Geography
Soil Conservation
Soil conservation refers to the methods and practices aimed at preventing soil erosion and degradation. It involves strategies such as contour plowing, terracing, and crop rotation to maintain soil fertility and structure. By implementing soil conservation techniques, the long-term productivity of agricultural land can be preserved, and the negative impacts of erosion on the environment can be minimized.
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11 Key excerpts on "Soil Conservation"
- Sharma, Premjit(Authors)
- 2021(Publication Date)
- Genetech(Publisher)
6 Soil Conservation Soil Conservation in its widest sense includes not only control over erosion but all those measures like correction of soil defects, application of manures and fertilisers, proper crop rotations, irrigation, drainage etc. which aim at maintaining the productivity of the soil at a high level. In this sense, Soil Conservation is closely allied to improvement of land use in general. Large areas in all parts of the country have been rendered useless as a result of soil erosion and areas which suffer from moderate or slight erosion and whose productivity is reduced as a result of soil losses are very much larger still. Sheet erosion, which consists in the washing away of the fertile top layers of the soil, is the most extensive form of erosion, occurring even on moderately sloping lands. It causes enormous losses to agriculture every year by reducing the productive capacity of lands. Gully erosion, which generally starts after sheet erosion has remained unchecked for some time, has already rendered large areas useless, and is steadily increasing. In the dry western part of the country, erosion as a result of wind action and covering of croplands by desert sands along the margins of the Rajasthan Desert constitute serious problems. The most important cause of erosion is destruction of forests and other vegetation from sloping lands, desert margins and other areas susceptible to erosion. Vegetation acts as a protective cover against the forces of wind and water, protecting the soil from being washed or blown away and preserving the physical and-hydrographic balance of nature. Forests-for instance, provide the most effective protection against erosion on hill slopes. They This ebook is exclusively for this university only. Cannot be resold/distributed. break the force of run-off by impeding the flow of rainwater down the slopes and .by absorbing large quantities of it in their dense mat of undergrowth.
eBook - PDF- Sharma, Premjit(Authors)
- 2021(Publication Date)
- Genetech(Publisher)
7 Soil Conservation Soil Conservation is a set of management strategies for prevention of soil being eroded from the earth’s surface or becoming chemically altered by overuse, salinisation, acidification, or other chemical soil contamination. The principal approaches these strategies take are: — choice of vegetative cover, — erosion prevention, — salinity management, — acidity control, — encouraging health of beneficial soil organisms, — prevention and remediation of soil contamination, — mineralisation. Many scientific disciplines are involved in these pursuits, including agronomy, hydrology, soil science, meteorology, microbiology, and environmental chemistry. Cover Crop Decisions regarding appropriate crop rotation, cover crops, and planted windbreaks are central to the ability of surface soils to retain their integrity, both with respect to erosive forces and chemical change from nutrient depletion. Crop rotation is simply the conventional alternation of crops on a given field, so that nutrient depletion is avoided from repetitive chemical uptake/ deposition of single crop growth. Cover crops serve the function of protecting the soil from erosion, weed establishment or excess evapotranspiration; however, they may also serve vital soil chemistry This ebook is exclusively for this university only. Cannot be resold/distributed. functions. For example, legumes can be ploughed under to augment soil nitrates, and other plants have the ability to metabolise soil contaminants or alter adverse pH. The cover crop Mucuna pruriens (velvet bean) has been used in Nigeria to increase phosphorus availability after application of rock phosphate. Some of these same precepts are applicable to urban landscaping, especially with respect to ground-cover selection for erosion control and weed suppression. Soil pH Soil pH levels adverse to crop growth can occur naturally in some regions; it can also be induced by acid rain or soil contamination from acids or bases.
- OECD(Author)
- 2016(Publication Date)
- OECD(Publisher)
• Yields are generally lower on farms that use conservation practices, but there are significant differences in yields between OECD countries, agricultural products and over time. Yields on farms that have adopted Soil Conservation practices improve under rain-fed agro-systems in dry climates. • The effects of soil or water conservation practices on resource productivity are positive overall, Soil-conservation practices generally reduce the use of non-energy materials and waste, and the management of nutrients is more environmentally sound. • There is limited but contrasting evidence on how soil and water conservation practices influence employment rates; Soil Conservation practices seem to have lower labour requirements, while conservation efforts that include the displacement of crops tend to be labour intensive. Soil Conservation practices A quiet revolution? Soil erosion is a global environmental issue. Much of this erosion, as well as the degradation of soil in general, is due to poor soil management practices, including slash and burn management, deforestation, and overgrazing. The extreme climatic and topographic conditions, and climate changes occurring today only increase soil erosion. Current rates of land and soil degradation are considered to be unsustainable. UNEP (2012) argues that 24% of the global land area has suffered declines in health and productivity over the past quarter-century as a result of unsustainable land-use. Since the 19 th century, worldwide damage to organic matter due to land-clearing for agriculture and urban development accounts for an estimated 60% loss of the carbon stored in soils and vegetation. Increasing amounts of land are being cultivated using intensive farming methods. These methods place great strain on the natural resources upon which they rely and are jeopardising the future of agriculture.
eBook - PDFFootprints in the Soil
People and Ideas in Soil History
- Benno P Warkentin(Author)
- 2006(Publication Date)
- Elsevier Science(Publisher)
Even as stewardship often connotes caring for something that does not belong to you, soil stewardship involves caring for something that has been entrusted to us by nature and whose benefits are there to be enjoyed down through the generations (see panel on Maori). There is the strong sense that we are preserving something for the future. In this way, a rural family thinking about stewardship and soil con-servation may have in mind not only keeping the soil productive for the current gen-eration, but also maintaining the soil's health and protecting it from degradation so that the family farm can be passed in good shape to the next generation. Agriculture Canada, Ottawa, Canada. Landcare Research, Hamilton, New Zealand. Gregorich Research, Ottawa, Canada. 408 Footprints in the Soil In modern times, many agriculturalists and Soil Conservationists have sounded the alarm about the shortsightedness of poor soil management. Although farm-ers and other soil users have not always been quick to heed this alarm, today there is a widespread recognition of the relationship between good soil manage-ment and future productivity. Science has also developed a good understanding of soils and soil processes, the interactive relationships between living beings and their environment, and the interconnectedness and complex functioning of different ecosystems. This understanding has helped to promote a new, more holistic view of soil stewardship - how we should manage our soils to maintain their health in the context of ecosystems - particularly in developed countries. However, what is understood in theory is often not put into practice, and many soils throughout the world continue to be degraded. With limited land left in the world to be developed for agriculture, it is of the utmost importance that land under production be used sustainably and that degraded lands be restored to a healthy and productive state.
eBook - PDFConservation and Improvement of Sloping Lands, Volume 3
Practical Application - Soil and Water Conservation
- P. J. Storey(Author)
- 2011(Publication Date)
- CRC Press(Publisher)
The film gives the impression that all that is to be done is plant trees to solve erosion problems; when of course, planting trees is just one aspect of Soil Conservation. The other extreme is to say that planting trees increases erosion. While this can be the case, I think that such is probably because of improper forest management and planting. Clear felling hillsides rather than strip felling; and then planting trees where there is little or no remaining growth means the soil is open and exposed for too long. Planting pure stands of large tree species on steep slopes can result in too much weight of timber, too crowded above with no undercover, the land gives way, a landslide occurs. If we study natural situations, there are mixed stands, at different stages of development. With the fewer very large trees able to spread their roots wide and deep into the underlying rock fissures, the large trees act to anchor and stabilise the land. Forest cover with large biomass can be seen flourishing on amazingly steep hillsides. 4. Fourthly the impression given that Soil Conservation consists only of erosion control —soil management is rarely mentioned as part of Soil Conservation. The author agrees with Professor Masefield who wrote: Soil deterioration arises in two ways, by soil exhaustion and soil erosion. The control of both is known as Soil Conservation.4, p6 To reverse soil exhaustion see volume 2. It has rightly been said: SOIL IS THE MOST IMPORTANT RESOURCE IN THE WORLD. IT IS NON-RENEWABLE. IT IS ESSENTIAL TO LIFE ON EARTH. WHEN FOSSIL OIL RUNS OUT ALTERNATIVES CAN BE DEVELOPED. WHEN SOIL HAS GONE PEOPLE PERISH IN THE DESERT WE HAVE CREATED. Figure 8. Soil and water needed for crops and for replacing the underground water essential for life is carried away down the rivers causing flooding down stream and then into the oceans.
eBook - ePubSoil Organic Matter and Feeding the Future
Environmental and Agronomic Impacts
- Rattan Lal(Author)
- 2021(Publication Date)
- CRC Press(Publisher)
Principles of Soil Management in Agro-Ecosystems. Advances in Soil Science . CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, Boca Raton, FL.- Kassam, A.H., Friedrich, T. and Derpsch, R. 2019. Global spread of conservation agriculture. International Journal of Environmental Studies 76 (1):29–51 https://doi.org/10.1080/00207233.2018.1494927 .
- Kautz, T., Amelung, W., Ewert, F., Gaiser, T., Horn, R., Jahn, R., et al. 2013. Nutrient acquisition from arable subsoils in temperate climates: A review. Soil Biology & Biochemistry 57:1003–1022.
- Lacasta, Dutoit, C. and Meco, M. R. 2005. Interacción entre laboreo y rotaciones de cultivos en ambientes semiáridos en la producción del cereal y las propiedades químicas y bioquímicas del suelo. In: Actas I Congreso Internacional sobre Agricultura de Conservación . Asociación Española Agricultura de Conservación/Suelos Vivos, Cordoba, Spain, pp. 423–428.
- Lacasta, Dutoit, C., Meco, M., R. and Maire, N. 2005. Evolución de las producciones y de los parámetros químicos y bioquímicos del suelo, en un agrosistema de cereales, sometidos a diferentes manejos de suelo durante 21 años. IN: Actas I Congreso Internacional sobre Agricultura de Conservación . Asociación Española Agricultura de Conservación / Suelos Vivos, Cordoba, Spain, pp. 429–436.
- Lafond, G.P., Clayton, G.W. and Fowler, B.D. 2014. Conservation agriculture on the Canadian Prairies. In: Jat, R.A., Sahrawat, K.L. and Kassam, A.H. (eds.), Conservation Agriculture: Global Prospects and Challenges . CABI, Wallingford, UK, 89–107.
- Lal, R. 2014. Societal value of soil carbon. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 69:186A–192A.
- Laurent, F., Leturcq, G., Mello, I., Corbonnois, J. and Verdum, R. 2011. La diffusion du semis direct au Brésil, diversité des pratiques et logiques territoriales: l’exemple de la región d’Itaipu au Paraná. Confins 12. http://confins.revues.org/7143
- Reddy, R N(Authors)
- 2021(Publication Date)
- Genetech(Publisher)
In both situations however, improving soil This ebook is exclusively for this university only. Cannot be resold/distributed. conditions to meet the needs of plant roots will often greatly reduce problems of soil loss and runoff. Key goals of improving and maintaining excellent soil conditions for and with roots include: — increasing the reliability of plant production in the face of unpredictable variations in the weather and other hazards of the environment; — reducing production costs and raising net returns to producers; — increasing the quality of the land and its resilience to extreme weather conditions. Z ERO T ILLAGE M ETHODS OF C ROP P RODUCTION On increasingly large areas of Latin America there has been a revolution in agricultural practice over the past 30 years. The adoption of zero tillage methods of crop production by large numbers of farmers provides convincing validation of the value of such conservation-effective forms of agriculture, in agronomic, environmental, economic and social terms. This is being achieved on farms whose sizes range from less than twenty hectares to thousands of hectares and in a wide range of ecological zones. Conservation agriculture (CA), as defined during the First World Congress on Conservation Agriculture (1-5 October 2001) promotes the infiltration of rainwater where it falls and its retention in the soil, as well as a more efficient use of soil water and nutrients leading to higher, more sustainable productivity. It also contributes positively to environmental conservation. In many environments conservation agriculture can be considered the ultimate soil and crop management system. Conservation agriculture has been successfully implemented in both small-scale and large-scale farming, where it has given economic benefits as well as improved water resources. Zero tillage has been successfully practised in the United States for several decades, with regular annual growth in the total area.
- Maitry, R S(Authors)
- 2021(Publication Date)
- Daya Publishing House(Publisher)
Chapter 10 Soil and Water Conservation The problem of conserving soil and moisture (water) is having very great importance in the extensive regions of low and uncertain rainfall forming parts. These tracts are characterized by scanty, ill-distributed and highly erosive rains, undulating topography, high wind velocity and generally shallow soils. Wind erosion also has been responsible for destroying the valuable top soil in many areas. Halting the march of desert in Rajasthan is one of the vital and outstanding problems facing the country today. An extreme example of sand movement from the coast is to be seen in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat where the once-flourishing ports are now covered with advancing sand-dunes. In addition to the erosion of the cultivated fields, neglected pastures and wastelands, considerable roadside erosion also takes place owing to the defective highway engineering. Defective drainage and water-logging throw appreciable areas out of cultivation every year and indirectly increase the erosion hazards. EXTENT OF SOIL EROSION In India, there is very little area free from the hazard of soil erosion. It is estimated that out of 305.9 million hectares of reported area, 145 million hectares is in need of conservation measures. Severe erosion occurs in the sub-humid and per-humid areas due to high rainfall and improper management of land and water. Agricultural land in the major part of the country suffers from This ebook is exclusively for this university only. Cannot be resold/distributed. erosion. Apart from reducing the yields through the loss of nutrients, erosion destroys the soil resources itself every year. SOIL EROSION “ Soil erosion is the wearing away of land surface by the action of such natural agencies as water and wind ”. “ Detachment and transportation of top soil particles by wind and/or by water is known as soil erosion ”. The detaching agents are rain drops, channel flow and wind.
eBook - ePub- Victor J. Kilmer(Author)
- 2018(Publication Date)
- CRC Press(Publisher)
10SOIL AND WATER MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION
Jerry V. ManneringSeverity of the Erosion Problem and its Geographic Location
Soil erosion is the wearing away of the land surface by water, wind, ice, and other geological agents.1 Erosion of the soil by water is particularly serious since it not only reduces soil productivity through the loss of fertile topsoil, it also degrades water quality when sediment and associated nutrients are transported to water courses.2Erosion is a natural process of soil formation (geologic erosion) and is responsible for much of the land form in the world today. However, it is also greatly influenced by man’s activities (accelerated erosion). Accelerated erosion results when man makes major changes in land use without replacing the natural barriers to erosion with effective conservation practices.Present day economic factors are increasing the seriousness of erosion problems in the U.S. as well as in other parts of the world. In the developing countries problems are arising because of pressures to produce more food, which in certain cases results in over-cropping of fragile lands. In the developed countries many of the proven conservation practices, such as contouring, strip cropping, terracing, sod waterways, and small fields, are not compatible with the highly efficient large tillage, planting, and harvesting equipment presently being used. Also, the high cost of land and large capital investments associated with modern farming technology require maximum short-term economic returns, resulting in increased acreages of more erosive row-crops at the expense of soil-conserving, grass-legume-based rotations.The U.S. Conservation Needs Inventory (CNI) of 1965,3 found susceptibility to erosion to be the most widespread conservation problem limiting the land capability. It was found to be the dominant problem on about half or 738 million acres of the area included in the national inventory. Although serious erosion occurs on rangeland, pasture land, forest land and from nonagricultural uses, such as construction areas, road banks, and stream banks,4 perhaps the most serious threat to society comes from the erosion of cropland. The CNI study5 ,6 showed 277 million acres, or more than 60% of the cropland to need conservation treatment. It further showed that about 20% of 438 million acres of cropland in the U.S. were averaging more than 8 tons of soil loss per acre per year, 50% between 3 and 8 tons and 30% less than 3 tons. A maximum annual soil loss of 5 tons/acre/year has been suggested7 as permissible if soil productivity is to be maintained. Excessive erosion also results in serious sedimentation problems. A recent estimate8
- Rattan Lal, B.A. Stewart, Rattan Lal, B.A. Stewart(Authors)
- 2013(Publication Date)
- CRC Press(Publisher)
381 Soil Management Is More Than What and How Crops Are Grown bare soil, though untilled, is capable of providing more runoff and sediment yield in olive groves under certain conditions should be seriously taken into account while designing conservation strategies. These have to be driven by their real delivery of ecosystem services and not just by cost-effective minimal conservation approaches. The faster adoption of cover crops compared with no-till as a Soil Conservation mea-sure in perennial woody crops, and especially in olives (Table 14.4), can therefore be considered an important step toward the mitigation of soil erosion and degradation. 14.8 POLICY, INSTITUTIONAL, TECHNOLOGY, AND KNOWLEDGE IMPLICATIONS An enabling policy and institutional environment is needed to promote sustainable soil management for agriculture development, which in practice entails a change in process in which interested stakeholders become engaged to produce, in non-destructive ways, based on available and affordable resources, agricultural products desired by the producers, individual groups, and society. However, it is necessary to implement an enabling environment to promote farmers’ interest in undertak-ing sustainable soil management and production intensification and maintenance of ecosystem services. For this, given the necessary understanding, the requirements include effective and integrated development planning and policies backed up by relevant research and advisory/extension systems, and the mobilization of concerned stakeholders in all sectors. 14.8.1 P OLICY AND I NSTITUTIONAL S UPPORT Principles of sustainable soil management for agriculture production based on an ecosystem approach form the basis for good agricultural land use and management.
eBook - ePubSustaining the Soil
Indigenous Soil and Water Conservation in Africa
- Chris Reij, Ian Scoones, Calmilla Toulmin, Chris Reij, Ian Scoones, Calmilla Toulmin(Authors)
- 2013(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
The study predicted that by the year 2010, 7 per cent of the highlands would be bare rock, 11 per cent would have soil depths of less than 10cm and a further 76,000km 2 would be incapable of sustaining agriculture. These were dramatic conclusions. A standard package of interventions was evolved (Hurni, 1986) and implemented on a wide scale throughout the latter half of the 1980s. The Derg regime’s political need to exert control over the rural areas coincided with the flood of food aid and development projects that arrived in the aftermath of the 1984 drought. Around US$20 million was disbursed annually as food-for-work between 1980 and 1990 (Cheatle, 1993, p 224). At one level, the result was impressive. Thousands of kilometres of bunds were built, thousands of hillsides were closed off, steep-slope agriculture was abandoned and millions of trees were planted (IUCN, 1990). However, there were high costs. The lack of involvement of people in the planning and implementation of the schemes meant that they were often poorly executed and maintained. In addition, in some places the imposed measures disrupted existing SWC measures, replacing them with alternatives that were less suited to the local setting. The focus on soil erosion as the core problem also detracted attention from the wider problems faced by rural people; without addressing such issues, there was little chance that the Soil Conservation measures would be widely adopted without significant subsidy and, in some instances, coercion (Dessalegn, 1994). At varying scales and to varying degrees, a similar story has been repeated in many parts of Africa (Hudson, 1991). By the late 1980s, a growing realization emerged that Soil Conservation was not the whole answer. Again, the parallels with the colonial period are striking. Indeed, the same terms were resurrected. Instead of Soil Conservation, a wider concept of ‘land husbandry’ was expounded (cf Hudson and Cheatle, 1993; Hudson, 1992; Shaxson et al, 1989)
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