Soil Degradation: Will Humankind Ever Learn?

Douglas Karlen,Charles Rice

doi:10.3390/su70912490

Abstract

Soil degradation is a global problem caused by many factors including excessive tillage, inappropriate crop rotations, excessive grazing or crop residue removal, deforestation, mining, construction and urban sprawl. To meet the needs of an expanding global population, it is essential for humankind to recognize and understand that improving soil health by adopting sustainable agricultural and land management practices is the best solution for mitigating and reversing current soil degradation trends. This research editorial is intended to provide an overview for this Special Issue of Sustainability that examines the global problem of soil degradation through reviews and recent research studies addressing soil health in Africa, Australia, China, Europe, India, North and South America, and Russia. Two common factors—soil erosion and depletion of soil organic matter (SOM)—emerge as consistent indicators of how “the thin layer covering the planet that stands between us and starvation” is being degraded. Soil degradation is not a new problem but failing to acknowledge, mitigate, and remediate the multiple factors leading to it is no longer a viable option for humankind. We optimistically conclude that the most promising strategies to mitigate soil degradation are to select appropriate land uses and improve soil management practices so that SOM is increased, soil biology is enhanced, and all forms of erosion are reduced. Collectively, these actions will enable humankind to “take care of the soil so it can take care of us”.

Highlights

This research editorial is intended to establish the context and provide a broad overview for the Special Issue of Sustainability entitled “Enhancing Soil Health to Mitigate Soil Degradation” that was initiated in 2014 to document both the magnitude and global prevalence of soil degradation
We suggest the papers contained in the Special Issue of Sustainability entitled “Enhancing Soil Health to Mitigate Soil Degradation” will contribute significantly to those efforts by highlighting the global need for more awareness and understanding of how complex soils are and how valuable they are to humankind
We suggest that as with all soil and crop management practices, the variability associated with the selected studies emphasizes the importance of site specific management and accounting for both anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic causes of soil degradation

Summary

Introduction

This research editorial is intended to establish the context and provide a broad overview for the Special Issue of Sustainability entitled “Enhancing Soil Health to Mitigate Soil Degradation” that was initiated in 2014 to document both the magnitude and global prevalence of soil degradation. As our global population marches steadily toward projections of 9.5 billion in 2050, natural and human induced soil degradation, if not mitigated, will undoubtedly increase the potential for negative impacts such as disease and malnutrition [1]. Those problems are most severe in mountainous, tropical latitude areas of Central and South America where natural or environmentally induced soil degradation (e.g., landslides) is prevalent, and in Africa, which unlike Asia, has not been able to capitalize on benefits associated with the traditional “green revolution” even though the rate of adoption of improved crop varieties was equivalent to the rate in other developing regions around the world. Similar concerns regarding humanity’s history of poor soil resource management, apparent lack of concern for soil health, and consequences of our negligence can be found in writings of Lowdermilk [4], Montgomery [5], and Larson, who often stated that soil is “the thin layer covering the planet that stands between us and starvation” [6]

Global Soil Degradation Perspectives

Findings

Summary and Conclusions