"The more information we have about soil properties, the more we can evaluate the quality of our natural resources all over the world and their potential to produce food now and in future scenarios of climate change," Alexander Muller, the Food and Agriculture Organization's assistant director general for natural resources and environment management, said in a news release Tuesday.

The U.N. agency said information in the database can help improve knowledge on current and future land productivity, as well as identify land and water limitations. In addition, the data can help assess the risks of land degradation, particularly soil erosion.

Agency soil expert Freddy Nachtergaele said soil characterization information offer a picture of how an ecosystem works,

"Soil properties also tell us whether the soil has the potential to store enough water to keep plants growing through a drought or to withstand a flood," he said. "Farmers' knowledge of soil properties also forms the basis of managing fertilizer application efficiently thus reducing avoidable nutrient losses to the environment."