soil management

This book argues that sustainable soil management and responsible land governance have great potential for being one of the corner stones to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs). It argues that the costs of doing nothing about land degradatio are several times higher than the costs of taking action to reverse it. This volume deals with land degradation, which is stretching to about 30% of the total global land area. About three billion people reside in these degraded lands. »

This article in The international journal Rural 21, focusses on the use of  a biodegradable alternative to polyethylene sheeting. Polyethylene sheeting is widely used in vegetable growing to create optimum mulch conditions for seedlings. It helps to control weeds, conserves soil moisture and increases soil temperature which generally has a positive effect on vegetable yield and quality. However, »

Last article in the IYS 2015 series. Land rights and investments in soil improvement are closely related. Land-owners or long-term tenants are definitely willing to invest in soil fertility and erosion prevention, but land ownership or tenancy alone is not a panacea. »

This report is a reference document on the status of global soil resources that provides regional assessments of soil change. The report states that soils are rapidly deteriorating due to soil erosion, nutrient depletion, loss of organic carbon, soil sealing and other threats. The report notes how there is a general consensus on soil-related strategies that can, on the one hand, increase the supply of food, while on the other, minimize harmful environmental impacts. »

Sixth article in the IYS 2015 series. Success stories from Nigeria, China and Ethiopia have proven that it takes 20 years to turn deforested and depleted soil back to green and fertile land, giving its people a future again. Ensuring farmers ownership of trees and land is crucial. »

In 2015 we celebrated the “International Year of Soils”. Soil sustains all our agricultural and livestock food production, wood for fuel production, filters water so that we can drink it and fish can live in it. We also use it for construction – therefore it sustains our homes and infrastructure. The FAO highlighted here are the six essentials to take away. »