Soil Health Management for Sustainable Agriculture and Environment
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Abstract
Soil health is the continued capacity of soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants,
animals, and humans. It connects agricultural and soil science to policy, stakeholder needs, and sustainable
supply chain management. Historically, soil assessments focused on crop production, but today soil health
also includes the role of soil in water quality, climate change, and human health. However, quantifying
soil health is still dominated by chemical indicators, despite growing appreciation of the importance of
soil biodiversity, due to limited functional knowledge and a lack of effective methods. In this perspective,
the definition and history of soil health are described and compared to other soil concepts. We outline
ecosystem services provided by soils, the indicators used to measure soil functionality, and their integration
into informative soil health indices. Scientists should embrace soil health as an overarching principle that
contributes to sustainability goals, rather than only a property to measure.
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