Soil health contributes to variations in crop production and nitrogen use efficiency

Abstract

Soil health affects both food production and environmental quality. However, quantifying its impact poses a substantial global challenge due to the scarcity of comprehensive soil health data and the complexity of disentangling its effects from other variables. Here we integrate high-resolution global data on soil, climate and farm management practices to assess the contribution of soil health to agricultural productivity. We show that soil health is responsible for approximately 12% and 22% of global variations in crop production and nitrogen use efficiency, respectively. While the influence of climate on crop yields is comparable to that of soil health, it is substantially overshadowed by the role of agricultural management, which accounts for roughly 70% of the global yield variation. In regions such as China, India and the central United States, the influence of soil health on crop yields and nitrogen use efficiency is less pronounced due to the dominant effects of farming practices, including the intensive use of fertilizers. Enhancing global soil health could increase crop yields by 7.8 Mt while reducing nitrogen surplus by 8.1 Mt worldwide by 2050. It is crucial to achieve global sustainable development through managing soil health beyond traditional agricultural practices and climate adaptation.