Title : Soil Sampling for food Security
Abstract:
With human population steadily increasing, food will have to be grown in a more sustainable way. It is hard to talk about agriculture without mentioning soil, however soil is often not treated as a finite natural resource. The agriculture industry has had a soil depleting problem that became famous during the Dust Bowl in the United states. There is a desire from conscious consumers to know how their food is grown and what practices were used organic vs. conventional farming. Consumers want quality when it comes to the food they purchase, and they are willing to pay a premium for it. Soil health is becoming more and more important in agriculture to ensure food security. Soil sampling provides vital information in what is happening in the field. The importance of correct soil sampling which includes the time to sample, location and number of samples is quintessential to maximizing the crops grown in a field. However, interpreting a soil report is often overlooked. Interpreting soil reports is key in understanding what nutrients are lacking and what are in excess. Applying fertilizer can have huge environmental and monetary impact on yield and price of the crop. The amount of fertilizer needed to grow a crop and at what stage of the crop to fertilize is imperative information that will cut down on cost and yield. Without soil we will not have a way of feeding our ever-growing human population.
