Soil health management for sustainable agriculture: Indicators, practices, and future challenges

Abstract

The importance of soil health is being realized as a key component of sustainable agricultural practices because of its significance in managing soil physical, chemical, and biological processes. The intensive agricultural practices, land use change, and climate variability have accelerated the degradation of soil health, which has become a threat to sustainable food security and environmental sustainability (Lal, 2015; FAO, 2017).This review integrates the existing body of knowledge on soil health concepts, indicators, and management practices in relation to their role in sustainable agriculture. The role of key soil health indicators such as physical properties, nutrient cycling, soil organic carbon, and biological processes is also critically evaluated. The effect of key soil health management practices such as conservation tillage, organic amendments, crop diversification, cover crops, and integrated nutrient management is discussed in the light of evidence from long-term field experiments.The importance of soil health in improving ecosystem services, mitigating climate change, and building resistance to abiotic stress is also considered. The difficulties associated with the evaluation of soil health, adoption, and gaps in knowledge are also emphasized. The review ends with the conclusion that soil health-based management is required for sustainable agricultural production and future research work in this area.