Abstract

MONSALVE CAMACHO, Oscar Iván; BOJACA ALDANA, Carlos Ricardo  and  HENAO TORO, Martha Cecilia. Agricultural sustainability indicators associated with soil properties, processes, and management. Cienc. Tecnol. Agropecuaria [online]. 2021, vol.22, n.3, e1919.  Epub Aug 31, 2021. ISSN 0122-8706.  https://doi.org/10.21930/rcta.vol22_num3_art:1919.

Sustainability assessments are the most appropriate mechanism to determine if a crop production method, alternative, or tendency is environmentally, economically, and socially viable. These assessments are carried out using indicator-based tools; some are associated with soil properties, composition, processes, and management practices. This review provides an overview of the effect of soil management practices on agricultural system sustainability and describes the soil indicators used in agricultural sustainability assessments. We analyzed 28 indicators divided into soil-inherent indicators (16) and process indicators related to soil-water (3), soil-atmosphere (5), and soil-plant (4) systems. We suggest measuring at least one indicator per soil indicator group associated with soil properties and processes, including indicators considering future climate change scenarios, and adapting current tools to evaluate the sustainability of various production alternatives.

Keywords : farming systems; soil chemicophysical properties; soil management; sustainability; sustainable use.

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