Chapter 4 - Conservation Agriculture Systems to Mitigate Climate Variability Effects on Soil Health

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Abstract

Climate change is the greatest challenge of the modern era, and to the use of our fundamental resource of soil and water for food production and security. This threat is to both soil and water, but in this chapter, the focus will be on the impact on soil health. This impact can be intensified by management practices that lead to soil desertification, deforestation, erosion, and other forms of degradation. These dynamics, along with weather variability, such as frequent wet and drought events, are prevalent in different parts of the world. This chapter focuses on the role of conservation agriculture systems in affecting soil biological, chemical, and physical functions to sustain soil health in order to minimize weather variability effects on soil and reduce the negative impacts on productivity. The interaction among different tillage and cropping systems effects on soil structure dynamics and the controlling factors that accelerate the enhancement of soil aggregation are discussed to understand the principal impacts of improving soil structure, taking into consideration soil temperature and moisture regimes, and nutrient availability.

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