| In the past 200 years, soil science has used reductionist research to develop agricultural technologies that have unlocked the hidden potential of earth's natural systems to feed, clothe, and provide raw materials to the human population of over six billion. The soil quality paradigm seeks to change that scientific approach, the nomenclature of soil science, and institutional priorities for soil management and research. The definition of soil quality is elusive and value-laden. Concerns exist for the paradigm's policy overtones, regional and taxonomic biases, failure to reconcile conceptual contradictions, as well as its ambiguous definitions that are confounded by countless circumstance-specific, function-dependent scenarios. The paradigm does not... |
