Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
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Soils and Food Security:
Challenges and Opportunities
PETER J. GREGORY
East Malling Research, New Road, East Malling, Kent, ME19 6BJ, UK, and
Centre for Food Security, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development,
University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6AR, UK
E-mail: peter.gregory@emr.ac.uk
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ABSTRACT
Soils most obviously contribute to food security in their essential role in
crop and fodder production, so affecting the local availability of
particular foods. They also have a direct influence on the ability to
distribute food, the nutritional value of some foods and, in some societies,
the access to certain foods through local processes of allocation and
preferences. The inherent fertility of some soils is greater than that of
others, so that crop yields vary greatly under semi-natural conditions.
Husbandry practices, including the use of manures and fertilisers, have
evolved to improve biological, chemical and physical components of soil
fertility and thereby increase crop production.
The challenge for the future is to sustain soil fertility in ways that
increase the yield per unit area while simultaneously avoiding other
detrimental environmental consequences. This will require increased
effort to develop practices that use inputs such as nutrients, water and
energy more efficiently. Opportunities to achieve this include adopting
more effective ways to apply water and nutrients, adopting tillage
