Theological and Religious Approaches to Soil Stewardship - Principles of Sustainable Soil Management in Agroecosystems - page 294

salts in irrigation water were accumulating in pre-Columbian times. Although sub-
ject to some controversy, Native Americans are usually credited with a religiously
based land ethic that promotes good stewardship (Jostad et al. 1996). Likewise, the
ancient Mesopotamians are also known to have been very religious, though their
land ethic is less clear (Jacobsen 1978). Nevertheless, in both of these religious cul-
tures that predate soil science, absence of scientific understanding led to the damage
and even destruction of their soil resources and the decay of their civilizations.
12.4.2 s oil n utrient m anagement
Religious communities also struggle with soil nutrient management, often in asso-
ciation with the high concentrations of livestock in modern times. Such concentra-
tions make it possible that the application of livestock manure to the soil will be in
excess of crop demands and that soil nutrients will accumulate in the soil to levels
that cause environmental damage (Meek et al. 1982; Sharpley et al. 2002). Excess
nitrogen pollutes surface waters and groundwaters (Smith et al. 1990). Excess phos-
phorus leads to eutrophication of surface waters (Sharpley 2003). Excess potassium
leads to health problems of livestock that eat forage produced on soils very high in
potassium available to the crop (Cherney et al. 1998).
In the United States, the problem of excess plant nutrients from manure has
become serious on Amish farms in southeastern Pennsylvania (Lanyon et al. 2006),
and problems with water quality in other Amish areas are also well documented
(Lanyon et al. 2006; OEPA 2007; Widner 2010; Young et al. 1985). The spread of
Amish communities across the United States is notable (Cross 2010; Donnermeyer
and Cooksey 2004). High population densities among the Amish in traditionally
Amish areas and the opportunity to acquire land elsewhere are important reasons
for out-migration, but the deterioration of soil and water quality associated with
too much livestock manure for the available land on old Amish farms is concern-
ing. The religious views of the Amish toward community and generational transfer
of farms place a high value on land stewardship (Moore et al. 2001). The Amish
want their children to inherit farms with soils that are fertile and not eroded (Widner
2010). However, suspicion and avoidance of science education can jeopardize those
goals. Thus, agricultural extension and soil and water conservation programs are
being applied to help the Amish be better soil stewards (Drake and James 1993;
Hoorman and Spencer 2001; Lanyon et al. 2006). The concepts of soil stewardship
and soil science need to work together.
12.5 EXAMPLES OF RELIGIOUS-CULTURAL
INTEGRATION WITH SOIL STEWARDSHIP
Promising integrations of science-based land stewardship principles can be seen in
many examples throughout the world, and religiously based soil stewardship tradi-
tions have been evolving for ages. Anthropologists have documented the prevalence
and multifunctional uses of religion with regard to soil fertility. In most cases, we
see complex social, natural, and physical systems that are integrated (Moore 2009a).
Lansing (2006) and Lansing and Kremer (1993) have argued for the emergent