Women gather beans and other crops planted along the banks, leach the cyanide compounds out of manioc, a root that grows well in the poor soil, and then roast it to make a crunchy flour eaten throughout Brazil.

ECONOMIST: The Amazon's indigenous people

Shallow plowing, no crop rotation, inadequate seedbeds, and other habits sustained by lore and tradition resulted in poor production and soil exhaustion.

NEWYORKER: Testing, Testing

They thrive in poor, sandy soil that supports no other life.

NPR: Garden in a Glass: Herbal Teas, Lavender Martinis

Due to the consequences of the environmental crisis in Aral Sea region such as poor soil conditions, intensive desertification and land degradation, the farmers and dehkhans often face a plenty of problems.

UNESCO: OFFICE IN TASHKENT

Poor soil and pasture mean that cattle farms in the semi-arido need at least 100 hectares (250 acres) to be economic.

ECONOMIST: Brazil

The soil was poor and rocky, and in winter everything froze.

NEWYORKER: Town of Cats

The problem at present, he says, is that North Korean farmers plant too many poor-quality seeds in a desperate attempt to boost crops, and do so in soil that is becoming increasingly less fertile.

ECONOMIST: North Korea��s dreadful spring