Soil surrounding us giving support (7)
I believe the answer is:
sustain
'support' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'soil surrounding us' is the wordplay.
'soil' becomes 'stain' (synonyms).
'surrounding' indicates putting letters inside.
'stain' going around 'us' is 'SUSTAIN'.
'giving' is the link.
(Other definitions for sustain that I've seen before include "Strengthen, support" , "Keep alive" , "Prolong, support" , "Strengthen physically" , "Uphold, strengthen" .)