Biological Approaches To Sustainable Soil Systems

"For an ever-green revolution, we need, first and foremost, to have sustainable soil systems.... It is in this context that Biological Approaches to Sustainable Soil Systems is an extremely timely and valuable contribution to a wider understanding of what needs to be done for the sake of a truly modern agriculture and for the sake of future generations....The book provides the scientific basis for low external-input agriculture. Soil health is treated in a holistic manner involving attention to the physics, chemistry, and microbiology of soil systems. The various chapters could help scientists chart out and embark on a program of "soil breeding" for high productivity. Such initiatives for sustainable agriculture should receive as much attention as crop breeding has been given if we are to promote advances in productivity in perpetuity without adverse ecological consequences." --From the foreword by M.S. Swaminathan, World Food Prize Laureate, Co-chair, UN's Millenium Task Force on Poverty and Hunger Global agriculture is now at the crossroads. The Green Revolution of the last century, which helped developing countries meet their food needs for several decades, is now losing momentum. Rates of growth in food production are now declining, with land and water resources becoming scarcer, while world population continues to grow. We need to continue to identify and share the knowledge that will support successful and sustainable agriculture systems in this new century. These depend crucially on soil. Biological Approaches to Sustainable Soil Systems brings together 102 experts from multiple disciplines and 28 countries to report on the science and the innovation going on for sustainable soil-system management. While accepting some continuing role for chemical and other external inputs in 21st-century agriculture, this book presents a variety of ways in which crops can be produced more abundantly and more cheaply with lessened dependence on the exogenous resources that have driven the expansion of agriculture in the past. Including the work of both researchers and practitioners around the world, Biological Approaches to Sustainable Soil Systems- Explores problems and solutions for soil systems in a variety of climate conditions Discusses the importance of symbiotic relationships between plants and soil organisms, looking at crops as integral and interdependent participants in ecosystems Seeks to reduce the distance between scientific research and technical practice Examines related considerations such as pest and disease control, climatic change, methods for fertility restoration, and measurement, monitoring and modeling to improve soil-system management With 50 self-contained chapters, this original work provides researchers, practitioners, planners, and policy makers with a comprehensive understanding of the science and steps needed to utilize soil systems for the long-term benefit of humankind and the environment.Uphoff, Norman is the author of 'Biological Approaches To Sustainable Soil Systems ', published 2006 under ISBN 9781574445831 and ISBN 1574445839.