Positives and negatives:

Healthy soils are characterized by specific structures, fertility, and biological components, which enable them to regulate water flow, control pathogens, and efficiently decompose organic matter, among other benefits. However, soil is a crucial part of the Earth's ecosystem. 

With its natural functions intact, soil helps maintain water, climate, and nutrient cycles. It is the foundation of all life on land. The great paradox is that our existence and everything we do depend on ecosystem services from the soil, yet our way of life globally threatens the soil. Without soil, there is no life, and without life, there is no soil (Lal., 2019). 

Throughout human history, our relationship with the soil has affected our ability to cultivate crops and influenced the success of civilizations. The relationship between humans, the Earth, and food sources highlights the significance of soil as the foundation of agriculture.

Soil contains naturally occurring nutrients and minerals that support life, making it an ideal medium for planting. Consequently, soil serves as an engineering medium, a habitat for soil organisms, a recycling system for nutrients and organic waste, a regulator of water quality, a modifier of atmospheric composition, and a medium for plant growth, thus making it a critically important provider of ecosystem services.

Soil health studies have shown greater stability in microflora and microfauna activity, indicating better biodynamic balance for organic matter and nutrient utilization (Syngenta Conservation Agriculture & Sustainable Farming Systems project, 2023). 

However, agriculture and climate change have a complicated, intertwined relationship with negative and positive effects on agricultural sustainability. On the one hand, agricultural practices contribute to climate change by releasing significant amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Climate change significantly alters the delicate balance of our planet’s seasons. This shift disruptively impacts agriculture, as crops are acutely sensitive to variations in weather and climate conditions.

However, shifting seasons caused by the impacts of climate change on agriculture threaten the intricacies of plant biology and farmers’ livelihoods. A crop expected to be harvested in October may need to be picked as early as August or even as late as December, significantly disrupting farming schedules and associated industries, such as transportation and retail.