Soil and water degradation processes under the new extensive agricultural developments for industrial crops

Land degradation, which affects the conservation of soil and water in adequate places, amounts and qualities, is related to climate and soil characteristics, but mainly to deforestation and inappropriate use and management of the natural resources soil and water. The last decades have seen increasing demand and high market prices for food and energy crops, mainly soybeans and palm oil, that have led to drastic and unregulated changes in the use and management of large areas of land, resulting in new and worsening problems of soil and water degradation, leading to land desertification. These changes are mostly happening on savanna and forested lands in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa and Latin America, under the initiative of large individual producers and corporations, usually seeking short term profit, with little concern for negative environmental or social consequences. Frequently, such cropland developments are justified under an apparent use of so-called “conservation agriculture” systems, mainly based on “no tillage” practices, supposedly leading both to improved production and degradation and to soil and water conservation, with decreased erosion and positive effects on the environment and climate change. There is clear evidence, however, that such agricultural developments and inadequate application of those “conservation agriculture” systems are increasingly degrading the soil and water resources, with negative environmental and socio-economic impacts at local and Worldwide level. A new focus is required for research activities that seek solutions to soil and water conservation problems, taking into consideration the complex interactions between land use and changing social and economic conditions, leading to more sustainable policies and decisions about land use and management.