New report shows way to secure adequate healthy food for world's growing population

Report published in Ecohydrology & Hydrobiology wins Elsevier's Atlas Award

Challenges in securing adequate healthy food for the world's growing human population can be met in part by adopting agricultural practices that feed the soil, according to a report (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1642359313000104) published in Ecohydrology & Hydrobiology (http://www.journals.elsevier.com/ecohydrology-and-hydrobiologyhttp://www.journals.elsevier.com/ecohydrology-and-hydrobiology), which has won the monthly Elsevier Atlas Award (https://www.elsevier.com/atlas).

The study pushes for the adoption of basic principles in ecohydrology, an interdisciplinary field focused on the interaction between water and ecosystems. As a first step, the author calls on policymakers, farmers, and the general public to recognize that the health of people depends on the health of the land and soil.

"My philosophy is that grains are for people and crop residue is for the land," said the study's author, Professor Rattan Lal of The Ohio State University's Carbon Management and Sequestration Center.

Crop residues are often taken from the land and fed to animals. Moreover, in many countries, manure is used as a fuel source instead of being spread back on the land. When soil lacks organic carbon and other essential nutrients, so do the plants grown in that soil and the people who consume them.

Organic matter in the soil acts like a sponge, holding nutrients and "green water", which is taken up by plant roots. When soil is able to retain moisture, agricultural lands become more resistant to periods of drought. If the organic content of soil falls below 2 percent, as it does in parts of South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, the land acts like a sieve. Water and nutrients percolate right through and become unavailable to plants, including agricultural crops.

There are also new and emerging threats to soil health, including rapid urbanization, risks of land degradation because of climate change and extreme events, and growing interest and demand for non-agricultural uses of crop residues (such as cellulosic ethanol).

"The health of soil, plants, animals, people, and ecosystems is one and indivisible," Dr. Lal added. "Healthier soil creates healthier people. Therefore landscape management for conserving and sustaining soil resources is essential."

The success of efforts to improve soil health will depend on policies that recognize the value of land and water resources and create incentives for farmers to change their practices. Other measures can also help to secure adequate food, including reducing food waste and promoting a plant-based diet.

More than 10 million children under five living in developing countries around the world die each year due to hunger-related causes. Millions more suffer from chronic hunger or malnutrition. Looking to the future, the demand for food will only grow (http://science.sciencemag.org/content/327/5967/812) as the world's population is expected to reach 9.7 billion by the year 2050.