Score contribution per author:
α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count
Soil health plays an important role in agricultural productivity, food quality, environmental resiliency, and ecosystem sustainability. Consequently, there is great interest from policymakers for evidence-based research on the benefits and costs of investing in healthy soils. In this article, I endeavor to build a common understanding between economists, soil scientists, and policymakers about how to pursue research on the economics of soil health. First, I summarize the current understanding of soil health as a holistic and multidimensional concept beyond that of mere soil fertility. Second, I argue that optimal control models are particularly well suited to capture the underlying economics of soil management. Finally, I outline relevant implications of such an approach for setting soil health policy.