UWI on the ground
A university must be centred in the community, leading on the key issues of the day. Accordingly, the University of the West Indies, St Augustine, offers this public service series where its leading scientists and researchers will address climate and disaster challenges – Series 1.
Today, Dean of the Faculty of Food and Agriculture, soil scientist specialising in soil physical, hydrological and environmental management Dr Mark Wuddivira, speaks on the dire need to manage and upgrade our soils if we are to reduce negative impacts and disasters, and attain sustainability.
Professor Rose-Marie Belle Antoine
Principal, UWI, St Augustine
Mark Wuddivira, PhD
Dean of the Faculty of Food and Agriculture
To understand and navigate through the stubborn problems of food security, climate, and environmental issues facing society today; we must go back to the basics. We must start first with soil, and understand and appreciate the fundamental role of soil, this complex matter that we disdainfully call “dirt.”
Whether you agree with the statement that we were “made from the dust of the earth (soil)” or not, you cannot deny the fact that our frame and the quality of our lives are knitted in what we eat, whether of plant or animal source – that comes from the soil.
[caption id="attachment_997047" align="alignnone" width="683"] Mark Wuddivira -[/caption]
We generally are not concerned about soil. We usually find it inconsequential in the scheme of our lives and are ignorant of its importance and do not appreciate the fact that without it; survival on the planet earth is impossible. This has led us to misuse and degrade this vitally important natural resource, leading to lowering its productive capacity, sometimes permanently destroying its productivity, with the consequent food insecurity issues, and climatic and environmental issues that befall us. This ignorance and misuses of soil are particularly prevalent in our island states, where soil care should have been the fundamental focus, given its non-renewable nature, limited geographical extent, fragility, and ease of degradation in our islands.
Notwithstanding this, for many of us, the soil is just dirt that must be approached with derision, rather than a resource that must be managed sustainably for posterity, validating this most caring and poignant quotation about the soil and the environment: “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” Without knowing that our ecosystems and the soil capital therein are fragile, we will not manage the soil to make it resilient for sustainable productivity and more so in the face of changing climate.
Well-managed and resilient soil supports agricultural productivity, increases water infiltration, increases water recharge to aquifers, decreases downstream flooding, and associated surface water and environmental pollution. It is also critical for the integrity of
