Soil Health Under Climate Change: A Review of Climate Impacts, Sustainable Management Strategies, and Future Directions
Abstract
Soil health is fundamental to sustainable agriculture, crop productivity, and vital ecosystem services. However, climate change increasingly threatens the functional integrity of soil due to rising temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, and extreme weather events. These factors accelerate soil degradation and disrupt the physical, chemical, and biological processes essential for maintaining soil health. This review synthesizes recent evidence regarding the impacts of climate change on soil health and crop production, while also evaluating sustainable management strategies designed to enhance agricultural resilience. Techniques such as conservation agriculture, organic matter management, diversified cropping systems, and integrated nutrient management can improve soil structure, nutrient cycling, water retention, carbon sequestration, and overall crop productivity. Furthermore, emerging technologies offer new opportunities for real-time, site-specific, and data-driven soil management. These technologies include remote sensing, geographic information systems, artificial intelligence, digital agriculture, and advanced soil monitoring tools. Additionally, policy and socioeconomic factors—particularly financial incentives, extension services, and institutional support—are critical in encouraging farmers to adopt these practices. Despite recent advancements, challenges such as economic barriers, technological limitations, regional variability, and a lack of long-term evidence hinder the widespread implementation of sustainable soil health practices. This review provides an integrated perspective that links climate-driven changes in soil’s physical, chemical, and biological properties with sustainable management practices, emerging technologies, and policy support. It highlights the interactions and trade-offs among these components to promote climate-resilient and sustainable agricultural systems.