Identification of sensitive indicators to assess the interrelationship between soil quality, management practices and human health

Summary

This narrative review examines soil quality assessment methodologies across different land-use scenarios, synthesising evidence on the interrelationship between soil quality, management practices, and human health. The authors find that whilst soil organic carbon and pH are the most commonly used indicators, a holistic assessment requires integration of physical, chemical, and biological indicators into soil quality indices rather than reliance on single metrics. The review identifies significant gaps, notably the scarcity of soil quality assessments that incorporate human health exposure pathways and the limited adoption of soil quality indices in urban contexts.

Regional applicability

The review's findings on indicator selection and soil quality assessment methodology are transferable to United Kingdom agricultural, forest, and urban contexts. However, the review highlights that soil quality assessments incorporating human health pathways remain rare globally, including in developed nations, suggesting this is an area where UK research and policy could advance practice.

Key measures

Soil organic carbon, pH, nitrogen and nutrient content, texture, bulk density, available water, aggregate stability, microbial biomass, enzyme activities, and soil quality indices (SQI) derived from scoring and weighting methodologies.

Outcomes reported

This review synthesises approaches to soil quality assessment across different land uses and identifies physical, chemical, and biological indicators most commonly used to evaluate soil quality and its potential links to human health. The paper examines the prevalence of single-indicator versus multi-indicator approaches and soil quality indices in the literature.

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