Soil Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: Foundations for Sustainable Agriculture
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Agriculture".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 26 March 2026 | Viewed by 129
Special Issue Editors
Interests: plant–soil microbial interactions; microbial ecology; plant ecology; mycorrhiza
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: microbiology; microbial inoculants; plant growth-promoting bacteria; arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi; plant–microbe interactions; biofertilization; sustainable agriculture; actinobacteria; cyanobacteria; the extraction of metabolites from microbes for agriculture application
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: plant pathology; soilborne pathogens; botany; ecology; microbiology; soil organic matter dynamics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue will explore the critical role of soil biodiversity in supporting ecosystem services that underpin sustainable agriculture. It will focus on understanding the biological complexity of soils, ranging from microbial communities to soil fauna, and how these organisms contribute to essential processes such as nutrient cycling, pest and disease regulation, carbon sequestration, and soil structure formation.
The scope of this Special Issue includes interdisciplinary studies that link soil biology with ecological, agronomic, socio-economic, and policy perspectives. Our purpose is to highlight innovative research, case studies, and applied methodologies that demonstrate how conserving and enhancing soil biodiversity can contribute to long-term agricultural productivity, climate resilience, and ecosystem health.
This Special Issue complements the existing literature by bridging the gap between ecological theory and agricultural practice. While prior studies have acknowledged soil biodiversity's importance, this collection aims to systematically connect these insights to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), offering measurable frameworks and integrated solutions.
By addressing scientific, socio-economic, and policy-oriented dimensions, this Special Issue contributes to sustainability by promoting regenerative agricultural practices, guiding land-use policies, and supporting biodiversity conservation as a foundation for resilient food systems.
Dr. Mohamed Idbella
Dr. Rihab Djebaili
Prof. Dr. Giuliano Bonanomi
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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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. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2400 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.
Keywords
- soil biodiversity
- ecosystem services
- sustainable agriculture
- soil health
- agroecology
- regenerative farming
- climate resilience
- biodiversity conservation
- sustainability indicators
- sustainable development goals
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