Humanity is rediscovering the need for a harmonious relationship with the Earth. Through Agenda 21, the global action plan for sustainable development into the 21st century, we have recognized the need for an integrated approach to planning and managing our land resources. To do otherwise would risk further deterioriation of our soils, catastrophic climate change, and tragic losses in natural beauty and biodiversity. It would seriously threaten the sustainability of the entire planet.

On Solid Ground describes how the tools of science and technology can be used to find solutions to global land management problems. The key is "integrated land management", which draws on the knowledge derived from the physical and social sciences and blends it with the wisdom of local communities, indigenous peoples, women, and others whose survival strategies have been based on a close connection to their mother Earth. The strength of this approach lies in the way it brings together solutions to human, economic, and environmental problems.

On Solid Ground urges the abandonment of narrowly focused perspectives and a shift to more holistic approaches of land management.