
Soil is an essential, non-renewable resource for agriculture, providing the basis for the production of food, fibre, and other resources for a circular bio-economy.
Soil also supports biodiversity, plays a central role in carbon sequestration and storage, and provides a number of other ecosystem services, such as water regulation and nutrient cycling.
To protect these vital functions and ecosystem services, the common agricultural policy (CAP) supports sustainable soil and land management.