Climate Change, Soil Health, and Food Security: A Critical Nexus

Abstract

Climate change (CC), which is a very challenging task today, affects the availability of food, water, and essential nutrients. Human and natural direct and indirect activities disturb our environment and ecosystem through changing climate due to an emission of several leading greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. Soil is the largest reservoir of natural organic 144carbon, essential nutrients and a harbor of various above ground and below-ground organism which directly and indirectly affects the food production system and human health under the era of changing the climate. Healthy soils have abundant organic carbon (organic matter) which is decomposed by the microorganism and release essential nutrients to plants and tree species on which all organism like animals and human depends for food. Therefore, a strong relationship exists among soil-food-health under the situation of changing the climate. Thus, healthy soil satisfies the human's food and nutritional needs along with CC mitigation. For healthy and quality soils, there is a need for better scientific management and farming practices which can solve the problem of extreme weather and food and nutrient insecurity under the changing climatic situations. Practices like agroforestry, conservation agriculture, non-till farming, mixed farming, integrated farming practices, overall we can say climate-smart agriculture and climate-smart soil management practices can minimize the problem of global warming and reduce the emission of GHGs to a considerable extent. Therefore, a great nexus among soil security, food security, and climate and health security, and these overall securities can be achieved through good management and scientific farming practices along with an implementation of existing several government policies, efficient non-government organizations works, and private agencies and organization.