Description

SOIL QUALITY is how well soil does what we want it to do. More specifically, soil quality is the capacity of a specific kind of soil to function, within natural or managed ecosystem boundaries, to sustain plant and animal productivity, maintain or enhance water and air quality, and support human health and habitation.

People have different ideas of what a quality soil is. For example:

for people active in production agriculture, it may mean highly productive land, sustaining or enhancing productivity, maximizing profits, or maintaining the soil resource for future generations;

for consumers, it may mean plentiful, healthful, and inexpensive food for present and future generations;

for naturalists, it may mean soil in harmony with the landscape and its surroundings;

for the environmentalist, it may mean soil functioning at its potential in an ecosystem with respect to maintenance or enhancement of biodiversity, water quality, nutrient cycling, and biomass production.

<more coming soon>

Soil Quality assessment tool