Welcome to Part 1 of the interactive lecture on Soil, Water and Food Security by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ralf Otterpohl. This part introduces the general concepts related to soil health, which is a foundation for our survival. The following questions and more will be answered in this lecture:

• What is soil?
• What is healthy soil?
• What is soil degradation?
• What are the types of soil degradation?
• How is the global soil quality distribution?
• How does soil degradation affect our lives?
• What are the interconnections between agro-chemical agriculture and soil quality?

Therefore, this lecture provides you with the most important background knowledge for understanding the lectures that follow.