Soil Health Restoration and Management (eBook)

Meeting the food requirements of an ever-increasing population is a pressing challenge for every country around the globe. Soil degradation has a negative impact on food security by reducing the cultivated land areas, while at the same time the world population is predicted to increase to 9.2 billion in 2050. Soil degradation adversely affects soil function and productivity and degraded soils now amount to 6 billion ha worldwide. The major factors are salinization, erosion, depletion of nutrients due to exhaustive agricultural practices and contamination with toxic metal ions and agrochemicals, which reduces the activity of soil microbe. In addition, poor soil management also decreases fertility.

As such, measures are required to restore the soil health and productivity: organic matter, beneficial microorganisms and nutrient dynamics can all improve the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil.  Understanding the role of soil health restoration and management in sustainability and nutritional security calls for a holistic approach to assess soil functions and examine the contributions of a particular management system within a defined timescale. Further, best management practices in cropping systems are important in ensuring sustainability and food and nutritional security without compromising the soil quality and productivity po­tential. Rational soil management practices must allow environmentally and economically sustain­able yields and restoration of soil health.

Ram Swaroop Meena was born in a farmer family in VOP, Harsana, Tehsil, Laxmangarh, Alwar District, Rajasthan, India. Dr. Meena had his schooling in the same village and graduated in Agriculture in 2003 from the Sri Karan Narendra Agriculture University, Jobner, Jaipur (Rajasthan). Dr. Meena has obtained his Master's and Doctorate in Agronomy from the Swami Keshwanand Rajasthan Agricultural University, Bikaner (Rajasthan), securing first division in all the classes with triple NET, Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), and Senior Research Fellowship (SRF) from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, and RGNF Award from the University Grants Commission, Government of India (UGC, GOI). Dr. Meena has been awarded Raman Research Fellowship by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), GOI. He has completed his postdoctoral research on soil carbon sequestration under Prof. Rattan Lal, distinguished scientist, and director, Carbon Management and Sequestration Center (CMASC), Ohio State University, USA. He is working on soil sustainability, crop productivity, and resources use efficiency, under current climatic era. Dr. Meena has supervised 17 postgraduate and 4 Ph.D. students, and he has 9 years of research and teaching experience at the undergraduate/postgraduate/Ph.D. level. He is working on the three externally funded running projects including the Department of Science and Technology (DST), GOI, and involved in many academic and administrative activities going on at the institute/university level. Dr. Meena has published more than 100 research and review papers in peer-reviewed reputed journals and contributed in the edited books with 25 book chapters at national and international levels. He has published 4 books on the national level and another 6 on the international level. He has worked as an expert in the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), MHRD, GOI, to develop the two books for school education at XI and XII standards. Dr. Meena has been awarded several awards, namely, Young Scientist, Young Faculty, Global Research, Excellence in Research, Honorable Faculty Award, etc. Dr. Meena is a member of 9 reputed national and international societies and is working as a general secretary, editor, and member of the editorial board in 12 national and international peer-reviewed reputed journals and attended several national and international conferences in the country and abroad. Dr. Meena is contributing to the agricultural extension activities on farmers' level as associate coordinator in training, meetings, workshops, and farmers' fair.

---

Meeting the food requirements of an ever-increasing population is a pressing challenge for every country around the globe. Soil degradation has a negative impact on food security by reducing the cultivated land areas, while at the same time the world population is predicted to increase to 9.2 billion in 2050. Soil degradation adversely affects soil function and productivity and degraded soils now amount to 6 billion ha worldwide. The major factors are salinization, erosion, depletion of nutrients due to exhaustive agricultural practices and contamination with toxic metal ions and agrochemicals, which reduces the activity of soil microbe. In addition, poor soil management also decreases fertility.As such, measures are required to restore the soil health and productivity: organic matter, beneficial microorganisms and nutrient dynamics can all improve the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil.  Understanding the role of soil health restoration and management in sustainability and nutritional security calls for a holistic approach to assess soil functions and examine the contributions of a particular management system within a defined timescale. Further, best management practices in cropping systems are important in ensuring sustainability and food and nutritional security without compromising the soil quality and productivity po tential. Rational soil management practices must allow environmentally and economically sustain able yields and restoration of soil health.