The Soil Underfoot provides an expert analysis of challenges faced by humankind and their implications for the availability and sustainability of soils worldwide. It emphasizes cultural, historical, philosophical, and ethical approaches to understanding soil resources. Chapters cover climate change, diminishing plant nutrients and soil loss; religious views of soil; cultural/historical views and uses of soil; uses of soils for optimal production and conservation; non-agricultural uses of soils; and challenges for soil science. The Soil Underfoot contains 37 contributions with chapter Authors from 13 different countries.
The Challenges of the Future
Climate change, Dr. Kevin Tate
Supply of plant nutrients, Dr. Sharon Hall
Natural capital and ecosystem services, Drs. Mary-Beth Kirkham and Brent Clothier
Soil loss, Dr. Nikolaus Kuhn
The Future of Soil in the Neoenvironment--Thinking About Soil in a Reengineered World, Dr. Peter Haff
Artistic Representations of Soil and Its Value
Visual art, Alexandra Toland
Film, Deborah Garcia
Cultural Soils and Soundscapes: Retelling Past Human Ecodynamics, Dr. Paul Adderley
Religious Views of Soil
On Holy Ground: The Sacredness of Soil in the Biblical Tradition, Dr. Norman Habel
Non-Abrahamic religions, Dr. Bron Taylor
Cultural and Historical Views and Uses of Soil
Groundedness and the upside of soil: Indigenous conceptions of soils, surfaces and place, Dr. Scott Heyes
Maori, Garth Harmsworth
Olive Oil and Wine: Ingredients in the Creative Response of Ancient Greek and Roman Civilizations to the Challenge of Soil Degradation, Dr. Bruce James
Erosion, deposition, soil formation and human influences within ancient and modern Greece, Dr. Richard Doyle
The Anatolian soil concept of the past and today, Dr. Selim Kapur
Chernozem:-the soul of the Ukrain,. Alla and Serhiy Marchuk
Inca, Dr. Francisco Mamani Patti
Terra Preta: The Mysterious Soils of Amerindians, Dr. Antionette Winkler Prins
Indian, Dr. Pichu Rengasamy
Integrative development between soil science and Confucius’ philosophy, Dr. Xinhua Peng
Taiwanese, Dr. Zueng-Sang Chen
Japanese, Dr. Masanori Okazaki
Soil-centric Lessons for Life and Culture in Korea, Dr. Jae Yang
Africans and the Life of Soil: how the nature and properties of their soils frame the rhythms of their lives, Dr. Ray Weil
The soil under the feet of Bernard Palissy (1510-1590), Dr. Christian Feller
Potash, Passion and Politics: Early 20th-century debates on soil fertility in the United States, Dr. Edward Landa
Uses of Soils for Optimal Production and Conservation
Soil: Poetry in motion, Rebecca Lines-Kelly
Man above and earthworm underfoot : towards an anthropology of soil, Dr. Christian Feller
Carbon sequestration in Biospheres 1 (Earth) and 2, Dr. Katerina Donstova
Natural sequence farming, Peter Andrews
Reduced Plant Water Deficits by a Revolutionary Technology of Strategically Positioned Membranes, Dr. Alvin Smucker
A scientist’s home garden, Dr. Richard Stirzaker
Non-Agricultural Uses of Soils
‘That is the land' - connecting soil, people and nature, Dr. John Gordon
Sports surface design – the ultimate exploitation of soil diversity, Dr. Richard Gibbs
Challenges for Soil Science
Pedology (field studies), Dr. Oliver Chadwick
Biophysics, Dr. Iain Young
Biology, Dr. Karl Ritz
Sustaining "the Genius of Soil," Dr. Garrison Sposito