NAT.B08.EA Improving Soil Health and Increasing Agrobiodiversity Evidence
About the data
This metric was designed by The World Benchmarking Alliance, more information can be found here. Sources and Alignments for each indicator can be found here as well as the scoring guidelines here
The World Benchmarking Alliance's Nature Benchmark measures and ranks the world's most influential companies on their efforts to protect our environment and its biodiversity.
This metric relates to the Indicator: The company adopts practices that reduce soil degradation and improve soil health across the most material parts of its value chain.
Rationale: Over 40% of living organisms in terrestrial ecosystems associate directly with soils during their life cycle, making soils among the most important reservoirs of biodiversity (UNEP, BRS Conventions and Minamata Convention, 2021). However, current unsustainable agricultural practices and other business activities have led to the degradation of around one-third of the world's soil, resulting in significant negative impacts on biodiversity and soil health (TEEB, 2018). This indicator focuses on practices that reduce soil degradation and encourage regeneration in the system by improving soil health and agrobiodiversity.These include helping to tackle climate change, improving air and water quality and reducing the cost of accessing goods and services.
Methodology
WBA analysed all publicly available group-level disclosure in English on the applicable group website, which was predominantly annual reports and sustainability reports. Draft assessments were then sent to each company inviting them to provide feedback. This feedback could include additional publicly available group disclosure published. These were then reviewed and finalised. Final assessments were then shared with each company before being published online.
For this metric improving soil health includes reducing soil pollution, soil erosion, soil fertility reduction, soil salinization or waterlogging. Reporting can include regenerative practices on soil health parameters, such as soil organic carbon, soil pH, species diversity. Soil investigation does not count as met. This includes practices that involve the sustainable use of biodiversity in agriculture, food production, sourcing practices of commodities, manufacturing-sites for extractive industries.
Increasing agrobiodiversity includes adopting techniques such as crop rotation, mixed farming systems diversity, intercropping, crop livestock farming systems to increase the diversity and variety of plants, animals, and microorganisms.
Keywords: ‘Soil health', ‘regenerative practices', ‘regenerative agriculture', ‘soil fertility', ‘soil pollution'