Soil Health, Climate Variability, and Global Food Security.

Global food security can be achieved through the efficient conversion of natural resources, sunlight and water, into food. One of the critical elements in this process is the availability of soil water to maintain maximum crop growth and yield for food or feed. Soil health becomes a critical part of this process because soil is the water reservoir required for plant growth and soil health is directly related to soil water availability. Soil health provides two functions related to soil water, first the increased ability to maintain infiltration rates and second, the increased storage capacity for water in the profile. Soil health promotes a more efficient production system in the use of water, nutrients, and solar radiation. This becomes even more critical with the increased variation in climate. The increased variation in precipitation, the shifting seasonality of precipitation, and increased chances of extreme precipitation events reinforce the need for a soil resource that has the capacity to absorb and store water and is resilient to extreme precipitation events. Climate resilient agricultural systems require that we focus on the soil resource and enhancing the soil before we can achieve increased productivity and stability of production over time. These are not impossible goals but require that we understand the critical role of soil health in offsetting the impacts of climate variability and enhancing crop production efficiency.