The Nature and Properties of soils / Природа и свойства почв

Unprecedented population increases have occurred since World War II. mostly in those countries with low agricultural productivity and low per capita incomes. Population growth coupled with rising energy costs and worldwide inflation has taxed the ability of farmers to meet human food requirements. In fact, in some areas. such as sub-Saharan Africa. the per capita food production has actually declined in the past decade. In other heavily populated regions. including South Asia. per capita food production has remained reasonably steady, but at levels so low as to dictate widespread nutritional deficiencies and constant hunger for tens of millions of people. Meeting human food requirements continues to be a major worldwide challenge. not only for the developing nations but for all of us.
Soils playa critical role in meeting human food needs. Their conservation and wise use are essential today and will be even more critical in the future as population pressures increase. These pressures are already forcing the use of lands for food production that good judgment says should be kept in forests and rangelands. This change in land use encourages accelerated erosion and runoff losses that reduce soil productivity and simultaneously force sedimentburdened floodwaters on downstream populations. Political leaders and development analysts alike agree that at no time in the history of humankind has the welfare of people been so dependent on the wise use and management of soils. <...>