Biological Approaches to Regenerative Soil Systems

Agriculture  in the 21st century will need considerable modification to remain both  productive and sustainable. Greater production is needed to meet the  needs of our still-growing populations and to combat hunger and poverty.  Declines in soil health and the pollution of water sources are making  many of our production systems less tenable. These adverse trends are  exacerbated more and more by the impacts of climate change.

There are, fortunately, alternative methods available for agricultural practice that can countervail these constraints. Biological Approaches to Regenerative Soil Systems brings together the work of both researchers and practitioners to map  out better approaches to contemporary agriculture that draw upon both  old and new knowledge. It presents the science that underlies more  biologically driven strategies as well as contemporary innovative  experiences in diverse parts of the world. Both accepted research and  these varied experiences encourage confidence that these approaches, not  relying primarily on the introduction of new varieties and on exogenous  inputs, can succeed.

This book updates and revises a preceding volume Biological Approaches to Sustainable Soil Systems published by CRC Press in 2006. So much has been learned and done on  this subject in the past decade and a half that a second edition was  warranted. For instance, the first edition was published, knowledge  about plant-soil microbiomes, which are a frequent focus in this book,  has mushroomed.

Because sustainability is a broad term and an end-state, the editors preferred to assemble expertise regarding regenerative agriculture, which is concerned with the means for achieving sustainability. The concept of regenerative soil systems, entities that are more complex and multifaceted than "soil" alone, also incorporates a concern with having more resilient agricultural systems, ones that are better able to cope with the  multiple stresses of climate change that are foreseen for the decades  ahead.

The book’s chapters representing a wide range  of disciplines were contributed by 84 scientists and practitioners from  20 countries. Although they come from persons with in-depth knowledge of  their respective fields, the chapters are written to be accessible to  readers who are not trained in the specialized subjects. Taken together,  the chapters provide students, researchers, practitioners, planners,  and policy makers with a comprehensive understanding of both the science  and the steps needed to regenerate and sustain soil systems around the  world for the long-term benefit of humankind and the environment.