Editorial Unimagdalena

Description in English: This work is a systemic approach resulting from research in soil science aimed at understanding and appropriating this resource as the base of the ecological system. This text contains contextualized experiences that allow us to rethink land use and contribute to the transformation of socio-cultural relationships that support knowledge for guiding improved management of soil, an essential priority to sustain life, leading to rethinking alternatives that limit the effects of the anthropic activity. Concepts with a historical vision of soil are evidenced, its focus and functions, and the causes and consequences of its degradation, highlighting the importance of organic matter, vegetation cover, and conservation practices. Notes are added on the importance of water in systems, plant nutrition as a primary axis of food security, and the hierarchy of soil in the climate change phenomenon. Finally, the authors present case studies in the field developed by themselves, in which they highlight the importance of vegetation cover for soil conservation and carbon sequestration in the dry tropics. They describe the agricultural sector of Magdalena and the importance of soil conservation for climate change mitigation, ending by detailing the role of soil in the hydric and thermal regulation of micro-basins in the region.