ABSTRACT
Humans relate naturally to land and soil as the space upon which to live their lives and build their homes. Most contemporary societies do not have effective mechanisms in place to regulate this activity such as to prevent the deterioration of soil resources upon which they depend. Despite ample evidence of the negative consequences of soil sealing and land conversion, land take rates remain high. In Europe, urbanization is the major cause of desertification and soil depletion in semiarid places like Spain and its Mediterranean neighbors.1 Sealed or compacted soils can no longer absorb water and buffer their environments from flooding. Fertile soils once converted into urban space can no longer be used for the production of food. In our increasingly affluent world, in which the demand for land-intensive meat and energy production is on the rise, this loss becomes a global issue. The Global North imports large proportions of their products from developing countries inhabited by small-scale farmers who struggle to produce food for their families on degraded land.
