World Soil Day

Peace is often measured in the absence of conflict, but true peace extends beyond the cessation of violence. It is realised when societies can thrive in harmony with the land and water that sustain them. In this light, soil should not be seen merely as dirt or a passive backdrop to human activity, but as a living organism, teeming with life, storing memory, and regulating the health of ecosystems. Just as peace requires the active rebuilding of communities, the recovery of soil requires deliberate care and understanding. This conversation underscores our previous article on why rebuilding after war requires not only recognising the environmental cost but actively integrating that understanding into recovery efforts.

Documenting the environmental dimensions of war is essential for this recovery. Conflict leaves tangible imprints on the earth: soil erosion, contamination, loss of fertility, deforestation, and disrupted water cycles. By treating soil as a living organism, scientists, communities, and policymakers can move beyond superficial assessments to understand how these impacts disrupt ecological processes. Documentation then becomes more than record-keeping. It becomes a map of what the land has endured, a ledger of damage that informs targeted interventions.

However, documenting is only the first step. Soil, like societies, requires active engagement to restore its vitality. Soil scientists and local communities must learn not only to record the changes but also to apply the findings, reviving fertility, reintroducing native species, repairing hydrological functions, and remediating contamination. This approach is analogous to post-conflict reconciliation: the evidence of what was lost guides rebuilding efforts, ensuring interventions are appropriate, effective, and sustainable.

Moreover, sharing these findings amplifies their value. Data about soil health, contamination hotspots, or ecosystem shifts should not remain siloed within research institutions. Communities, local authorities, and development agencies can use this knowledge to make informed decisions about land use, agriculture, and conservation. When shared widely, soil data becomes a tool for resilience, turning the memory of conflict into practical steps for recovery. In effect, the land itself becomes a teacher if we pay attention to its signals and act on the lessons it offers.

For Africa, where conflicts have repeatedly scarred landscapes, this approach is particularly urgent. The continent’s post-conflict recovery must integrate environmental restoration as a core component of peacebuilding. By understanding the imprint of war on the earth, nations can plan interventions that restore both ecosystems and livelihoods. Fertile soil, clean water, and healthy forests are not luxuries; they are the foundations upon which sustainable peace can flourish. Restoration of the land nurtures human communities, just as human stewardship nurtures the land, creating a cycle of resilience.

Achieving peace in Africa requires more than treaties and institutional rebuilding; it requires relearning how to live with the land. Treating soil as a living organism, documenting its condition, using the knowledge to guide recovery, and sharing the findings widely ensures that ecological restoration is an integral part of the peace agenda. When societies can once again live in harmony with their soils and waters, peace is no longer simply the absence of conflict but the presence of regeneration, resilience, and shared stewardship of the environment.