MADISON, WI APRIL 19, 2011 -- What if there was a single environmental asset that, if protected and nurtured, could help us solve the most pressing problems facing humanity, from food security to climate change?  Such an asset in fact exists—it’s the soil!

Now with Earth Day coming up on April 22, the Soil Science Society of America has released a set of “grand challenges” designed not only to safeguard our soils as a viable natural resource, but to protect the overall health of the planet, as well

“Food and energy security, water availability and quality, and climate change adaptation and mitigation are some of the greatest challenges facing our society,” says Chuck Rice, President of the Soil Science Society of America and a distinguished professor of soil microbiology at Kansas State, “Appropriate management of soils offers the potential to provide solutions for each of these challenges.  Soils also provide a direct link to human health as a source of antibiotics and other medical products.”

The Soil Science Society of America, in consultation with individual members of the U.S. National Committee for Soil Science and other experts in soil science, has identified priority research challenges and corresponding critical knowledge gaps to guide interdisciplinary soil science research for the next 20 years and beyond.

The soil ecosystem provides services—carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, water purification, waste treatment, provisioning of industrial and pharmaceutical goods, and a mitigating sink for chemical and biological agents—that enhance the resilience of managed and natural systems.

Soil health, however, faces increasing human-linked threats from contamination, unplanned urban development, desertification, salinization, mismanagement and erosion. Protecting and promoting soil health will ensure food and energy security, assist in climate change adaptation and mitigation and conserve and improve water quality.

The SSSA Grand Challenges are centered around soil ecosystem health; soils and water quality; food and energy security; and climate change. For a complete list of the soils challenges and research needs see https://www.soils.org/sssa-grand-challenges.