food to feed the world. In Africa, food production has been on a downward course since 1970 a harsh condition resulting from overpopulation and poor harvests. Although today it seems that food production is keeping up with demand, the question still remains: Can we continue to supply food in the future with population expansion and developmental growth? Less is not more in this case. We should protect topsoil as a resource and employ long-term strategies to protect them. (Nebel / Wright, 1998) Forests are another product produced by soil. If our forests cannot grow, how would we obtain wood for housing, paper products and fossil fuels? We have already learned that deforestation leaves the land unprotected from erosion, but what other global problems are created? The most important issue is that if we do not care for forests, they will eventually become unproductive. Economic and social systems would fail and we would simply look for new lands to destroy. Throughout the history of man, plants have played an important part in the development of medical research. Many plants are grown from topsoil that produce substances that are the key ingredients in the production of medicine. In 1996, scientists discovered that the periwinkle produces two chemicals which revolutionized the treatment of childhood Leukemia and Hodgkin Disease. In more recent studies, herbal formulas are used to combat many health problems, such as: high blood pressure (garlic and cayenne combination), respiratory/chest and lungs strengthens (comfrey & mullen combinations), muscle cramps, nervousness and calcium enriched (comfrey, oatstraw and shavegrass combinations). (Nebel / Wright, 1998) (Brockway, 1992) Lastly, beauty is an environmental good of great social importance. Healthy soils provide beautiful parks, mountains, forests, lake areas, and many other recreational areas. Ironically, we are often concerned...
