ABSTRACT
Human dimensions of soil sustainability are manifold. Soil sustainability depends on a variety of human actions that influence the soil inadvertently or with deliberate intention to do so. Inadvertent influences may be brought about by a diversity of socio-economic changes including, inter alia, the global, national, or local economy, or political regimes, changing global markets, urban expansion, labor availability, farming systems, residential patterns, or local development. These changes may be beyond the control of the individual farmer, cooperative, or industry or be based on the farmers' selection of alternative socio-economic priorities unrelated to soil productivity. Most deliberate influences on the soil focus on enhancing its productivity or its long-term stewardship, particularly in developed economies. This entry provides examples from a developing country of human dimensions indirectly or directly related to soil sustainability.
