World Soil Day—“Healthy Soils for Healthy Cities”, 5 December 2025
World Soil Day, celebrated annually on 5 December, was established by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations to highlight the vital importance of healthy soils for human well-being, food security, and ecosystem balance. This global observance brings together scientists, policymakers, and communities to recognize soil as a living resource that sustains biodiversity, regulates water, and supports agricultural productivity. It serves as a reminder that protecting soil health is fundamental to addressing global challenges such as climate change, deforestation, and land degradation.
The 2025 theme, “Healthy Soils for Healthy Cities” highlights the crucial role of soil in supporting sustainable food systems, urban resilience, and thriving ecosystems. It underscores the need for collective action to protect and restore soil resources through sustainable management practices, pollution prevention, and the rehabilitation of degraded land. MDPI is committed to supporting this global effort by featuring research that advances soil science and sustainability—from soil fertility and hydrology to biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and environmental protection. Through continued collaboration and scientific innovation, we can safeguard the soils that sustain us, laying the foundation for healthier cities, resilient ecosystems, and a more sustainable future for all
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Environment & Earth Sciences:
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Biology & Life Sciences:
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Engineering:
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Invited Speakers:
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| Dr. Elisa Pellegrino, Institute of Crop Science, Italy |
Dr. Cátia Venâncio, University of Aveiro, Portugal |
Dr. Ali El-Naggar, Western EcoSystems Technology, Canada |
Free to register for this webinar here!
“Using Date Palm Residues to Improve Soil Properties: The Case of Compost and Biochar”
by Victor Kavvadias, Elie Le Guyader, Mohamed El Mazlouzi, Maxime Gommeaux, Belkacem Boumaraf, Mohamed Moussa, Hafouda Lamine, Mahtali Sbih, Ines Rahma Zoghlami, Kamel Guimeur et al.
Soil Syst. 2024, 8(3), 69; https://doi.org/10.3390/soilsystems8030069
“Eco-Sustainability of Soils in Baby-Leaf Crop Systems under Tunnel through the Application of C-Rich Inputs: Towards Combating Soil Degradation”
by Enrica Picariello, Flavio Fornasier, Maurizio Bilotto, Emiliana Mignoli, Salvatore Baiano and Luigi Morra
Horticulturae 2024, 10(5), 476; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10050476
“Residual Effect of Compost and Biochar Amendment on Soil Chemical, Biological, and Physical Properties and Durum Wheat Response”
by Rita Leogrande, Carolina Vitti, Mirko Castellini, Pasquale Garofalo, Ignazio Samarelli, Giovanni Lacolla, Francesco Fabiano Montesano, Matteo Spagnuolo, Marcello Mastrangelo and Anna Maria Stellacci
Agronomy 2024, 14(4), 749; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14040749
“Optimizing Biochar Application Rates to Improve Soil Properties and Crop Growth in Saline–Alkali Soil”
by Xin Chen, Li Liu, Qinyan Yang, Huanan Xu, Guoqing Shen and Qincheng Chen
Sustainability 2024, 16(6), 2523; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16062523
“The Role of Soils in Sustainability, Climate Change, and Ecosystem Services: Challenges and Opportunities”
by José Telo da Gama
Ecologies 2023, 4(3), 552-567; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecologies4030036
“The Hydroponic Rockwool Root Microbiome: Under Control or Underutilised?”
by Phil Thomas, Oliver G. G. Knox, Jeff R. Powell, Brian Sindel and Gal Winter
Microorganisms 2023, 11(4), 835; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11040835
Special Issues:
| “Soil Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: Foundations for Sustainable Agriculture” Guest Editors: Dr. Mohamed Idbella, Dr. Rihab Djebaili and Prof. Dr. Giuliano Bonanomi Submission deadline: 26 March 2026 |
“Application of Organic Amendments in Agricultural Production—3rd Edition” Guest Editor: Dr. Elena Baldi Submission deadline: 31 March 2026 |
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| “Soil Fertility Management, Mitigating GHG Emissions and Sustainable Agriculture: 2nd Edition” Guest Editor: Dr. Yam Kanta Gaihre Submission deadline: 30 April 2026 |
“Influence of Environmental Changes on Forest Soil Quality and Health: 2nd Edition” Guest Editor: Dr. Yuanying Peng, Prof. Dr. Xiaoyong Chen and Prof. Dr. Wende Yan Submission deadline: 31 May 2026 |
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“Soil–Plant Indicators for Assessing Nutrient Cycling and Ecosystem Functionality in Urban Forestry”
by Cristina Macci, Francesca Vannucchi, Andrea Scartazza, Grazia Masciandaro, Serena Doni and Eleonora Peruzzi
Urban Sci. 2025, 9(3), 82; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci9030082
“Relationship among Soil Biophysicochemical Properties, Agricultural Practices and Climate Factors Influencing Soil Phosphatase Activity in Agricultural Land”
by Patrícia Campdelacreu Rocabruna, Xavier Domene, Catherine Preece and Josep Peñuelas
Agriculture 2024, 14(2), 288; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14020288
“Divergent Effects of Topography on Soil Properties and Above-Ground Biomass in Nepal’s Mid-Hill Forests”
by Sandhya Nepal, Mohan KC, Nabaraj Pudasaini and Hari Adhikari
Resources 2023, 12(11), 136; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources12110136
“Effects of Climate on Variation of Soil Organic Carbon and Alkali-Hydrolyzed Nitrogen in Subtropical Forests: A Case Study of Zhejiang Province, China”
by Xuekun Cheng, Tao Zhou, Shuhan Liu, Xiaobo Sun, Yufeng Zhou, Lin Xu, Binglou Xie, Jianping Ying and Yongjun Shi
Forests 2023, 14(5), 914; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14050914
“Past and Future Responses of Soil Water to Climate Change in Tropical and Subtropical Rainforest Systems in South America”
by Santiago M. Márquez Arévalo, Rafael Coll Delgado, Douglas da Silva Lindemann,Yuri A. Gelsleichter, Marcos Gervasio Pereira, Rafael de Ávila Rodrigues, Flávio Barbosa Justino, Henderson Silva Wanderley, Everaldo Zonta, Romário Oliveira de Santana and Renato Sinquini de Souza
Atmosphere 2023, 14(4), 755; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14040755
Special Issues:
| “Soils and Land Management Under Climate Change (Second Edition)” Guest Editors: Prof. Dr. Dionisios Gasparatos and Dr. Ioannis Charalampopoulos Submission deadline: 18 January 2026 |
“Intelligent Systems Supporting the Assessment of Soil Influence on Crop Yields” Guest Editors: Dr. Magdalena Piekutowska amd Dr. Patryk Hara Submission deadline: 31 March 2026 |
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| “Water Saving and Soil Amendments: Advances in Research, Use and Optimization and Testing of Innovative Materials” Guest Editor: Dr. Mirko Castellini Submission deadline: 20 April 2026 |
“Soil and Water Conservation in Forestry” Guest Editors: Dr. Jiangkun Zheng, Dr. Filippo Giadrossich and Dr. Miriam Fernanda Rodrigues Submission deadline: 31 May 2026 |
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“Estimating Urbanization’s Impact on Soil Erosion: A Global Comparative Analysis and Case Study of Phoenix, USA”
by Ara Jeong, Dylan S. Connor, Ronald I. Dorn and Yeong Bae Seong
Land 2025, 14(8), 1590; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14081590
“Soil and Sediment Organisms as Bioindicators of Pollution”
by Samir Ghannem, Ons Bacha, Sondes Fkiri, Sabri Kanzari, Abdelwaheb Aydi and Samir Touaylia
Ecologies 2024, 5(4), 679-696; https://doi.org/10.3390/ecologies5040040
“A Framework for Upgrading Contaminated Urban Land and Soil by Nature-Based Solutions: Demonstration with a Swedish Case”
by Shaswati Chowdhury, Yevheniya Volchko and Jenny Norrman
Urban Sci. 2024, 8(4), 198; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci8040198
“Microplastic Pollution in Terrestrial Ecosystems and Its Interaction with Other Soil Pollutants: A Potential Threat to Soil Ecosystem Sustainability”
by Meera Rai, Gaurav Pant, Kumud Pant, Becky N. Aloo, Gaurav Kumar, Harikesh Bahadur Singh and Vishal Tripathi
Resources 2023, 12(6), 67; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources12060067
“Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) Based Soil Erosion Susceptibility Mapping in Northwestern Himalayas: A Case Study of Central Kashmir Province”
by Fayma Mushtaq, Majid Farooq, Anamika Shalini Tirkey and Bashir Ahmad Sheikh
Conservation 2023, 3(1), 32-52; https://doi.org/10.3390/conservation3010003
Special Issues:
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“The Adsorption and Degradation Pathways of Pollutants in Agricultural Soil” |
“Brownfield Redevelopment: Soil Remediation for Sustainable Cities” |
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“Restoring Forests, Restoring Soils: Integrated Approaches for Sustainable Land Management” |
“Anthropogenic Pollutants in Environmental Geochemistry (2nd Edition)” |
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The 2nd International Electronic Conference on Land Organizer: MDPI and Land Volume Editor: Hossein Azadi Highlights
Click here to read the full list of papers. |
