Soil Degradation and Restoration in Africa

Rattan Lal, PhD, is a Distinguished University Professor of Soil Science and Director of the Carbon Management and Sequestration Center, The Ohio State University, and an Adjunct Professor of University of Iceland. His current research focus is on climate-resilient agriculture, soil carbon sequestration, sustainable intensification, enhancing use efficiency of agroecosystems, and sustainable management of soil resources of the tropics. He received honorary degree of Doctor of Science from Punjab Agricultural University (2001), the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas (2005), and Alecu Russo Balti State University, Moldova (2010). He was president of the World Association of the Soil and Water Conservation (1987-1990), the International Soil Tillage Research Organization (1988-91), the Soil Science Society of America (2005-2007), and is President Elect of International Union of Soil Science. He was a member of the Federal Advisory Committee on U.S. National Assessment of Climate Change-NCADAC (2010-2013), member of the SERDP Scientific Advisory Board of the US-DOE (2011-), Senior Science Advisor to the Global Soil Forum of Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, Potsdam, Germany (2010-), member of the Advisory Board of Joint Program Initiative of Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change (FACCE-JPI) of the European Union (2013-), and Chair of the Advisory Board of Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and Resources of the United Nation University (UNU-FLORES), Dresden, Germany (2014-2017). Prof. Lal was a lead author of IPCC (1998-2000). B.A. Stewart is Director of the Dryland Agriculture Institute and a distinguished professor of soil science at West Texas A&M University, Canyon, Texas. He is a former director of the USDA Conservation and Production Laboratory at Bushland, Texas; past president of the Soil Science Society of America; and member of the 1990-1993 Committee on Long-Range Soil and Water Policy, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences. He is a fellow on the Soil Science Society of America, American Society of Agronomy, Soil and Water Conservation Society, a recipient of the USDA Superior Service Award, a recipient of the Hugh Hammond Bennett Award of the Soil and Water Conservation Society, an honorary member of the International Union of Soil Sciences in 2008. In 2009, Dr. Stewart was inducted into the USDA Agriculture Research Service Science Hall of Fame . Dr. Stewart is very supportive of education and research on dryland agriculture. The B.A. and Jane Ann Stewart Dryland Agriculture Scholarship Fund was established in West Texas A&M University in 1994 to provide scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students with a demonstrated interest in dryland agriculture. Scholarship Fund was established in West Texas A&M University in 1994 to provide scholarship for undergraduate and graduate students with a demonstrated interest in dryland agriculture.

Chapter 1 Soil Degradation in Sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and Opportunities for Restoration. Chapter 2 Soil Degradation with Reference to Nutrient Mining and Soil Fertility Decline in Sub-Saharan Africa. Chapter 3 Making Sense Out of Soil Nutrient Mining and Depletion in Sub-Saharan Africa. Chapter 4 Land-Use Impacts on Soil Physical Properties of an Alfisol in Western Nigeria. Chapter 5 Soil Degradation in the Senegal Lower Valley. Chapter 6 Within-Field Monitoring of Secondary Salinity in Irrigated Areas of South Africa. Chapter 7 Changes in Soil Organic Matter Content and Quality in South African Arable Land. Chapter 8 Rangeland Management and Soil Quality in South Africa. Chapter 9 The Fertilizer Dilemma. Chapter 10 Conservation Agriculture in Tanzania.Chapter 11 The Storage of Organic Carbon in Dryland Soils of Africa: Constraints and Opportunities. Chapter 12 Degradation and Climate-Smart Options for Restoring the East African Soils. Chapter 13 Nitrogen Dynamics and Management in Rainfed Drylands: Issues and Challenges. Chapter 14 The Nuclear Option. Chapter 15 Love Songs to Loam: Motivating Youth to Make a Difference by Engaging Science and Religion.