The Soil Resources research group is now a member of ETH World Food System Center
Raising awareness for the limitation of soil resources, their dynamics and the services they provide, we want to improve soil preservation and contribute to a sustainable human nutrition.
The understanding of soil resources is not only crucial for climate change mitigation, but also for plant nutrition, agricultural production and food security. At the Soil Resources (SR) group, we study environmental processes, in particular related to soil development and biogeochemical cycles. We aim to understand how soil processes interact, and how they are affected by human activity. Our research is often located in underrepresented areas that are undergoing strong changes in climate and land use. A particular hot spot of our work is in tropical Africa, which is characterized by population growth and rapid deforestation. Here, more sustainable soil management and improvement of soil health will be essential for future food security.