Soil and Water Conservation for Sustainable Food Production

This book addresses the impact of soil and water quality on food production, and explores soil and water conservation measures to be applied at farm level for agricultural sustainability. Divided into 8 chapters, the book covers topics such as soil properties responsible for soil loss, the impact of climate change, water and biological factors on soil chemistry, the effect of soil on the quality of water including sustaining aquaculture productivity and environment of wetlands, soil and water qualities necessary for irrigation, management of soil organic carbon, and the importance of soil moisture conservation including agroforestry for food production. Particular attention is given to the management of soil organic carbon in sustainable crop cultivation as well as reducing soil erosion and nutrient loss from soil from cultivated lands. The book concludes with a chapter that integrates soil and water conservation with sustainable food production and food safety.

Introductory Remarks: Soil and Water Conservation for Soil Health.- Soil Properties Responsible for Soil Loss.- Impact of Climate, Water and Biological Factors on Soil Health.- Effect of Soil on Water Quality.- Soil and Water Qualities Necessary for Irrigation.- Soil Moisture Conservation Influencing Food Production.- Management of Soil Organic Carbon.- Concluding Remarks: Soil and Water for Food Security.

Subhabrata Panda is an Assistant Professor in Soil and Water Conservation at the Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya (BCKV), the State Agricultural University in West Bengal, India, and he is associated with the “All India Coordinated Research Project on Agroforestry” of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-Central Agroforestry Research Institute (CAFRI). Dr. Panda has previously worked as Assistant Agricultural Chemist at the State Agricultural Research Institute, and additionally with the Soil Survey Laboratory and State Nodal Cell of the Soil Health Management (SHM) under National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), Government of West Bengal, Kolkata, India, and acted as a Research Associate in the ICAR-MNES All India Net Work Project on Solar Photovoltaic Pumping Systems for crop water management and in the ICAR-sponsored inter-institutional Arsenic Project with BCKV on studying mobilisation and management of arsenic from groundwater in Nadia district in West Bengal, India.