Families of soil practices are a way to group similar soil interventions or policies that aim to protect, improve, or restore soil health. The families of soil practices are grouped by the kind of intervention they apply to the soil system. This helps to compare approaches across contexts. Below, we describe 11 distinct families of soil practices. You can click the link in each title to explore example practices.

Circular soil management (or handling)

A holistic approach applying circular economy principle to soil management, emphasizing closed-loop systems, soil health, and sustainability. This instrument can be used to predict how much soil will be excavated in relation to construction works and urban development in a city.

Ecological farming / agroecology

Agricultural management approach to ensures healthy farming and healthy food. It protects the soil, the water and the climate. It does not contaminate the environment with chemical inputs or use genetically engineered crops.

Conservation

Conservation refers to planning and regulatory approaches that safeguard soil and subsurface systems by reserving, protecting, or structuring their use over the long term.

Protection by coverage

Planting cover crops, annual crops, and perennial crops and leaving crop residues or living mulches on the ground. Soil health practices that maintain cover year-round improve soil health and protect soil from wind and water erosion.

Reforestation / afforestation

Reforestation is the process of replanting trees in areas that have been affected by natural disturbances. Afforestation is establishing a forest in an area where there was no forest before, or not for a long time.

Soil improvement / regeneration

Process of improving the quality of soil for example, by adding organic matter, which helps to improve drainage, water retention, and nutrition for plants. It could involve returning nutrients and organic matter to the soil to restore fertility and productivity.

Urban green spaces

Public or private owned open-space areas planned to allocate parks, gardens, playgrounds and others, including plant life, water features.

Use change

Use the change of an area with the purpose of soil regeneration or conservation.

Artificial / engineered soil systems

Artificial / engineered soil systems involve the deliberate design and construction of soil substrates to perform specific functions where natural soils are absent, degraded, or insufficient.

De-sealing / de-paving

Physical removal of soil sealing (incl. paving), such as roads, parking lots, buildings, terraces, driveways, as to restore soil permeability and soil's contributions to other natural ecosystem services.

Water retention and infiltration

Measures such as soil water retention, for how much water a particular type of soil can retain.