Abstract
Malnutrition, deficiency of essential micronutrients along with protein and vitamins, affects 2-3 billion people including children below the age of 5, nursing mothers and elderly population. Soil depletion and degradation, affecting 40% of agroecosystems, is one of the factors with adverse effects on nutritional quality of the food. Healthy food is obtained from plants and animals grown on healthy soils. Thus, adoption of proven and innovative science-based options for specific soil/ecoregions and cropping/farming systems are needed to alleviate soil-related constraints and produce nutritious and safe food. Soil pollution and contamination, especially that with some heavy metals (i.e., lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and arsenic (As)), is another issue because the food may contain toxic levels of some heavy metals and or pesticide residues. Biofortification with micronutrients, such as for selenium (Se) in some Scandinavian countries, can also alleviate the micronutrient deficiencies. Breeding of crops and animals for site-specific situation is another option to promote the “One Health Concept” which states that health of soil, plants, animals, people, ecosystems and planetary processes is one and indivisible. Improving education and implementing policies which reward farmers to adopt modern innovations are among other options to improve diet quality.