Tropical Soils and Food Security: The Next 50 Years

1. Tropical Soils and Food Security: The Next 50 Years Author: Michael A. Stocking Summary: Shirley Shi Critique: Pete Cabral

2. Introduction To Summary • Address the issue of the energy future • Focus on the relation between the topical soil and food security • Summarize author’s opinion • Support the background for the critique of this article

3. Food Security • UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) definition: • All people, all time • Physical and economic access • Sufficient, safe, and nutritious food • Meeting dietary needs and preference • For active and healthy life

4. Current Condition • More than 1 billion people have no food security • 60% of rural communities in the tropic and subtropics are affected by decline in food production • Sub-Saharan Africa • Part of Latin America • Part of Caribbean • Part of Central Asia

5. Headline Challenges • Political impact • Conflict over land • Climatological impact • Drought • Global warming • Epidemiological impact • AIDS/HIV on farm labor • Changing of soil quality

6. Soil Quality • The capacity of a soil • To function within land use and ecosystem boundaries • To sustain biological productivity • To maintain environmental quality • To promote plant, animal and human health

7. Soil Quality and Human Demand • A dynamic and diverse production system • Human demand • Biological attribute • Chemical attribute • Physical attribute • Nutrition of the soil and replenishing

8. Impact of Soil Quality • Excessive off-take of nutrients in crops without replenishment • Pets and diseases • Weed infestations • Climate changing • Available water capacity • Soil organic carbon source • Soil biodiversity • Salinity and acidification

9. Erosion-Yield Relationship • Negative exponential curves • Erosion is selective • Predict the future food yield and security

10. Modeling Erosion-yield-time Relationship

11. Resilience and Sensitivity

12. Author’s Opinion • Local farmers understand the concept of soil quality in the forest-savanna zone • Farmer have skills and social networks for sustaining soil quality and security • Community-based approaches to empower farmers to manage their own situation

13. Conclusion To Summary • Soil resources are a dynamic element, not static • Many farmers are willing and able to invest in the future • Farmers should be the best arbiters of choice, not just the science itself

14. Introduction to Critique • Objective indicators • Author and the article credibility • Subjective indicators • Article credibility • Author’s opinion • Conclusion

15. Objective Indicators – Author Credibility • Educational degrees • BA • Masters in Philosophy • PhD • Current concentrations • Tropical agricultural development • Land resources and soil conservation • Biological diversity on agricultural lands

16. Objective Indicators – Author Credibility • University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK • Dean of the School of Development Studies (DEV) • Professor in Natural Resource Development • Member of the Overseas Development Group (ODG) • Natural Resources & Environment Research Group

17. Objective Indicators – Author Credibility • Legacy of experience • Involved in tropical agricultural development, land resources and soil conservation since 1969 (~35 years to date) • Specific geographical field experience • Sub-Saharan Africa • South America • South and South-east Asia

18. Objective Indicators – Author Credibility • Current engagements • Loess Plateau in China • Biological diversity and erosion in agricultural lands. • Special adviser to Department for International Development (DFID, UK) • Hillside production systems • UN University and Environment Program (UNU/UNEP) • Biodiversity • GEF-funded Project on People, Land Management and Environmental Change • Collaboration with over 200 developing country scientists to develop demonstration sites of agrodiversity • TSBF in Nairobi • Soil fertility

19. Objective Indicators – Article Credibility • Article composition * 54 reference citations

20. Objective Indicators – Article Credibility • Analysis of references by date

21. Objective Indicators – Article Credibility • Analysis of references by type

22. Objective Indicators – Article Credibility • Analysis of references by organization

23. Subjective Indicators – Article Credibility • Article uses 11 of 54 references (20.4 %) with contributions from the author • Contributions either as author or editor • Appears excessive, however he is an expert in the field and uses shared authorship in these references

24. Subjective Indicators – Article Credibility • Systematically identifies soil itself as a risk to food security, even without the affect of external factors • Sensitivity versus Resilience in soil • Cites real world solutions that involve a practical applied approach, possibly without direct scientific theory as input • Trashliness, using uprooted weeds and green waste to impede sediment run-off

25. Author’s Opinion • “’Tragedy of the commons’ scenarios can be averted by pragmatic local solutions that help farmers to help themselves.” • Indicated that farmers do desire to use soil resources efficiently, but require practical solutions • Indicated that practically applied solutions have the greatest chance of success

26. Conclusion to Critique • Objective Indicators • The author is experienced in the subject and has collaborated with credible global organizations for first-hand experience • Subjective Indicators • Fresh view of soil’s dynamic internal properties and their affect on food security • Author’s Viewpoint • “’Tragedy of the commons’ scenarios can be averted by pragmatic local solutions that help farmers to help themselves.”