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Humankind is poised to enter a new era, which arrives so suddenly that preparation is almost impossible. Within fifty or even forty years, the world's population will double, while (hopefully for everyone) affluence will also spread to the poor people of the world. Their combined effect is an enormous stress on the world's resources, of which soil and coastal seas are the most important.
 

Humans have been cultivating soil for many thousands of years, and whole civilisations have been made possible by its improvements in efficiency and productivity. Yet, this most important resource has always been poorly understood, resulting in misadventure, overexploitation and collapse of the very civilisations it once supported. Is this our fate in the 21st century? We see at one end of the spectrum, entrepreneurs raping the soil for short-term profit and on the other end health-conscious greenies imprisoned by their many strange beliefs. Somewhere in the middle we'll find the path of common sense.

This section, consisting of several chapters, tries to make you understand how soil works, how it can be coaxed into sustainable production and how it can so easily be lost. While researching the content for this section, I was struck by how the relevant information appeared scattered in far too many books and references, as if the overview was lacking, as if nobody really knew how it all works together. I also found many conflicting statements. In this section I have not only tried to collect, collate and present all relevant information, but also to make it easy to read, understand and learn. Many colourful diagrams and maps have been drawn for this purpose.

In the various chapters, we'll analyse how much we depend on soil, and how it was formed by Earth's mysterious cycles. Although you won't need to become a geologist, some geologic knowledge is absolutely necessary. The soil's ecology is a new discipline, uncovering the functions and roles of soil organisms and opening the way to sustainability.
People have always known that some substances like fertiliser promote plant growth and increase yield, without an appreciable increase in work or cost. In a world of rapidly increasing populations and limited agricultural land, we need to be able to increase yield, without spoiling the earth, waterways and seas. We need to be able to retain the precious nutrients that feed the plants, and it is in this area that appreciable gains can be made. In the section on sustainability, we'll boldly define natural laws that will help us to manage our soils sustainably (forever). The importance of soil organisms for soil fertility has been underestimated.
In the chapter on erosion, we'll focus on the forces that erode the land and how they can be harnessed for sustainability. An important contributor to soil loss is urban development and roading, and the ways the road's margins are managed. Major improvements can be made here too. Finally, the subject is reviewed for the situation in New Zealand, a relatively young country which struggles to conquer its own and unique problems.
 
 

One of the amazing outcomes of this resource on soil is how pressing the situation in the world has become. One of our greatest renewable resources, our soil, is under severe threat, and with it our fresh waters and coastal seas. When driving through the countryside and seeing the fertile landscape unfold in checkered colours, one would not for a moment conceive that this sight is not forever. It would be so easy, so it seems, to accommodate a doubling of the population. There's space everywhere! Yet, the careful measurements and estimates made by many scientists around the world, tell a different story. Even if our own place in the world remains manageable, even sustainable, we would not escape from the world-wide effects of deforestation and pollution. As the soil bleeds into the sea, it causes almost irreversible changes there too, evident from the disappearance of species, poisonous plankton blooms and demise of coastal fishing. Do we really wish to be remembered as the generation that caused it but did nothing about it, because we were ignorant about it? My wish is that many will read the pages that follow. The world needs wiser wise men.

A section on soil would be incomplete without addressing the use of pesticides, herbicides and discussing the dangers and benefits of genetic engineering. Forgive me that I have not done so yet. For constructive feedback, contact me.
Floor Anthoni, 11 November 02000.