Towards a definition of soil health

The Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS) defines soil health as “the ability of the soil to sustain the productivity, diversity, and environmental services of terrestrial ecosystems”. In managed systems, soil health can be maintained, promoted or recovered through the implementation of sustainable soil management practices. As with human health, there is no single measure that captures all aspect of soil health. The preservation of these soil services requires avoiding and/or combating all types of soil degradation.