China and US can partner on soil health for global prosperity

Extracted from an article in China Daily by CA4SH Co-lead Dr. Rattan Lal

China and the United States may differ in geography, demography and political systems, but in agriculture they share a remarkable distinction: both are global breadbaskets whose success has an impact far beyond their borders.

China, with a population of over 1.4 billion and 129 million hectares of arable land, produced about 714 million tons of food-grain in 2025. The US, with around 350 million people and roughly 150 million hectares of arable land, produced around 546 million tons in 2025. Together, they demonstrate that feeding the world is not merely an economic activity, but also a civilizational achievement through science — based agriculture.

However, the challenge of the 21st century is not simply to produce more food but to do so while restoring the soil health that sustains it.

Agriculture in both countries needs to be transformed from being part of the environmental problem into becoming part of the solution.

Image from China Daily