Soil Health and Quality Management Practices
Summary
Soil health is the capacity of soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals and humans, while supporting biodiversity and ecosystem services. Closely related is soil quality, which encompasses the physical, chemical and biological attributes that determine soil function. Core indicators include soil organic carbon (SOC), nutrient availability, aggregate stability, moisture retention and microbial activity. Management practices such as reduced or no-tillage, cover cropping, organic amendment application and diversified crop rotations strengthen these indicators by enhancing soil structure, improving water infiltration and promoting nutrient cycling. On a global scale, healthy soils underpin food security, climate resilience and carbon sequestration. Advances in rapid assay methods and digital soil mapping enable more informed, site-specific management decisions that balance productivity with environmental stewardship. Integrated assessment frameworks combine multiple indicators into composite indices, aiding land managers and policy-makers in evaluating long-term trends and prioritising interventions. Emerging approaches emphasise farmer-driven monitoring, locally tailored thresholds and the use of co-located ecological data to capture top- and subsoil dynamics. Together, these practices and assessment tools form a comprehensive strategy for safeguarding soil health and maintaining the multifunctionality of soils under increasing agricultural and climatic pressures.
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Soil Health and Quality Management Practices publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in soil health and quality management practices across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Soil health: The capacity of soil to function as a living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals and humans.
Soil quality: The suite of physical, chemical and biological attributes that determine soil functions and productivity.
Soil organic carbon (SOC): The carbon component of soil organic matter, vital for nutrient supply, structure and water retention.
Soil functions: Processes performed by soil, including nutrient cycling, water regulation, habitat provision and organic matter decomposition.
Soil health assessment (SHA): A systematic framework combining multiple indicators to evaluate soil condition and guide management practices.
References
- Assessing soil functioning: What is the added value of soil organic carbon quality measurements alongside total organic carbon content?. Soil Biology and Biochemistry (2024).
- Towards a farmer-feasible soil health assessment that is globally applicable. Journal of Environmental Management (2023).
- Co-located ecological data for exploring top- and subsoil carbon dynamics across grassland-woodland contrasts. Scientific Data (2024).
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