Pradipta Ranjan Pradhan, Longshang Peace Raising, Kaushal Kumar Yadav, Sneh Singh Parihar, Mona Raghuwanshi, Anamika, Akhand Pratap Chaudhari, Amar Nath Singh and Shiv Singh Tomar
Abstract
Soil health is a key component for sustainable farming. It regulates crop yields, farm profitability and resilience to environmental challenges. Advances in soil research have identified key physical, chemical, and biological indicators for soil functions for better management strategies. This review summarises existing research on soil health indicators, various management practices to improve soil quality, and the socioeconomic factors influencing farmer adoption of these practices. For this, we examined findings from long-term experiments, meta-analyses, and participatory research across diverse agroecosystems. The review further discusses the challenges of indicator standardisation, measurement scalability, and converting soil health improvements into viable economic incentives for producers. The integration of local knowledge and social capital is an important factor for farmer adoption decisions. A systems-based approach that combines scientific measurements, effective management, and socio-economic considerations is essential for advancing soil health towards improved farm profitability and global food security.