Soil is one of the most valuable finite natural resources available to humankind. Soils are not only essential for production of food but also for air and water quality, climate mitigation, biodiversity, food security, and consequently human health. Yet, due to climate change and unsustainable management practices, the integrity of soils is at stake across the globe (FAO 2015). Soil ‘health’ is the most recent attempt to describe the vitality of soil. Soil health emerged from the concept of soil quality, which has been evolving ever since the importance of soil was recognized beyond soil fertility (i.e. suitability of soil to produce food, feed, timber, and fiber) in the 1990s (Bünemann et al. 2018). Since then, in addition to its agricultural potential, soils have been recognized as crucial for maintaining the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems by regulating soil-derived ecosystem functions and services at various scales (e.g. nutrient cycling, climate regulation, biodiversity, and the maintenance of air and water quality). Moreover, the biological component of soils has been acknowledged in addition to physical and chemical soil properties (Pankhurst et al. 1997). In contrast to the concept of soil quality, the scope of soil health extends beyond the anthropocentric notion to the broader sustainability aims that include planetary health (Pankhurst et al. 1997; Lehmann et al. 2020). More than two decades ago, soil health has been defined as ‘the capacity of soil to function as a vital living system, within ecosystem and land-use boundaries, to sustain plant and animal productivity, maintain or enhance water and air quality, and promote plant, animal and human health’ (Doran and Zeiss 2000). However, the term ‘soil health’ is often used synonymously to ‘soil quality’ as the conceptualization and operationalization of soil as a multi-functional system continues to be a matter of an ongoing debate (Bünemann et al. 2018).