Agriculture is a crucial component of the economies of many of the countries in transition from a centrally-planned to a market economy and the sector is by no means immune to the environmental and socioeconomic problems confronting the countries as a whole. The concept of sustainable development provides a convenient framework for the formulation of government environmental policy for such countries, especially those of them that aspire to join the EU and would thus be expected to meet EU environmental standards. For agriculture, this inevitably involves appropriate strategies for balancing crop and animal production while protecting the quality of the national soil and water resources. There is thus an urgent need to compile, exchange and evaluate current information on the quality of soils in these countries, and to assess the potential impact of new management practices on the soil and on the wider environment.

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Preface. Soil Quality, Sustainable Development and Environmental Security; Introduction to General; M.J. Wilson. Part I: Overall Concepts of Soil Quality, Sustainable Development and Environmental Security; Synopsis and Overview. Soil, Sustainability and Security; the Importance of Ecosystem Integrity; C.B. Davis, F.P. Miller. Soil Quality in Relation to the Concepts of Multifunctionality and Sustainable Development; G. Várallyay. Part II: Soil Quality Studies in Central and Eastern European Countries; Synopsis and Overview. The Heavy Metals and Sulphur Status of Agricultural Soils in Poland; H. Terelak, T. Motowicka-Terelak. Organic Contaminants in Agricultural Soils in Central and East European Countries as Compared to West European Countries; Example of PAHs; B. Maliszewska-Kordybach. Quality and Contamination of Agricultural Soils in Hungary as Indicated by Environmental Monitoring and Risk Assessment; A. Murányi. Contamination and Degradation of Soils in the Czech Republic - Contemporary and Future State; E. Podlesáková, J. Nemecek. The Present Status of the Soil Environment in Russia; S. Andronikov. Part III: Studies Emphasizing Some Western Examples of Management Practices and Strategies Relating to Agricultural Sustainability and Environmental Security; Synopsis and Overview. Agro-Environmental Aspects of Land Disposal of Industrial Wastes; S. Haneklaus, et al. Long-Term Field Experiments and Implications for Soil Quality Assessment with Respect to Organic Contaminants; The Significance of sewage sludge applied to agricultural land; R.E. Alcock, K.C. Jones. Organic Farming in Large Frams with Special Reference to Eastern Germany; Management Strategies,Environmental Effects and Economic Aspects; J. Bachinger, K. Stein-Bachinger. Minimum Tillage Technology as an Alternative to Traditional Systems: Environmental Implications and Their Relevance to Poland and other CEES; B.C. Ball. Soil Physical Quality and the Effects of Management; A.R. Dexter, E.A. Czyž. Herbicide Management to Maintain Environmental Quality; Lessons to be Learned from North American Herbicide Management Practices; S.A. Clay. Controlling Animal Waste Management in Denmark as Related to Soil and Water Quality; C.A. Pedersen. The Use of Soil Data to Predict Environmental Sensitivity to Pollution; E. Paterson, et al. Part IV: Management Practices Relating to Agricultural Sustainability and Environmental Security, Emphasizing Examples from Central and Eastern Europe; Synopsis and Overview. Impact of Management Practices on Soil Quality in CEE Countries with Particular Reference to Poland; M. Fotyma. Application of Sludges for Remediation of Contaminated Soil Environment; T.I. Stuczynski, et al. Past, Present and Future Status of N-Fertilization Policies in Hungary; T. Németh. Soil Tillage Systems Applied in Russia to Prevent Soil Erosion and Degradation; A.G. Bondarev. A Mechanism for the Self-Regulation of Fertility in Ukrainian Chernozems; M.K. Shikula. Conservation Non-Plough Systems of Crop Production in Ukraine with Increased Reproduction of Soil Fertility; M.V. Kapshtyk, et al. An Erosion Control System for Sustainable Land Use in a Lithuanian Catchment; B. Jankauskas, G. Jankauskiene. Rehabilitation of Acid Soils by Liming and Lon Term Manurial Treatment; A. Pleseviciene, B. Jankauskas. Interacting Effects of Liming, Fertilization and Plant Breeding in Some Lithuanian Soils in Relation