Centro di ricerca per l'agrobiologia e la Pedologia

CRA-ABP

Preface

Soil management techniques are sustainable only if they are compatible with the expectations of the farmers and if their influence on the environment is such that they can be practiced indefinitely without undesirable consequences. Soil degrada­tion is a major environmental problem throughout the world and there is strong evidence that soil degradation presents an immediate threat to both biomass and economic production, as well as a long-term threat to future crop yields.

The aim of the conference was to present information and to make proposals useful to policymakers in the development of future strategies for a sustainable agriculture able to prevent soil physical degradation. Such strategies must take into account interactions between the many forms of soil degradation that up to now have not been adequately considered. Many of the environmental disasters that frequent not only the Mediterranean but also other parts of the world, are the direct consequence of inappropriate land use and management. (from Preface)

About the book

In July 2001, the International Union of Soil Science, in collaboration with the Italian Soil Science Society, the European Society of Agricultural Engineers and the International Commission of Agricultural Engineering, organised a conference on “Sustainable Soil Management for Environmental Protection – Soil Physical Aspects” in Firenze (Italy). An important theme at the conference was that soil management techniques are sustainable only if degradation to the soil is minimised. In addition, however, the expectations of farmers and other users of the land must be respected. The influence on the environment must be such that the soil can managed indefinitely using techniques that do not cause permanent damage. Real protection of the environment can be promoted only through the correct use and protection of soil resources.

Many aspects of environmental degradation can be ascribed to soil physical processes. These include: erosion, compaction, crusting, deterioration of struc­ture, flooding, loss of organic matter, salinization, etc.). Up to now, these physi­cal factors have not been adequately taken into consideration. Conventional sys­tems of agricultural production have in many cases resulted in excessive erosion and other forms of soil degradation there is an urgent need for crop production to be brought into harmony with soil conservation and environmental protection.

This monograph contains a selection of papers from the Conference that relate directly to soil conservation and protection. The book is organised into chapters covering: Introductory papers; Soil Structure; Soil Hydrology; Soil Compaction; Soil Erosion; Models, Databases and Maps. The book indicates that there is clearly a need to change soil management to alleviate problems of degradation and it is also emphasized that success will depend on adopting an interdisciplinary approach. The importance now being attached to the subject of soil degradation has been recognised by Catena Verlag in publishing the book in the series Advances in GeoEcology.