Soil Security: Dimensions

Abstract

Soil security is a concept that will make it possible to understand soil and its role in delivering ecosystem services and is used to quantify the soil resource by measuring it, mapping it, modelling it, managing it and forecasting its change. To achieve this will require a coming together of soil scientists, economists, social scientists and policy makers to discuss and contribute to the decision-making about soil. To frame this discussion requires a multidimensional approach whereby soil security acknowledges five dimensions of (1) capability, (2) condition, (3) capital, (4) connectivity and (5) codification. Each of these dimensions encompasses the social, economic and biophysical disciplines that contribute to providing good relevant soil knowledge, its use and integration into policy and legal frameworks. These dimensions can be used to assess the seven recognised functions that soil provides to society and are useful in characterising the threats to soil security.