Summary
This 2016 review paper argues that soil biodiversity is a central driver of agricultural sustainability and that deliberate management of soil biological communities represents a viable pathway to reconcile intensification with ecosystem health. The authors present soil ecological engineering—via practices such as crop rotation, reduced tillage, and organic amendments—as a mechanism to enhance multiple ecosystem functions whilst maintaining productive capacity. The paper positions underground biodiversity as key to addressing the intensification–sustainability trade-off in modern farming systems.
UK applicability
The findings are directly applicable to UK agriculture, where soil degradation and biodiversity loss are significant concerns in both arable and grassland systems. UK policy frameworks (including the Environmental Land Management schemes) increasingly emphasize soil health and biodiversity, making this review's evidence base relevant to contemporary farm practice and subsidy design.
Key measures
Soil biodiversity indices; ecosystem services (nutrient cycling, water retention, disease suppression); crop yield; soil carbon; microbial and faunal community composition
Outcomes reported
The review synthesised evidence on how deliberate management of soil biological communities—through practices such as crop rotation, reduced tillage, and organic inputs—enhances multiple ecosystem functions whilst maintaining or improving agricultural productivity. The paper evaluated soil ecological engineering as a pathway to reconcile agricultural intensification with ecosystem health and sustainability.
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