Food: Soil is a growing medium for plants, which provide most of the food we eat. 

Water: Soil filters water and reduces flooding. 

Climate change: Soil captures and stores carbon, which helps fight climate change. According to Columbia University's Earth Institute, soil removes about 25% of the world's fossil fuel emissions each year. 

Biodiversity: Soil provides a habitat for billions of organisms, contributing to biodiversity. 

Medicine: Soil helps unearth life-saving medicines and vaccines. 

Ecosystems: Soil plays a complex role in different ecosystems. 

Air quality: Soil helps clean the surrounding air. 

Safety: Soil supports buildings and roads. 

Soil is made up of tiny particles of rock, dead plants and animals, air, and water. Different soils have different properties depending on their composition.

Mountains are important for many reasons, including: 

Biodiversity
Mountains are home to one-quarter of the world's land animals and plants, and about half of the world's biodiversity hotspots 

Freshwater
Mountains provide freshwater to half of the world's population 

Food
Six of the world's most important food crops, including maize, potatoes, barley, sorghum, tomatoes, and apples, originated in mountains 

People
15% of the world's population lives in mountains, and many of them are among the poorest people in the world