Researchers: Fertile topsoil could disappear within a century

The world may have only enough fertile topsoil to last 60 years, according to research presented at the Carbon Farming conference in Australia. The globe loses 75 billion tonnes of soil annually, according to research from the University of Sydney.
Soil mismanagement has led China to lose fertile topsoil at 57 times the rate that nature can replenish it, Europe to lose it at 17 times the rate, America at 10 times the rate and Australia at five times the rate, The (UK) Daily Telegraph reported.
If soil is not conserved, a rise in food prices and rampant shortages could result, researchers said.