CORE IDEAS: Contributions are mainly from the 2017 International Soil Physics Workshop in China. Soils are fundamental in supplying food, energy, water (FEW), and ecosystem services. Interdisciplinary (convergence) approaches are needed to address FEW challenges. Soils are foundational to sustaining the food, energy, and water (FEW) systems and provide many essential ecosystem services. Soil degradation is a major threat to food security in China and elsewhere in the world. It is critical to advance soil science to improve the FEW systems so that FEW supplies can be provided to human populations in a sustainable and resilient manner. To do so, we must understand interactions among soil physical, chemical, and biological processes, as well as the role, function, and contribution of soil physical processes to delivering FEW supplies and ecosystem services. Soil processes and crop production are strongly controlled by physical processes such as soil water flow, aggregate stability, compaction, heat regime, irrigation and drainage, soil aeration, etc. Recognizing the importance of soil physics to the nexus of FEW systems, the collection in this special section mainly includes research presented at the International Workshop of Soil Physics and the Nexus of Food, Energy, and Water held on 3–5 Aug. 2017 at Shenyang, China. This special section covers diverse topics including fundamental soil physical properties and water flow, land use and agricultural management, soil organic carbon management, soil physical modeling, and transport of emerging contaminants. More future research using interdisciplinary (nexus or convergence) approaches should be undertaken to address challenges in many contemporary and emerging FEW issues.

This study aims at analyzing the impact of water and soil conservation strategies on households? food security in the North-western part of Benin. It was conducted in the municipalities of Boukombé and Ouaké. Three villages were studied. From random way, 180 producers were investigated. The causes of soil degradation, water and soil conservation strategies, available food supply and food consumption frequency were collected. Degradation factors were analyzed using discourse analysis and prioritized using the Friedman test. Food supply and frequency of consumption were compared between beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of the projects using the Student t test. Land degradation is caused by socio-cultural factors (overexploitation of lands, trees? cutting, late bush fires, grazing, agroforestry and monoculture) and natural factors (heavy rains and steep gradient of the soils). The first three factors are respectively the exploitation of land, trees? cutting and late bush fires practice in both towns. Food reserves before the new crops were not affected by exogenous strategies released by the erosion control projects. But the frequency of food consumption is improved statistically among project beneficiaries than non-beneficiaries. This confirms the theory of Boserup | E Janvier et al., 'Impacts of water and soil conservation strategies on households? food security in North West of Benin', International Journal of Agricultural Science Research, vol. 3(10), pp.196-202, Academe Research Journals, 2014

J Egah, 'Impacts of water and soil conservation strategies on households' food security in North West of Benin', International Journal of Agricultural Science Research, pp.196-202, 2014 | Th is study aims at analyzing the impact of water and soil conservatio n strategies on householdsâ?? food security in the North - western part of Benin. It was conducted in the municipalities of Boukombé and Ouaké. Three villages were studied. From random way, 180 producers were investigated. The causes of soil degradation, water and soil conservation strategies, available food supply and food consumption frequency were collected. Degradation factors were analyzed using discourse analysis and prioritized using the Friedman test. Food supply and frequency of consumption were compar ed between beneficiaries and non - beneficiaries of the projects using the Student t test. Land degradation is caused by socio - cultural factors (overexploitation of land s , trees â?? cutting , late bush fires, grazing, agroforestry and monoculture) and natural fa ctors (heavy rain s and steep gradient of the soils ). The first three factors are respectively the exploitation of land, trees â?? cutting and late bush fires practice in both towns. Food reserves before the new crops were not affected by exogenous strategies released by the erosion control projects. But the frequency of food consumption is improved statistically among project beneficiaries than non - beneficiaries. This confirms the theory of Boserup