Third of Earth's soil is acutely degraded due to agriculture Tuesday 12 September 2017 13.18 EDT https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/12/third-of-earths-soil-acutely-degraded-due-to-agriculture-study Fertile soil is being lost at rate of 24bn tonnes a year through intensive farming as demand for food increases, says UN-backed study