Soil erosion

Soil erosion

One of the main cause of land degradation or reducing of the fertility of the land is soil erosion. Soil erosion is the removal of the top soil by the high-speed wind, heavy rain or heavy water flow

Causes of soil erosion

-Deforestation

-Industrialization

-Pollution

-Flood

-Overgrazing of cattle

-Agricultural mismanagement like poor crop rotation, excessive     use of fertilizers and pesticides or use of heavy machinery for     tillage etc.

Effect of soil erosion

As the top soil is eroded it will decrease the agricultural production or reduce the productivity of the land and the desertification of the land is happened.

Prevention of Soil erosion

In agricultural lands, depending upon its slope, various agricultural practices can be adapted to reduce the soil erosion.

In agricultural lands with mild slopes

Reduce the tillage

Actually tillage is required to improve the infiltration and to improve the permeability of the soil. But excess tillage exposes the soil to erosion.

Mulching

Adopting farming practices like mulching protect the soil from the heavy rain drops and reduce the soil erosion

In agricultural lands with gentle slopes

Make vegetative bunts or contour buntings to reduce the soil erosion or adopt agricultural practices like strip cropping and contour farming.

In agricultural land with bigger slopes

Adopt agricultural practice called terracing.

To reduce the soil erosion on the lands other than agricultural lands 

Control of overgrazing of the cattle

Afforestation- plantation of more and more trees in the barren lands