The importance of food security in global development has been recognised for a number of years; less widely recognised is the importance of considering soil resources as a key component influencing food security. This text focuses on soil resources and food security and combines a number of chapters dealing with the topic from a global perspective in which the regional variations in food consumption and production are discussed together with the need to know and understand the nature of the soils and their behaviour if they are to be managed productively. The prevalence of food insecurity in tropical and sub-tropical regions is emphasised together with the nature of the soils in these regions. A substantial part of the text addresses the problem of food security in tropical Asia, where the soils are considerably younger than those found in much of tropical Africa and South America, and hence pose different problems if they are to be managed sustainably. Within this broad region the specific problems of South Asia are discussed together with a chapter focusing on vertisols, which although currently productive should have the possibility for increasing productivity if well managed. In addition to this regional focus, there are chapters that address land degradation, the current state of soil nutrient balances in Sub-Saharan Africa and the potential for improving soil productivity through the application of our recently acquired knowledge on soil management. In conclusion, this volume is the most useful resource both in terms of the summary of the current state of soils knowledge in relation to sustainable food production and security, and the focus on Asia also adds to our knowledge base.