Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
1.6.1.3 Poverty and Soil Degradation
There exists a close relationship between poverty and soil degradation. Poor farm-
ers carve out meager living from marginal and impoverished soils. Marginal soils
cultivated with marginal inputs produce marginal yields and support marginal
living. The sustainable soil management strategy is to cultivate the best soils by
BMPs to produce the best yields so that surplus land can be saved for nature con-
servancy. Sustainable management of soils is the engine of economic development,
political stability, and economic transformation of rural communities in developing
countries.
1.6.1.4 Soil Degradation Is a Cause of Global Warming
Degraded soils and ecosystems are sources of CO 2 and other greenhouse gasses
(GHGs). Mining C has the same effect on global warming, whether it is by miner-
alization of soil organic matter (SOM) and releasing nutrients through plowing and
extractive farming, or it is through burning fossil fuels (coal, gas, oil), using petrol-
based products, or draining and cultivation of peat soils.
1.6.1.5 Desertification Control and Mitigation of Climate Change
Degraded and desertified ecosystems have a large C sink in soils and biota because
of historic loss and perpetual misuse of natural resources. Thus, restoration of these
ecosystems can be a major sink for atmospheric CO 2 and CH 4 through conversion to
a restorative land use adoption of recommended management practices that lead to
positive C and nutrient budgets. Filling the C sink capacity of the pedosphere (2-4
Gt C/year) in soils of croplands, grazing lands, and degraded and desertified lands,
being a cost-effective and natural process, has numerous ancillary benefits. While
advancing food security and improving water quality, C sequestration in the bio-
sphere also mitigates climate change.
1.6.2 l and M anagerS
The strategy of establishing dialogue with land managers is to emphasize the impor-
tance of adoption of those farming practices that create a positive C and nutrient
budget and enhance soil resilience. Basic laws that govern these processes are the
following.
1.6.2.1 Nutrient Bank
Soils are analogous to a bank account. Similar to a bank account, it is also not possible
to take more out of a soil than what is put into it without degrading its quality. In addi-
tion to the amount taken out, soil quality also depends on the rate, timing, method,
and form of what is being extracted or replaced. Thus, managed ecosystems are sus-
tainable in the long term if the output of all components produced balances the input
into the system. Soils are vulnerable to degradation and desertification when inputs
are perpetually less than the output. Soils of Sub-Saharan Africa have had a negative
nutrient budget since the 1960s. Therefore, these soils do not respond to other inputs
(e.g., improved varieties) because of severe physical and nutrient-related constraints.
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