Soil health and future of food security

Soil health is a multifaceted concept that refers to soil's ability to function as a vital living ecosystem sustaining living organisms while also maintaining environmental sustainability. Healthy soil is the foundation of global food production and environmental sustainability. It supports plant and animal life as well as contributes to sustainable agricultural productivity and ensures food security. Healthy soil can sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, thereby contributing to climate change mitigation, adaptation efforts, and ecosystem health. Now-a-days, the concept of soil health has widened the prospects of ecosystem services like climate regulation, water purification, human health protection and biodiversity conservation. This comprehensive perspective highlights soil health as a central focus for both scientists and policymakers worldwide.

Degraded soils profoundly impact food security, posing significant challenges to sustaining the global population's nutritional needs. Soil degradation, driven by urban industrialisation and transportation, leads to soil erosion, loss of organic matter, pollution and salinity, all of which diminishes soil fertility and decreases agricultural productivity. Intensive agricultural practices also exacerbate this soil degradation. Although intensive agricultural practices initially boost food production, they lead to decline in long-term soil health due to over-reliance on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.  Consequently, nearly 1.0 billion people face hunger worldwide, and around 4.0 billion are at risk of malnutrition due to nutritional deficiencies in degraded soils. However, there is potential for restoring degraded lands through sustainable practices like the use of perennial cropping systems and site-specific microbial inoculums, which can enhance soil fertility and resilience. Addressing soil degradation is crucial for ensuring long-term food security and meeting the growing global population's nutritional needs.

Soil health is intrinsically linked to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) declared by the United Nations (UN), particularly those related to food security and human well-being. SDG2 ("zero hunger") and SDG 3 ("good health and well-being") are directly impacted by soil health. SDG 2 emphasises the need for sustainable agricultural practices that ensure food security. Healthy soils play a decisive role by supporting nutrient-rich crop production and enhancing food system resilience. Similarly, SDG 3 is closely tied to soil health. Soil contamination harms human health, hence, maintaining soil health can contribute to the production of safer and more nutritious food. The UN's SDG 6 ("Clean Water and Sanitation") is another area where soil health is one of the essentials. Healthy soils act as natural filters, improving water quality and availability. Moreover, SDG 13 ("Climate Action") recognizes the role of soil in climate change mitigation, as healthy soils can sequester and store significant amounts of carbon. Furthermore, SDG 15 ("life on land") emphasises the importance of soil health for ecosystem services including food security, climate action and biodiversity preservation.

Despite the importance of soil health, many regions worldwide face significant challenges in maintaining and restoring soil quality. Soil degradation caused by erosion, contamination, compaction and overuse of chemicals has devastating consequences for food security and ecosystem health. To address these challenges, sustainable soil management practices through regenerative agriculture practices must be widely adopted, including conservation tillage, cover cropping, organic amendments, crop rotation etc. These practices enhance soil health, improve crop yields and contribute to achieving the SDGs. In the United States, farmers adopting sustainable soil practices have witnessed improved crop yields, better soil fertility and enhanced resilience to climate change. Additionally, increasing soil literacy among younger generations is required for future food security, as understanding the link between and among soil health, climate change and human health can help improve soil management practices. Collaborative efforts between scientists, policymakers and farmers are essential to develop and implement innovative soil management strategies aligned with the SDGs.

The link between soil health and food security is close. Sustainable agriculture depends on long-term soil fertility contributing to food production and environmental sustainability which together ensure food security for future generations.

(Sulav Indra Paul is a Ph.D. Student and Graduate Research Assistant at Oklahoma State University, USA)