Understanding Soil as an Open System and Fertility as an Emergent Property of the Soil System

Margarete Nicolodi and Clesio Gianello

Sustainable Agriculture Research, 2014, vol. 04, issue 01

Abstract: The application of the principles of thermodynamics and General Systems Theory is responsible for important progress in the study of soil and its fertility, and this application can even improve our understanding of the processes that govern the functioning of soil and determine the magnitude of soil fertility. Consequently, we can improve the evaluation and practices recommended for preserving or improving the soil and its fertility, contributing to sustainable food production. Recalling how the concept and human perception of soil have evolved is fundamental to improve our understanding. Thus, this article aims to encourage people to reflect on the application of the principles of thermodynamics of non-equilibrium and General Systems Theory in studying the soil and its fertility and to participate in constructing a new notion of soil fertility, able to express what is perceived by plants. Several authors in the last century have considered the soil to be an open system; however, this approach is a recent in Brazil. Fertility can be coherently understood as one of the emergent properties of the soil system by applying the principles of thermodynamics of non-equilibrium and General Systems Theory to the study of soil.

Keywords: Land; Economics/Use (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/230408/files/p94_94-105_.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:ccsesa:230408

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.230408

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Sustainable Agriculture Research from Canadian Center of Science and Education
Bibliographic data for series maintained by AgEcon Search ().