A global clustering of terrestrial food production systems.

Food production is at the heart of global sustainability challenges, with unsustainable practices being a major driver of biodiversity loss, emissions and land degradation. The concept of foodscapes, defined as the characteristics of food production along biophysical and socio-economic gradients, could be a way addressing those challenges. By identifying homologues foodscapes classes possible interventions and leverage points for more sustainable agriculture could be identified.

Effects of moisture and physical disturbance on pore-scale oxygen content and anaerobic metabolisms in upland soils.

Soils are the largest dynamic stock of carbon (C) on Earth, and microbial respiration of soil organic C accounts for over 25% of global carbon dioxide (CO) emissions. Zones of oxygen depletion in upland soils (anaerobic microsites) are increasingly recognized as an important control on soil microbial respiration rates, but the factors governing the volume and distribution of anaerobic microsites are relatively unknown. We measured the dissolved oxygen (DO) content of porewater from incubated soil cores of varying moisture contents (<80% and >80% water saturation) and degrees of disturbance (undisturbed, conventionally tilled, and physically disturbed).

Towards a global-scale soil climate mitigation strategy.

Sustainable soil carbon sequestration practices need to be rapidly scaled up and implemented to contribute to climate change mitigation. We highlight that the major potential for carbon sequestration is in cropland soils, especially those with large yield gaps and/or large historic soil organic carbon losses. The implementation of soil carbon sequestration measures requires a diverse set of options, each adapted to local soil conditions and management opportunities, and accounting for site-specific trade-offs.

The concept and future prospects of soil health.

Unlabelled: Soil health is the continued capacity of soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals and humans, and connects agricultural and soil science to policy, stakeholder needs and sustainable supply chain management. Historically, soil assessments focused on crop production, but today soil health also includes the role of soil in water quality, climate change and human health. However, quantifying soil health is still dominated by chemical indicators, despite growing appreciation of the importance of soil biodiversity, due to limited functional knowledge and lack of effective methods.