ABSTRACT
Large-scale phenomena and impacts, discussed on a global scale under a multiperspective analysis, are increasingly on society’s agenda (Pearce and Warford, 1993). Examples directly related to soil science are (1) the expansion of agriculture to areas of tropical forest; (2) the contamination of water resources with residues of pesticides, phosphate, and nitrate used in agriculture; and (3) the degradation of soils through soil erosion (Habern, 1992; Doran et al., 1996; Doran and Sa¥ey, 1997).
