Title : Soil, food security and human health
Abstract:
Soils are important for human health in a number of ways. Approximately 78% of the average per capita calorie consumption worldwide comes from crops grown directly in soil, and another nearly 20% comes from terrestrial food sources that rely indirectly on soil. Essential nutrients (18) play an important role in plant growth and synthesis of food. Therefore, soils that provide a healthy, nutrient-rich growth medium for plants will result in plant tissues that contain most of the elements required for human life when the plants are consumed. Food security is achieved when all people have access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food. Food security is central to human health and the ability to produce nutritious crops in sufficient amounts depends on soil properties and conditions. In particular, soils that have well-developed structure, sufficient organic matter, and other physical and chemical properties conducive to promoting crop growth lead to strong yields and are thus important for food security. If the soil is supply adequate amount of nutrients for food, the human health also benefits. Hence, availability of important nutrients such as potassium (K), Sulphur (S), iron(Fe) and zinc (Zn) in soil can play a vital role in ensuring food security. Quality food production and food security have several components, including the production of sufficient amounts of food, adequate nutrient content in the food products, and the exclusion of potentially toxic compounds from the food products. A balanced diet is one which includes a variety of foods in adequate amounts and correct proportion to meet the day’s requirement of all essential nutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, water and fiber. Soils play a major role in all of these areas of quality food production and security for better human health.
Audience take-away:
- Healthy soils are the basis for healthy food.
- Soils supply the essential nutrients that our food –producing plants need to grow and flourish.
- Healthy soils produce healthy crops that in turn nourish human health.
- The deficiency of K, S, Fe and Zn affect human health considerably.
- Lack of adequate food and food of poor nutritional quality lead to differing degrees of under-nutrition, which turn causes ill health.
- Food security to ensure adequate and nutritious food is vital in human health in years to come.
