We are halfway through the International Year of Soil, and Australian soil scientists are brimming with enthusiasm, a contrast to the doomsayers.

The World Food and Agriculture Organisation issued a warning that the world's soils have only 60 years of harvests left, because they are becoming degraded.

The local soil scientists brush that off, arguing improvements in areas like soil carbon will produce longer lasting and healthier soils.

While it takes 1,000 years to make three centimetres of topsoil, a house or a highway will destroy it in a year.

Soil is fragile, and can be destroyed by overuse of chemicals, deforestation and erosion, and there is also climate change.

But that is where soil can help, according to professor of soil science at Sydney University, Dr Alex McBratney.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Listen Duration: 4 minutes 11 seconds 4 m 11 s International Year of Soil has Australian scientists enthusing about soil able to sustain humanity into the future ( Sarina Locke ) Download 1.9 MB

"Soil carbon mitigates climate change, but it also improves soil structure, and in the end soil productivity," he said.

"In the end, all the work we do on soil carbon in Australia and across the world will push that 60 years way back.

"We can make soils a sustainable resource, not a renewable resource, but sustainable resource into the future of humanity."

Professor McBratney this month became the new Dean of Agriculture at Sydney University, which bodes well for devoting research effort to his chosen field of soil.

But he said he would like to see much more money overall spent on soil research, development and extension.

"It's a bit of a mixed story in terms of funding. I think it's currently around $125 million a year, and it probably needs to be another $125 million," said Professor McBratney.

"We do have a soil R, D & E strategy, very good ideas, but at the moment no particular funding for that strategy.

"As we all know, investment in CSIRO in state agriculture departments has dropped, but we do see an increase in research activity in the universities.

"That's some 20 to 30 universities doing significant research in soils."

Dr Richard Doyle, soil scientist at the University of Tasmania, said soil profiles were special in each area, so this year each state had been given a "soil emblem".

Western Australia has a sandy Yellow Chromosol soil

Western Australia has a sandy Yellow Chromosol soil South Australia has sandy loam Calcarosol soil

South Australia has sandy loam Calcarosol soil Victoria's sodium soil is mottled brown Sodosol

Victoria's sodium soil is mottled brown Sodosol Tasmania has deep, well structured Ferrosol soil rich in iron

Tasmania has deep, well structured Ferrosol soil rich in iron NSW has Red Chromosol because of its the red brown soil, described as "the workhorse of agriculture"

NSW has Red Chromosol because of its the red brown soil, described as "the workhorse of agriculture" Queensland has the reactive black cracking clay soil, Vertosol

Queensland has the reactive black cracking clay soil, Vertosol The Northern Territory has deep red sandy soil, called a Kandosol

Find the full resource at the Soil Science Australia website.

Professor McBratney said that because Australia's soils were ancient, research done on younger European soils would not work here.

"I think we need to develop a radical soil management strategy for our soil, like bypass surgery or rejuvenation processes," he said.

"Like in Western Australia, where clay is brought up and added to soil to decrease water repellency and these are expensive operations, but that's why I call it radical soil management, but we need to look where these can be economic into the future."