However, things have changed a bit over the past two decades. Scientists increasingly associate soil biodiversity with improved yields and plant health. Research also indicates that a soil high in microbial activity is better at carbon sequestration and in preventing runoff during floods. Given soil's link to food security, as well as to climate mitigation and adaptation, scientists are now developing new diagnostic tools to measure soil health. Since the tools and the processes of measuring soil biodiversity are quite expensive and labour-intensive, countries are working to make them accessible to all. A report by Rohini Krishnamurthy
BENEATH OUR FEET lies a world teeming with life, often overlooked in its significance. Soils, far from being mere dirt, are alive, breathing entities that play a crucial role in sustaining life above and below ground. They serve as the backbone of agriculture and store water, playing an indispensable role in our ecosystem. Their importance will only grow in the future because the world, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), will have to increase its food production by 60 per cent by 2050 to feed an ever-increasing population.
Yet, amid their critical role, soils face unprecedented threats. Human activities such as overexploitation and improper land-use practices are rapidly degrading and eroding these vital ecosystems. Already, about 33 per cent of global soils are degraded and 90 per cent could meet this fate by 2050, warns FAO. It also does not help that soil is a finite resource, taking up to 1,000 years to produce a mere 2-3 centimetres.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 16, 2024-Ausgabe von Down To Earth.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 16, 2024-Ausgabe von Down To Earth.
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INVISIBLE THREAT
Significant presence of microplastics in Puducherry’s agricultural soil raises concerns for soil and crop health
Feeding off each other
VEGETARIAN MOVEMENTS IN SOUTH ASIA AND THE WEST GREW WITH MUTUAL SUPPORT AND VALIDATION
India's unhealthy patent amendments
Despite strong pleas, the Modi regime has changed the rules to impose a cost on those who challenge faulty patents
URBAN DISCOMFORT
Poorly planned, heat-trapping infrastructure, along with dwindling natural spaces, turn up the temperatures in major Indian cities
BLAZING SUN IS ON
Rising temperatures are testing the limits of human tolerance to heat. With their predominantly built-up landscape, urban areas offer no respite. A study by the Centre for Science and Environment on the morphology and heat patterns of nine Indian cities over the past decade shows how these urban centres are turning into heat islands with a potentially serious impact on human health. An analysis by Rajneesh Sareen, Mitashi Singh and Nimish Gupta, with Shagun in Haryana and Kiran Pandey
"H5N1 may be more severe than COVID-19"
In early April, the US confirmed the first case of avian influenza in livestock, along with cow-to-human transmission of the virus disease.
A PSYCHEDELIC HIGH
Driven by surge in global trials and low success rate of current medications in treating mental health problems, researchers call for home-grown clinical trials of psychedelic drugs
Locked out
Two years after becoming the only state to be excluded from the Centre's ruralemployment guarantee scheme, villages in West Bengal grapple with distress migration and debt traps
'Protection from climate change part of right to life'
The Supreme Court of India, on April 5, recognised that citizens have a right to be free from the adverse effects of climate change, saying it is intertwined with the fundamental rights to life and equality. Here are the key arguments articulated by the three-judge bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra in their judgement
Weaving dreams
Tribal communities in West Bengal slowly embrace traditional weaving to ensure sustainable livelihood