ABSTRACT
Soil amendments are organic or inorganic substances (i.e. conventional compost to nanoparticles) used to improve the physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil. As a result, they are commonly used for enhancing the bioremediation of polluted soils, restoration of marginal and degraded lands for biomass and bioenergy production and soil carbon sequestration. Even soil amendments are also being used for preventing the mobility of pollutants through soil column. Most importantly, they play a crucial role in organic and sustainable agricultural practices, as they are often preferred over synthetic agrochemicals to improve the soil quality (including soil microbial properties) and thereby the agricultural yield because of their low cost and easy availability. While there is considerable global interest in the large scale use of soil amendments for environmental sustainability, there are also growing concerns regarding the exotociological implications of various toxic substances such as heavy metals, pesticides and other persistent organic pollutants present in soil amendments. Moreover, there is no legal framework to ensure the quality control of available amendments and also to regulate the production and use of soil amendments for various agricultural and environmental applications. In this backdrop, the current chapter highlights the need of such policy measures and other legal frame work for regulating the production and use of various soil amendments and also for ensuring the quality of various amendments available in the market.
