Pulse Brain · Growing Health Evidence Index
Tier 3 — Observational / field trialPeer-reviewed

Soil quality both increases crop production and improves resilience to climate change

Lei Qiao, Xuhui Wang, Pete Smith, Jinlong Fan, Yuelai Lu, Bridget A. Emmett, Rong Li, Stephen Dorling, Haiqing Chen, Shaogui Liu, Tim G. Benton, Yaojun Wang, Yuqing Ma, Rongfeng Jiang, Fusuo Zhang, Shilong Piao, Christoph Müller, Huaqing Yang, Yanan Hao, Wangmei Li, Mingsheng Fan

Nature Climate Change · 2022

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Summary

This 2022 study, published in Nature Climate Change, investigates the dual benefit of soil quality improvement for agriculture in China. The research suggests that enhancing soil health through management practices simultaneously increases crop production and builds resilience to climate-related stresses, addressing a key intersection between agricultural productivity and climate adaptation. The findings indicate soil quality as a potentially critical lever for sustaining food security under changing climatic conditions.

UK applicability

The mechanisms linking soil health to productivity and climate resilience are broadly applicable to temperate arable systems in the United Kingdom, though specific soil types, climate conditions and management practices differ. UK farmers and policymakers may find the conceptual framework valuable for integrating soil improvement into climate adaptation strategies, subject to validation under British growing conditions.

Key measures

Soil quality indices, crop yield, climate stress resilience metrics, soil organic matter, soil physical and biological properties

Outcomes reported

The study examined relationships between soil quality metrics and crop production under varying climate conditions. It assessed how improved soil health contributes to both yield stability and adaptive capacity to climate variability.

Theme
Climate & resilience
Subject
Climate & greenhouse gas mitigation
Study type
Research
Study design
Field trial
Source type
Peer-reviewed study
Status
Published
Geography
China
System type
Arable cereals
DOI
10.1038/s41558-022-01376-8
Catalogue ID
BFmou2mefv-ytb2ic

Topic tags

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