For a long time, soils have been characterized by their properties: texture (granulometric composition), structure (arrangement of voids and matter, actual arrangement of matter), pH, chemical composition, biodiversity...
Numerous large-scale scientific projects and programs have been conducted or are still underway to inventory and characterize soils at different scales and to provide those involved in agriculture, development or environmental protection with useful information for soil management. Examples include the IGCS program - Inventory, Management and Conservation of Soils, the Network of Soil Quality Measurements - RMQS and the European Soil Samples Conservatory - CEES, as well as the Soil Analysis Database - BDAT and the European Soil Samples Conservatory, which are supported by the GIS Sols of which INRAE is a founding member.

Soil, a natural capital generating ecosystem services in response to human needs

Beyond its properties, the soil is also characterized by its stock of organic matter and biodiversity, as well as by the flows that pass through it and of which it is the origin. In this way, it constitutes a true natural capital for which we can discern intrinsic characteristics that do not vary on the scale of a human generation (e.g. type of soil, thickness, texture, etc.) and characteristics that can be modified by man and his practices (e.g. organic matter content or pH).
Production, habitat... the soil thus provides a number of essential functions for the environment and societies. They describe the processes within the soil and the interactions with the other compartments of the ecosystem and can be classified into four groups: support, filter, buffer and reservoir functions. It should be noted that the very existence of these functions, in a multifunctional approach, is at the origin of protection measures, notably legal, which make it possible to control the degradation phenomena that are increasingly affecting soils throughout the world.
The soil thus provides a certain number of services that meet human needs, whether they are physiological, concern health, safety or social relations or affect personal development. These services, which we call ecosystem services, are grouped into four main categories: support, supply, regulation and cultural services.
To go beyond this diversity of functions and to make the characterization of soil functions more comprehensive, we now speak of soil health or soil quality, particularly in the English-speaking world.

In 2018, France joined the Global Soil Health Challenge, with the goal of preserving fertile, non-degraded soils that contribute to climate and biodiversity issues.