AUTHOR=Silva Antonio Marcos Miranda , Araújo Victor Lucas Vieira Prudêncio de , Cardoso Elke Jurandy Bran Nogueira 

TITLE=Revisiting the past to understand the present and future of soil health in Brazil

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Soil Science

VOLUME=Volume 3 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/soil-science/articles/10.3389/fsoil.2023.1172436

DOI=10.3389/fsoil.2023.1172436

ISSN=2673-8619

ABSTRACT=As Soil Scientists, we are gathering important and valuable knowledge about the chemical, physical and biological processes in soil, and with the increasing effects of climate change, this knowledge may play a pivotal role in the future of our planet. However, we must revisit our past to understand how humanity's evolution has shaped the current state of soil health. Furthermore, we must also bear in mind that we are funded and supported by the society in which we live, and therefore social and political factors will inevitably play a part in the future of soil health. In this review, we address important historical aspects of crop development, soil microbiomes and fauna, combined with the provision of key ecosystem services to ensure soil sustainability. In addition, we provide a brief overview of soil health in Brazilian biomes and the risks of forest extinction in the Anthropocene Epoch, linking its ecological role in the context of the increasing effects of climate change. Finally, but most importantly, we highlight the topic of mycorrhizae as an eco-friendly strategy for sustainable agriculture and forestry.