A group of leading soil scientists, including the University
of Delaware’s Donald L. Sparks, has summarized the precarious state of the
world’s soil resources and the possible ramifications for human security in a
paper published Thursday, May 7, in the journal Science.
In a review of recent scientific literature, the article,
titled “Soil and Human Security in the 21st Century,” outlines threats to soil
productivity — and, in turn, food production — due to soil erosion, nutrient
exhaustion, urbanization and climate change.