Challenges in Soil Management

As you well know, soil faces many challenges. From natural weathering to nutrient deficiencies, the health of soil plays a large role in the crop yield of nations. Topsoil erosion is the most common cause of soil deficiencies, and significantly affects agricultural productivity. Tillage of soil is very important in determining the nutrients in soil. A study recently concluded that the amount of microbial biomass, carbon, and nitrogen was much higher in untilled plots of land in comparison to tilled plots of land. Perhaps it is better for farmers to conservatively till.

There is still a great lack of knowledge as to whether or not organic alternatives to additive nutrients are sustainable and effective in improving soil management. In addition to this lack of knowledge, extreme weather events and (traditional) poorly-timed crop rotation continues to plague soil health worldwide.

Questions: What are the technologies that are TRULY needed to improve soil management? Is this issue a question of lack of technology for many nations, or a lack of best practices and knowledge?

Sources:
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/aess/2012/850739/
https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/sustainable-soil-management-challenges/41749/

Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 27, 2019 at 8:11 AM

    There are many technologies that are beneficial to soil management and are needed in world of sustainable agriculture. Among these include biocarbon producers such as Cool Planet, a technology that works like a sponge and retains water and nutrients at the root level. However, the most important technologies are those that maximize efficiency in farming while reducing the overuse of harmful techniques such as excessive tillage. For instance, the use of new compounds as herbicides has reduced the quantity of chemicals needed to maintain weeds in many types of crops. This has been majorly beneficial in sustainable farming practices because excessive weed growth is a major cause for the need of tillage. With chemicals such as sulfonylureas for soybeans and nicosulfuron for corn becoming more available to farmers, weeds are able to be maintained using less herbicides. Not only does this reduce the amount of chemicals in the crops which yields healthier soil, it also reduces the need for tillage which prevents soil from being harmed further. This issue truly is a question of a lack of best practices and knowledge. Underdeveloped nations notably struggle with implementing new technologies and practices because they lack both the money to afford them, and the knowledge of new resources. The technology exists for better soil management, and even simple practices of crop rotation can solve these issues, but people simply do not know that these better methods are out there.

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