PAID ACCESS | Published on : 27-Feb-2026 | Pages: 133-144 | Doi : 10.37446/edibook222025/133-144
Soil quality and soil resilience are complementary yet distinct concepts central to soil sustainability. Soil quality refers to the capacity of soil to perform ecosystem functions such as sustaining productivity, maintaining water and air quality, and promoting health. Soil resilience, on the other hand, reflects the soil’s ability to recover from disturbances and stresses, such as climatic variability or mismanagement, and return to a functional equilibrium. Over time, the concept of soil quality has evolved from a qualitative idea to a measurable framework of Soil Quality Index (SQI) using physical, chemical, and biological indicators. Selection of sensitive indicators is highly context-specific and varying across climatic and management systems. Soil resilience can be categorized into engineering, ecological, and evolutionary resilience, and its expression depends on climate, management, and inherent soil properties. Enhancing soil quality and resilience requires adopting conservation agriculture, integrated nutrient management, organic amendments, agroforestry, and other regenerative practices. This chapter provides a comprehensive synthesis of soil quality concepts, assessment methods, region- and system-specific indicators, soil resilience frameworks, and management strategies for building sustainable and climate-resilient soils.
Soil quality, soil resilience, soil quality index, soil indicators, nutrient management systems, sustainable agriculture
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