Soil Health Management For Sustainable Development Goals

Soil health is a state in which a soil fulfills its range of ecosystem functions appropriately in its environment. In simpler terms, the well-being of soil arises from favorable interactions among all its components, such as micro-biota, plants, and animals.

The book Soil Health Management for Sustainable Development Goals primarily addresses the issue of soil management at the grassroots level. Soil fertility is the capacity of soil to sustain plant growth and optimize crop yield. This can be enhanced through the use of organic and inorganic fertilizers in the soil. As is widely recognized, the management of soil fertility is a prime concern for crop production and can be improved through the adoption of several sustainable management practices.

Several techniques are suggested that enhance soil fertility and crop production while minimizing environmental impact. Soil fertility can be further improved by incorporating cover crops that add organic matter to the soil, leading to improved soil structure and promoting a healthy, fertile soil; by using green manure or growing legumes to fix nitrogen from the air through the process of biological nitrogen fixation by microbes. Healthy soils produce healthy crops that, in turn, nourish people and animals. Indeed, soil quality is directly linked to food quality and quantity. Soils supply essential nutrients, water, oxygen, and root support that our food-producing plants need to grow and thrive.

The present book focuses on such global issues and offers possible solutions specifically related to UNSDG-17 goals. It also focuses on global strategies with possible solutions to manage sustainability.