Being a mixture of minerals, water, air and organic matter, healthy soils produce healthy food for healthy life of animals.
Organic matter stores 2500 billion tons of carbon, boost soil fertility, buffer in air, water , nutrients and there is more life below ground than above ground of soil. Animals, fungi, bacteria and microbes work together to shape natural and agricultural echo systems for better growth of plants.
Soil management
As there are 14.9 billion hectares of land on earth, 4 billion hectares are forests, 3.2 billions hectares are grass land, 1.6 billion hectares are for crop production. Soils undergo degradation when natural echo systems are converted to agricultural land.
Furthermore, although about 80% of agriculture land suffers from moderate to severe soil erosion, heavy soil tillage and intensive use of inputs speeds up soil carbon decomposition. 135 billion tonnes of carbon are lost due to fully induced decomposition of organic matter, erosion and leaching, however lost carbon is released into atmosphere during global warming. Soil s suffer salinization, compaction and pollution due to human activities.
Soil preservation
Soil can be preserved by reduced tillage, permanent soil cover, intercropping, carbon nutrient recycling , use of compost, manage nutrients, enhance crop diversity and finally use conservation agricultural techniques.
