ABSTRACT
Increasing human population, rising expectations of living standards, and scarcity of natural resources have made “soil degradation” a major issue of the modern era because it poses a serious threat to human well-being. Land is an all encompassing entity of which soil is one of several components, e.g., water, vegetation, climate. Soil degradation happens when soil cannot perform one or several of these functions, although it is difficult to sustain all functions at the same time because some are mutually exclusive. Soil degradation is the loss of actual or potential productivity and utility. Soil is in a dynamic equilibrium with its environment, and its properties are always changing due to anthropogenic perturbation or change in weather. Soil quality is the net effect of the difference between resilience and degradation. Soil resilience is governed by inherent soil properties, climate, parent material, land use, and soil/crop management.
