Summary
This Nuffield Farming Scholarships report, authored by Harold Perry in 2008, synthesises evidence linking soil health to plant nutritional quality and, in turn, to human health. Drawing on existing literature and field observations, it argues that intensive farming practices that degrade soil biological and chemical health may be contributing to reductions in the micronutrient content of food crops. The report is a practitioner-oriented narrative review rather than an original empirical study, and its conclusions should be read accordingly.
UK applicability
Although scoped primarily to Canada, the core argument regarding soil degradation, reduced crop nutrient density, and human dietary health is broadly applicable to UK arable and horticultural systems, where similar concerns about soil organic matter decline and micronutrient depletion have been documented by bodies such as the British Geological Survey and Defra.
Key measures
Soil mineral and organic matter status; crop nutrient density (mineral and micronutrient content); indicators of human dietary nutrient intake
Outcomes reported
The report examines the relationship between soil health indicators and the nutritional quality of food crops, exploring how degraded soils may contribute to declining nutrient density in food and downstream human health implications.
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