Opportunity for Increasing the Soil Quality of Non-arable and Depleted Soils in South Africa: a Review

Improving food security strategies on highly degraded soils has become a significant challenge for South Africa. The need to secure food sources for the growing population under harsher climatic conditions is crucial. South Africa is one of the many water-scarce countries and is labeled the 30th driest country in the world. Numerous methods exist to enhance and maintain soil quality, including applying fertilizers and geological materials to the soil. Basalt has been the focus of numerous long-term studies on soil fertility. The focus of this review paper is to determine the utility of augmentation with rock dust in terms of benefits to soil properties during the weathering of primary minerals. This review paper includes a background on the current situation in South Africa regarding soil and climatic conditions and how the usage of rock dust can improve the situation at hand. With the demand placed on food production by a growing population and water scarcity in South Africa, it becomes evident that it is necessary to search for new innovative methods to improve soil quality in South Africa. The potential for basalt remineralization and application on non-arable soil in South Africa holds enormous economic benefits. Highlights • Rock dust amendment shows improved and increased productivity of the soil • The need for additional amendments gets reduced when rock dust is used • Basalts are organic fertilizers as they supply high amounts of nutrients to the soil • Rock dust was also found to reduce crop damage by acting as long-term pest control • Basalt rock dust has been implicated in directly influencing soil quality and function