Integrated Soil Management: Food Supply, Environmental Impacts, and Socioeconomic Functions: 2nd Edition

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue follows the publication of the first edition of “Integrated Soil Management: Food Supply, Environmental Impacts, and Socioeconomic Functions”.

Soil is a key resource for agricultural production and consequently for food supply and sustainable development. In fact, the quality of the soil impacts the characteristics of the outputs obtained and the income of the farms, with implications for the performance of the agricultural sector and the various associated upstream and downstream activities. Soil and climate conditions are among the first variables considered by agricultural decision makers when selecting the most adequate production to draw up agricultural plans. On the other hand, food supply chains and various socioeconomic activities have impacts on soil quality, generating, in some cases, what can be called circular and cumulative processes. In these frameworks, an integrated soil management is fundamental to preserve the quality of the soil and its functions for sustainable development and to guarantee the safety and security of the food obtained for human health and balanced nutrition. In this perspective, this Special Issue aims to bring a broader perspective regarding soil management, namely, in its relationship with food supply, environmental dimensions, and socioeconomic activities. Authors are invited to submit their work, and we suggest the following topics:

1. Soil quality and agricultural performance;
2. Impacts of agricultural activities on soil quality;
3. Soil management and food safety and security;
4. Soil functions and sustainability;
5. Climate-smart agriculture and soil management;
6. Agriculture 4.0 and soil characteristics;
7. Industry 4.0 and impacts on soil;
8. Heavy metals in soil quantification;
9. PTEs in soil calculation;
10. Organic agriculture and soil parameters.

Prof. Dr. José L. S. Pereira
Dr. Vítor João Pereira Domingues Martinho
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Soil Systems is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.