The Soil Degradation Paradox: Compromising Our Resources When We Need Them the Most

Sustainability

Catherine DeLong¹  Richard Cruse¹  John Wiener² 

[1] Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA; E-Mail:;Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado, 468 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309-0468, USA; E-Mail:

关键词: soil erosion;    salinization;    land degradation;    soil degradation;    climate change;   

DOI  :  10.3390/su7010866

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Soil degradation can take many forms, from erosion to salinization to the overall depletion of organic matter. The expression of soil degradation is broad, and so too are the causes. As the world population nears eight billion, and the environmental uncertainty of climate change becomes more manifest, the importance of our soil resources will only increase. The goal of this paper is to synthesize the catalysts of soil degradation and to highlight the interconnected nature of the social and economic causes of soil degradation. An expected three billion people will enter the middle class in the next 20 years; this will lead to an increased demand for meat, dairy products, and consequently grain. As populations rise so do the economic incentives to convert farmland to other purposes. With the intensity and frequency of droughts and flooding increasing, consumer confidence and the ability of crops to reach yield goals are also threatened. In a time of uncertainty, conservation measures are often the first to be sacrificed. In short, we are compromising our soil resources when we need them the most.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.