This book educates readers about the central role that soils must play in helping to secure the best possible future for this planet and its human occupants. It provides an expert analysis of challenges faced by humankind and their implications for the availability and sustainability of soils worldwide. The book emphasizes cultural, historical, philosophical, and ethical approaches to understanding soil resources. Chapters cover climate change, diminishing plant nutrients and soil loss; religious views of soil; cultural/historical views and uses of soil; and non-agricultural uses of soils.

G. Jock Churchman holds a BSc(Hons) and a PhD in chemistry from Otago University in his native New Zealand, and a BA(Hons) in philosophy from Flinders University of South Australia. He was a post-doctoral fellow in the Soils Department of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was then employed in the New Zealand Soil Bureau, DSIR for 16 years and in CSIRO Division of Soils (later Land and Water) for 14 years. He also held visiting fellowships at Reading University (1 year) and the University of Western Australia (6 months). Currently he is adjunct senior lecturer in soils at the University of Adelaide and part-time associate professor in the Centre for Environment Risk Assessment and Remediation at the University of South Australia. His research has been centered on clays. He is currently (2010-2014) chair of the IUSS Commission on the History, Philosophy and Sociology of Soil Science.
Edward R. Landa holds an MS and PhD in soil science from the University of Minnesota, and is an adjunct professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Technology at the University of Maryland, College Park. His work at the U.S. Geological Survey from 1978 to 2013 focused on the fate and transport of radionuclides and metals in soils and aquatic systems. Throughout his career, Ed has had an active interest in the history of science and technology, and has published on the radium extraction industry, description of color in science and art, and depictions of soils in films. He co-edited Soil and Culture (Springer, 2010) with Christian Feller, and has served as the chair (2006-2010) and vice chair (2010-2014) of the Commission on the History, Philosophy, and Sociology of Soil Science of the International Union of Soil Sciences.

Section I Future Challenges. Section II Valuing Soils. Section III Culture and History. Section IV Technologies and Uses. Section V Future Strategies. Index.