s research contributes to the report’s discussion of agricultural soil erosion and the gap between human-caused erosion and natural rates of soil formation.

“The report was a big undertaking,” Larsen explains. “Our charge was to synthesize a decade’s worth of research on the current condition and threats to soils, and to do so in a way that makes that information accessible to policy makers. When I arrived at UMass, my goal was to use new methods that had emerged in other fields to study soil erosion in the United States. The report draws on recent work done by UMass graduate students and postdocs, some who were contributing authors in the report. We are continuing our work on soil erosion through ongoing projects supported by the UMass Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment.”

Larsen served as a lead author for “Regional assessment for North America region,” a chapter that examines the condition, drivers and consequences of soil degradation across the continent, emphasizing agricultural and post-fire erosion, regional differences, and the need for improved soil-management practices and assessment methods.

Another chapter draws on a 2021 study co-authored by Larsen that used satellite imagery and field data to estimate that about “35 percent of the cultivated area in the study region [the Corn Belt of the United States] had lost A-horizon soil, decreasing crop yields in the corn belt by 6 percent...and leading to annual losses of USD 2.8 billion.”               

Larsen’s research illustrates a central concern of the FAO assessment: soil can be lost far faster than it can naturally regenerate. His studies have used high-precision surveying, satellite imagery, and geochemical techniques to measure erosion and reconstruct historical soil loss.

The FAO report points to practices such as reduced tillage, cover crops, crop diversification, and agroforestry as ways to reduce erosion, and emphasizes the need to translate scientific knowledge into broader changes in land management.

“Soils are fundamental to the wellbeing of humanity,” Larsen says. “The way we treat soils impacts our health, water, climate, jobs, and our ability to feed ourselves—the future of food depends on the future of soil. The report demonstrates that there has been substantial growth in the science underpinning sustainable soil management practices, but at the same time, it concludes that most of the world’s soils are being managed in ways that are unsustainable. I hope the report draws attention to the disparity between what we know and what we do, and enables policy makers to better incentivize farming practices that conserve and regenerate soil.”

More information can be found on the CNS website and the complete report can be found on the FAO website.