New Delhi, Aug. 12 -- Summary Concentration of research: Just 10 countries, led by China, the US, India, Brazil and Spain, account for 70% of all global soil health research since 1947.

Geographic "blind spots": Large parts of Africa, south-east Asia, central and South America (excluding Brazil) and the Middle East receive little scientific attention, despite facing severe threats such as deforestation, erosion and climate change.

Climate justice gap: Many neglected regions have low per capita emissions yet suffer high land-use change emissions from deforestation and farmland expansion, with limited capacity for soil research.

Solutions emerging: Affordable tools like Brazil's SOHMA KIT and the Netherlands' Open Soil Index, along with ...