emergent

Life Sciences Research

Mini Review
Significance of soil health and soil life for
sustainable food production

Tabinda Athar, Nafisa Kanwal

Abstract
Healthy soils perform multiple roles in the world and provide dynamic
systems and deliver various essential functions such as maintenance of
ecosystem functioning, provision of nutrients to the growing plants, animals,
and humans, gaseous regulations, carbon sequestration, and recycling of
Received: 20 October 2021 waste. Soil health and soil life are greatly related to agricultural practices and
Accepted: 05 January 2022
Online: 20 January 2022 farming management systems. Management of soil health and soil life is
directly related to the management of soil fertility, beneficial soil biota, soil
Authors: protection, and soil stabilization. While soil life and soil health both are being
T. Athar
Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, affected by the excessive use of synthetic chemicals and conventional farming
University of Agriculture Faisalabad Pakistan practices. Moreover, soil health is also being affected due to intensive farming
N. Kanwal
and these deteriorated soils may not be sufficient to support food production
Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, for future generations. Therefore this writing is focused to discuss the
University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Sub significance of the right maintenance of soil life and soil health for sustainable
Campus Burewala Vehari, Pakistan
food production.
[email protected]
Keywords fertility, food production, soil health, soil life
Emer Life Sci Res (2022) 8(1): 1-4
Introduction
E-ISSN: 2395-6658
P-ISSN: 2395-664X Providing good quality and nutritionally rich food to the ever-increasing
population is the biggest challenge of the century. This is a two-fold challenge
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31783/elsr.2022.810104 because there is an exigent urgent need to intensify and expand food
production in such a way that there are no negative consequences on the earth,
climate, and ecosystem [1]. Healthy soils are significantly important for
providing good quality foods and maintaining the services and functioning of
ecosystems. Healthy soils also provide numerous other services such as water
regulation, nutrient supply, gaseous exchange, and carbon sequestration.
However, the ecosystem functioning and global food security are being
negatively affected due to agroecological practices, cropping intensification,
and modifications of biological, chemical, and physical conditions of the soil
[2].
Soil is not only an important natural resource for sustaining human
health, ecosystem functioning, and environmental safety. Also, it is a major
source of biodiversity, fuel, fiber, feed, and food as it contains chemical
elements (nutrients) that are equally important for human health, plants, and
animals [3]. Soil health has the strongest connection with human health, water,
and air quality, food security, and socioeconomic conditions of the regions.
However, soil health is greatly prone to damage and degradation due to
changing climate, global warming, nutrient depletion, erosion, compaction,
contamination, salinization, overgrazing, and anthropogenic practices [4].

Emer Life Sci Res (2022) 8(1): 1-4 1

 emergent
Life Sciences Research Athar and Kanwal

Soil life and soil health

Soil is a natural resource and sustains all major functions and processes on earth. The health of the soil is
greatly dependent on the farming practices, and physical, chemical, and biological practices for
conventional and organic farming. Recently there is an acceleration of awareness about the importance of
soil biodiversity and soil ecology because the abundance of soil biota can reshape sustainable agricultural
practices and soil health management systems. Soil biodiversity, organic matter contents, and biological
factors are as important as physical and chemical inputs and parameters [5]. However, the creation of
qualitative indices of soil health remains the biggest challenge due to variable regional control of variable
soil life and soil properties for intensive farming practices [6].
Soil biodiversity and soil health can be greatly improved by the management of fungal and bacterial
communities [7], disruption of pathogenic organisms [8], adding more organic matter to the soil [9],
reducing tillage frequency and intensity [10], crop rotation, and adopting sustainable farming practices [11].
Results of various scientific studies have shown that conventional and organic farming systems greatly
affect soil biodiversity and all production parameters. Studies have reported that no-tilled farms support
higher organic matter contents in the soil that in turn improves the soil biodiversity and plant available
nutrients for better crop production [12]. Application of synthetic chemicals and regular tillage practices
influences the soil life, community composition, and abundance of earthworms, bacteria, and fungi. These
changes are negatively influencing phytochemical production, mineral uptake of nutrients, and nutrient
cycling [13].
Plants growing in healthier soils can easily shape the microbiome by releasing root exudates and
repelling pathogens to assist phytochemical production and nutrient acquisition [14]. Soil microbiome also
affects the production of root exudates that in turn greatly modify the soil health and properties for
phytochemical production and minerals uptake. Therefore, farming practices must be carefully planned to
improve the diversity and abundance of soil communities for influencing the phytochemicals and
micronutrients contents of the foods [15].

Soil health and food security

Although numerous approaches have been approved to improve soil health and soil functioning, all of these
approaches are focused on improving resilience, maintaining soil functioning and fertility, technological
improvement of soil, and strategic intensification [16]. While strategic intensification and technological
improvements are essentially important to reduce the knowledge and yield gap of existing agricultural
lands. Crop quality and production can be greatly improved by using genetically improved varieties but
optimizing the soil health management should never be ignored to achieve sustainability [17].
The scarcity of arable land due to poor soil health and degraded quality can be easily improved by
strengthening the diversified and target-oriented farming systems. These diversified systems are focused on
landscaping and farming practices by the involvement of functional biodiversity at spatial and temporal
scales for the preservation of natural contributions for pollination, water use efficiency, disease control, pest
management, and soil fertility improvement. These farming systems can be easily used on degraded lands,
abandoned agricultural sites, and managed forests that are not adjacent to the natural ecosystems.

Soil fertility management

Maintenance of long-term soil fertility and cropland area by optimal management and sustainable practices
is a major component of improving food security. About millions of farming hectares are annually lost due
to poor management practices, urbanization, industrialization, and associated development factors. The
projected expansion of urban areas in agricultural lands is also a major factor responsible for reducing food
production throughout the globe [18]. Reduction in this expansion and development of urban areas in the
low nutrients-containing areas can improve sustainable food production. While reversing the major losses in
the soil fertility can also improve nutrient stocks in the soil and growers will be able to get better quality
and more yield. Thus, improved food production will be significantly important to reduce malnutrition and
hidden hunger issues among poor communities [19].

Emer Life Sci Res (2022) 8(1): 1-4 2

 emergent
Life Sciences Research Athar and Kanwal

Soil stabilization awareness and the concept of agroecology

Soil stabilization and reversing the degradation are essentially important to improve ecosystem functioning
and food security. While soil security is related to the requirements for improving the soil management for
continued food, water, and fiber production, along with the climate and energy sustainability for
maintenance of ecosystems and biodiversity [20]. Improving soil management by creating awareness about
the right care and management is the vital principle of soil sustainable agriculture. No-tillage and organic
farming practices are particularly important for the conservation of soil health and functions. These soil-
focused farming systems are especially important for the promotion of food security and are essentially
important for the growers, researchers, and stakeholders [21].
Soil conservation-based agroecological farming systems can easily produce better results than conventional
farming systems. soil conservation-based farming system is essentially important to improve soil fertility
and productivity and for providing contaminant-free, nutritionally rich, and high-quality food for the human
beings and animals feeding [22]. The efficiency of these agroecological systems is two to three times more
than the conventional agriculture systems. Moreover, these are potentially important for sustainable future
outcomes due to reduced resilience to synthetic chemicals, and fossil fuels. Agroecology is also compatible
with the sustainable intensification of food production systems. Therefore, spreading awareness about soil
stabilization and agroecological-based farming can significantly improve the long-term concept of
sustainable food production, ecosystem functioning, soil health, and soil functioning [23].

Conclusion
There has been a long controversy about the right management of soil and the use of organic and
conventional farming practices. Despite using conventional or organic farming the concept of improving
soil fertility, soil stabilization, soil health, and soil biodiversity must be improved on a sustainable basis.
This will not only help to improve the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil but also improve
food security all over the globe. Even though conventional farming practices are greatly important to
enhance food production but the use of organic inputs, compost, and fertility restoration practices must also
be enhanced to improve good quality food and higher yield. Sustainable soil management practices should
be promoted at local and international levels to get long-term benefits for soil health management,
ecosystem functioning, controlling greenhouse gas emissions, and climate-changing phenomenon.

References
[1] D. Sarkar, S. K. Kar, A. Chattopadhyay, A. Rakshit, V. K. Tripathi, P. K. Dubey and P. C. Abhilash
(2020). Low input sustainable agriculture: A viable climate-smart option for boosting food production in
a warming world. Ecol. Indic., 115: 106412.
[2] C. E. Norris and K. A. Congreves (2018). Alternative management practices improve soil health indices
in intensive vegetable cropping systems: a review. Front. in Environ. Sci., 6: 50.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2018.00050.
[3] C. Agus, M. Nugraheni, A. Pertiwiningrum, M. A.Wuri, N. A. I. Hasanah, C. Sugiyanto and E.
Primananda (2021). Tropical Biological Natural Resource Management Through Integrated Bio-Cycles
Farming System. In Sustain. Bioecon. Springer, pp209-238.
[4] B. Talukder, N. Ganguli, R. Matthew, G. W. VanLoon, K. W. Hipel and J. Orbinski (2021). Climate
change‐triggered land degradation and planetary health: A review. Land Degrad. Develop., 32: 4509-
4522.
[5] J. Lehmann, D. A. Bossio, I. Kögel-Knabner and M. C. Rillig (2020). The concept and future prospects of
soil health. Nat. Rev. Earth Environ., 1: 544-553.
[6] D. R. Montgomery (2017). Growing a revolution: bringing our soil back to life. WW Norton & Company.
[7] G. Shi, H. Sun, A. Calderón‐Urrea, M. Li, H. Yang, W. Wang and G. Su (2021). Bacterial communities as
indicators of soil health under a continuous cropping system. Land Degrad. Develop., 32: 2393-2408.

Emer Life Sci Res (2022) 8(1): 1-4 3

 emergent
Life Sciences Research Athar and Kanwal

[8] S. Samaddar, D. S., Karp, R. Schmidt, N. Devarajan, J. A. McGarvey, A. F. Pires and K. Scow (2021).
Role of soil in the regulation of human and plant pathogens: soils' contributions to people. Philos. Trans.
R, Soci. B, 376: 20200179. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2020.0179.
[9] M. U. Hayyat, R. Nawaz, Z. Siddiq, M. B. Shakoor, M. Mushtaq, S. R. Ahmad and S. Ali et al., (2021).
Investigation of lithium application and effect of organic matter on soil health. Sustainability, 13: 1705.
[10] P. G. Soni, N. Basak, A. K. Rai, P. Sundha, B. Narjary, P. Kumar and G. Yadav et al., (2021). Deficit
saline water irrigation under reduced tillage and residue mulch improves soil health in sorghum-wheat
cropping system in semi-arid region. Sci. Rep., 11: 1-13.
[11] B. Boincean, M. Cebotari and L. Bulat, L (2021). Diversity of crops in rotation: A key factor in soil
health and crop yields. In Regenerative Agriculture (pp. 149-161). Springer, Cham.
[12] M. R. Nunes, H. M. van Es, R. Schindelbeck, A. J. Ristow and M. Ryan (2018). No-till and cropping
system diversification improve soil health and crop yield. Geoderma, 328: 30-43.
[13] C. Anderson, M. Beare, H. L. Buckley and G. Lear (2017). Bacterial and fungal communities respond
differently to varying tillage depth in agricultural soils. Peer J, 5: 3930.
https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3930.
[14] T. Netherway, J. Bengtsson, E. J. Krab and M. Bahram (2021). Biotic interactions with mycorrhizal
systems as extended nutrient acquisition strategies shaping forest soil communities and functions. Basic
Appl. Ecol., 50: 25-42.
[15] Y. Xue, H. Xia, P. Christie, Z. Zhang, L. Li and C. Tang (2016). Crop acquisition of phosphorus, iron
and zinc from soil in cereal/legume intercropping systems: a critical review. Ann. Bot., 117: 363-377.
[16] M. K. Jhariya, R. S. Meena and A. Banerjee (2021). Ecological intensification of natural resources
towards sustainable productive system." Ecological intensification of natural resources for sustainable
agriculture. Springer, Singapore, pp1-28.
[17] R. Lal, J. Bouma, E. Brevik, L. Dawson, D. J. Field, B. Glaser and R. Hatano (2021). Soils and
sustainable development goals of the United Nations (New York, USA): An IUSS perspective.
Geoderma Reg., e00398. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geodrs.2021.e00398.
[18] H. Decker (2021). Influence of cover crops and fertility management on soil health and soil microbial
community. Master Thesis. http://etd.auburn.edu/handle/10415/7971.
[19] P. Barnwal, S. Devika, S. Singh, T. Behera, A. Chourasia, B. Pramanick and V. S. Meena (2021). Soil
fertility management in organic farming. In Advances in Organic Farming. Woodhead Publishing. pp39-
46.
[20] B. Fu, L. Chen, H. Huang, P. Qu and Z. Wei (2021). Impacts of crop residues on soil health: A review.
Env. Pollut. and Bioavail., 33: 164-173.
[21] J. Lehmann, D. A. Bossio, I. Kögel-Knabner and M. C. Rillig (2020). The concept and future prospects
of soil health. Nat. Rev. Earth Environ., 1: 544-553.
[22] M. Castellini, M. Diacono, C. E. Gattullo and A. M. Stellacci (2021). Sustainable Agriculture and Soil
Conservation. Appl. Sci., 11: 4146. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11094146.
[23] G. Cusworth, T, Garnett and J. Lorimer (2021). Agroecological break out: Legumes, crop diversification
and the regenerative futures of UK agriculture. J. Rural Stud., 88: 126-137.

Emer Life Sci Res (2022) 8(1): 1-4 4