Soil and Humans: A Comparative and A Pictorial Mini-Review

Elramady, Hassan; Brevik, Eric C.; Elsakhawy, Tamer; Omara, Alaa El-Dein; Amer, Megahed Mohamed; Abowaly, Mohamed; El-Henawy, Ahmed; Prokisch, Joe

doi:10.21608/ejss.2022.144794.1508

Soil and Humans: A Comparative and A Pictorial Mini-Review

Document Type : Review papers

Authors

¹ Kafrelshiekh University

² Dean, College of Agricultural, Life, and Physical Sciences Agriculture Building, Room 200 Southern Illinois University 1205 Lincoln Drive Carbondale, IL 62901 USA

³ Agriculture Microbiology Department, Soil, Water and Environment Research Institute (SWERI), Sakha Agricultural Research Station, Agriculture Research Center, 33717 Kafr El-Sheikh, Egypt

⁴ Soil, Water and Environment Research Institute, Sakha, ARC.

⁵ Soils Improvement and Conservation Res. Department, Soils, Water and Environment Res. Institute,Agric. Res. Center, Giza, Egypt.

⁶ Kafrelsheikh Uni.

⁷ Soil and Water Dept., Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University, 33516 Kafr El-Sheikh, Egypt

⁸ Institute of Animal Science, Biotechnology and Nature Conservation, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, University of Debrecen, 138 B&ouml;sz&ouml;rm&eacute;nyi Street, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary

10.21608/ejss.2022.144794.1508

Abstract

Soil is an essential component in the ecological system that supports human life with needed food for humans, feeds for animals, fibers, fuels, building materials, and other necessities. However, soil suffers from a number of problems caused by humans, presented here in pictorial form. This review will take us on a narrative journey through soils with a focus on the soil-human relationship and its impact on soil ecosystems. Soil has direct and indirect relationships to humans, starting with the crucial roles of soil in human life, including its support of human civilization through ecosystem services, sustainable agriculture, and human health. It is essential and urgent to manage soils for health and sustainability by building the soil-food-environment-health nexus. This work is an attempt to highlight major roles that soil plays in human life in a presentation that is more photos and less words, because one photo is worth one thousand words.

Keywords