Restoration of Soil Environment for Sustained Environmental and Public Health Security in the Global South

Soil is the solid part of the Earth’s crust and our storehouse for nutrients that support the plant’s growth, human existence, and the ecosystem biodiversity. The pollution of the soil environment daily arises from the continuous quest for industrialization and civilization, which result in the discharge of wastes into the soil environment. This chapter aims to provide insights into soil pollution in the Global South, the methods of remediation and its consequences as well as the need to maintain a healthy soil for the benefit of the Global South Public Health Environmental security. The contaminated soil environment compromises the sustainable livelihood of citizens by preventing the attainment of sustainable development goals 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 15, and 17, which account for 58.82% of the total sustainable development goals. To prevent serious environmental and public health issues, there is a need to restore contaminated soils particularly, as about 33% of the total Earth’s soils is presently been tainted, and there is a high possibility that about 90% will be degraded by 2050. This will lead to a drastic reduction in the available arable lands. Restoration is the reinstatement of soil to its original state, of being healthy to support life. The restoration of contaminated soil environment can be done through physical, chemical, and biological methods. However, the biological method is preferred because it is eco-friendly, leaves no toxic bye products, and has high hopes of sustained environmental and public health of the teeming citizens. These biological methods include microbial remediation, phytoremediation, vemiremediation, mycoremediation, genetic engineering approach, and natural attenuation. However, restoration could be affected by intrinsic and extrinsic factors, which need to be optimized to ensure a robust restoration process. In conclusion, there is an urgent need to ensure the clean-up of polluted soil environment to continue to appreciate the benefits that man and other forms of biodiversities derive for sustenance on planet Earth. Soil restoration is important to ensure sustainable livelihood, reduce environmental contamination, and improve the public health quality of the Global South.