Endorsements

From the Foreword: "…this study by Dr Hartemink is important and opportune, particularly because of the emphasis on plantation crops, which have received less attention than their economic importance deserves.... This book should help to refocus attention on the dangers of continuing soil degradation, and on the need to ensure that positive nutrient balances are maintained for plantation as well as for food crops." D J Greenland, Visiting Professor, Department of Soil Science, University of Reading, UK "I strongly recommend this book to soil scientists, agronomists, farming system specialists and to anyone interested in sustainable agriculture. It contains a wealth of information, based upon a thorough and up-to-date literature review. The book is comprehensive and convincing, and it adds much value to what is already in the literature. It is not a set of papers but one story, with a consistent storyline embedded in a relevant historical context, written in a witty and at times provocative style. Eric Smalling, Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 2004 "The author should be commended for assembling these valuable data and by setting up a strong theoretical conceptual framework. The research compilation on the soil fertility dynamics and changes in physical properties of forest plantations, sugar cane plantations, and sisal plantations makes it very important reading for tropical soil scientists." Pedro A Sanchez, Geoderma, 2004 "The book is recommended reading for anyone interested in nutrient balances, soil fertility and plantation agriculture. Freddy Nachtergaele and Parviz Koohafkan, WASC Newsletter, 20(1), 2004 "The many useful considerations about soil fertility dynamics in the tropics, several valuable and previously not widely distributed data sets, and the comprehensive data compilations make this volume an interesting supplement to any library on soil management in the tropics." Johannes Lehmann, Quarterly Review of Biology, 79(3), 2004