"Manual based on the training course: Soil management and conservation--efficient tillage methods for soil conservation held at IITA, Ibadan, Nigeria, 21 April-1 May 1997. Organized by the Land and Plant Nutrition Management Service of the Land and Water Development Division and the Agricultural Engineering Branch of the Agricultural Support Systems Division, FAO in cooperation with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Ibadan, Nigeria."

Forward. A call for integrated soil fertility management in Africa. Introduction. ISFM and the African farmer. Part I. The principles of ISFM: ISFM as a strategic goal, Fertilizer management within ISFM, Agro-minerals in ISFM, Organic resource management, ISFM, soil biota and soil health. Part II. ISFM practices: ISFM products and fields practices, ISFM practice in drylands, ISFM practice in savannas and woodlands, ISFM practice in the humid forest zone, Conservation Agriculture. Part III. The process of implementing ISFM: soil fertility diagnosis, soil fertility management advice, Dissemination of ISFM technologies, Designing an ISFM adoption project, ISFM at farm and landscape scales. Part IV. The social dimensions of ISFM: The role of ISFM in gender empowerment, ISFM and household nutrition, Capacity building in ISFM, ISFM in the policy arena, Marketing support for ISFM, Advancing ISFM in Africa. Appendices: Mineral nutrient contents of some common organic resources.

“Principles of Soil Management and Conservation” comprehensively reviews the state-of-knowledge on soil erosion and management. It discusses in detail soil conservation topics in relation to soil productivity, environment quality, and agronomic production. It addresses the implications of soil erosion with emphasis on global hotspots and synthesizes available from developed and developing countries. It also critically reviews information on no-till management, organic farming, crop residue management for industrial uses, conservation buffers (e.g., grass buffers, agroforestry systems), and the problem of hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico and in other regions. This book uniquely addresses the global issues including carbon sequestration, net emissions of CO2, and erosion as a sink or source of C under different scenarios of soil management. It also deliberates the implications of the projected global warming on soil erosion and vice versa. The concern about global food security in relation to soil erosion and strategies for confronting the remaining problems in soil management and conservation are specifically addressed. This volume is suitable for both undergraduate and graduate students interested in understanding the principles of soil conservation and management. The book is also useful for practitioners, extension agents, soil conservationists, and policymakers as an important reference material.

The book offers a rich toolkit of relevant, adoptable ecosystem-based practices that can help the world's 500 million smallholder farm families achieve higher productivity, profitability and resource-use efficiency while enhancing natural capital.

This book covers soil health/management but also addresses issues such as reverting land degradation, improving soil carbon and biodiversity, mitigating climate change and enhancing ecosystem services/functions. This book is comprised of 12 chapters by leading academics and scientists from across the globe, and deals with various issues, prospects and the importance of “Sustainable Soil Management” under different agro-climatic conditions, including India, and also covers other regions in North America, South America, Australia, Africa and South Asia. This book will be extremely useful to researchers, scientists, students, farmers and land managers for efficient as well as sustainable management of natural resources with the theme of one-health i.e. soil-plant-animal-human-planetary health.

The book is designed to serve as a textbook for graduate and undergraduate courses on soil and water conservation engineering for students of agricultural engineering, civil engineering, environmental engineering and related disciplines. The book presents the basics of soil and water erosion, and describes the measures to control erosion, focusing on structures to prevent and control erosion. The chapters dedicated to erosion control structures provide a detailed view of each structural construction, covering the function, design and elements of each type of structure. Some common type of structures covered in the book are terrace, bunds, vegetated waterways, and gully control structures, including spillways. The book also covers wind erosion and control structures to prevent wind erosion. Each chapter includes pedagogical elements such as examples, practice questions, and multiple-choice-type questions to improve understanding and aid in self-study. Besides serving as a textbook university coursework, the book can also serve as a supplementary or primary text for professional development courses for practicing engineers engaged in soil and water conservation or watershed management. The book will also serve as a reference for professionals, environmental consultants, and policy makers engaged in soil and water conservation related fields.