ch. 1. Sustainable management of soil resources and food security / Rattan Lal and B. A. Stewart -- ch. 2. Global food situation and unresolved and emerging issues / Sahla Shapouri, Stacey Rosen, and Summer Allen -- ch. 3. World soil resources : opportunities and challenges / H. Eswaran, P.F. Reich, and E. Padamanabhan -- ch. 4. Soil resources and human adaptation in forest and agricultural ecosystem in humid Asia / S. Funakawa. [et al.] -- ch. 5. Pedogenetic acidification in upland soils under different bioclimatic conditions in humid Asia / S. Funakawa. [et al.] -- ch. 6. Soil resources affecting food security and safety in South Asia / Tapan J. Purakayastha. [et al.] -- ch. 7. Formation and management of cracking clay soils (vertisols) to enhance crop productivity : Indian experience / D.K. Pal, T. Bhattacharyya, and Suhas P. Wani -- ch. 8. Role of nuclear and isotopic techniques in sustainable land management : achieving food security and mitigating impacts of climate change / Long Nguyen. [et al.] -- ch. 9. New paradigm to unlock the potential of rainfed agriculture in the semiarid tropics / Suhas P. Wani. [et al.] -- ch. 10. Land degradation / Freddy O. Nachtergaele, Monica Petri, and Riccardo Biancalani -- ch. 11. Where do we stand 20 years after the assessment of soil nutrient balances in sub-Saharan Africa? / E.M.A. Smaling. [et al.] -- ch. 12. Research needs for credible data on soil resources and degradation / Rattan Lal.