Conclusions

This article reviews the main findings on tropical soil biodiversity. Soil biodiversity performs a large number of ecological functions that underpin the goods and services provided by agrosystems. It is therefore an essential component of system productivity and sustainability, and must be taken into account when designing sustainable agricultural practices.

The literature shows that numerous agronomic levers can be used to stimulate beneficial soil biodiversity and intensify the ecological functions it performs. These include reducing or even eliminating tillage, and using preferably stabilized organic inputs (manure, compost, vermicompost) as part of a complex fertilization program (preferably a combination of organic matter or organic matter and non-synthetic mineral matter), plant associations with or without woody plants (agroforestry), with or without leguminous...