Soil is an important component of the biosphere, and is an absolutely essential component for agricultural production. It is axiomatic that the agricultural self-sufficiency of any country is dependent on availability of good soil and its continuing proper management. Unfortunately this simple fact is often overlooked, resulting in serious socio-economic consequences. Productive soil is being continually lost in both developed and developing countries for a variety of reasons, and the general global trend seems to be continuing increase in the total loss.
By Margaret R. Biswas and Asit K. Biswas, 1978. Article published in International Journal of Environmental Studies, Volume 12, Number 3, pages 189-197. DOI: 10.1080/00207237808709781