On World Soil Day (5 December), it is worth pointing out that there are opportunities for sustainable soil management beyond the farm gates (Nature 502, 607; 2013). We need to rethink modern society's complex product flows so that waste and recycling practices can be adapted for enriching soil, which is a non-renewable resource.

Organic agriculture in subsistence-farming systems throughout the developing world requires inputs that are in short supply because of limited land, nutrients and organic matter. This deficiency could be remedied by importing nutrient sources and organic matter from other industrial sectors within national boundaries.

Processed industrial and domestic waste could contribute large amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus derivatives to soil, for example, and human urine or slaughterhouse residues could be used to produce indigenous and highly efficient biofertilizers.