Our most precious

resource- SOIL
WHY IS SOIL IMPORTANT ?
Soil provides us the following:
Food and other biomass production
Environmental Interaction: storage,
filtering, and transformation
Biological habitat and gene pool
Source of raw materials
Physical and cultural heritage
Platform for man-made structures:
buildings, highways
WHAT IS SOIL
EROSION?
Soil erosion is the displacement of the upper layer of
soil, one form of soil degradation. This natural process
is caused by the dynamic activity of erosive agents,
that is, water, ice, snow, air, plants, animals, and
humans.
CAUSES OF SOIL EROSION

Rain and rainwater runoff:rainwater runoff will impact lighter materials like
silt, organic matter, and finer sand particles, but in heavy rainfall, this can
also include the larger material components as well.
Farming: When land is worked through crops or other agricultural processes,
it reduces the overall structure of the soil,. Farming practices that reduce this
activity tend to have far less issues with soil erosion.
Slope of the land:For example, land with a high hill slope will perpetuate the
process of rainwater or runoff saturation in the area, particularly due to the
faster movement of the water down a slope.
Lack of vegetation: Plants and crops help maintain the structure of soils,
reducing the amount of soil erosion.
Wind: Wind can be a major factor in reducing soil quality and promotion
erosion, particularly if the soil’s structure has already been loosened up.
EFFECTS OF SOIL
EROSION
Loss of topsoil: 
Soil compaction: 
Poor drainage: 
Issues with plant
reproduction: 
Soil acidity levels: 
Long term erosion: 
Water pollution: 
WHAT IS SOIL CONSERVATION ?

Soil Conservation is the name given to a handful of techniques

aimed at preserving the soil. Soil loss and loss of soil fertility
can be traced back to a number of causes including over-use,
erosion, salinization and chemical contamination.
Unsustainable subsistence farming and the slash and burn
clearing methods used in some less developed regions, can
often cause deforestation, loss of soil nutrients, erosion on a
massive scale and sometimes even complete desertification.
Methods and Techniques of Soil
Conservation
Terrace Farming – Terracing is a method of carving multiple, flat leveled
areas into hills. to prevent run off and hold the soil nutrients in the beds.
10. Green Manures – Green manures are a few different crops that can be
grown, not for produce or food usage, but grown in order to fertilize the
farm land on which it grows. This method can improve the soil structure
and suppresses the growth of weeds.
Earthworms – Earthworms provide great benefits of farm land due to the
way they burrow under the ground and provide more are for water to rest
after it has infiltrated the soil. When these worms excrete egesta, this sits in
the soils and gives the crops many nutrients which are absorbed via the
roots of the plants. Earthworm casts contain a vast amount more nutrients
than any natural soil in the world, and for that reason should be invited
into the soils of farmland to help prevent erosion and will lead to larger
crop yields.
Mineralization – To help crops reach higher yields or full potential,
sometimes crushed rock or chemical supplements are added to the
farmland, this helps combat mineral depletion. Normally used after
flooding, it brings substantial amounts of sediment which can damage the
nutrient level of the soil.
 MY IDENTITY
The World Soil Day, which falls on December 5, is observed by the Food and Agriculture
Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations to bring together communities to raise awareness
on the importance of healthy soil and advocating for the sustainable management of soil
resources.
Last year’s theme — “Caring for the Planet Starts from the Ground” — centres on encouraging
people to understand how crucially soil health is connected to our own health.
More than 80 per cent of the soil in the UAE is sandy. Only 13 per cent of the soil in the
country is suitable for irrigated farming, according to the national soil map.
About 7 per cent of potential agricultural land is in Northern Emirates, especially in Ras Al
Khaimah, and 5.4 per cent is in Abu Dhabi emirate.
Considering the scarcity of this natural resource, which is vital for plant growth, the
Environment Department of Dubai Municipality is marking the World Soil Day at Kite Beach.
The three-day community awareness programme being held from 3pm to 7pm started on
Thursday. The event includes a series of performances, workshops and interactive activities,
mainly targeting children.
Some of the activities include soil experiments for children and adults that demonstrate basic
soil principles such as the formation and content of soil and how readily it erodes.
Children are invited to join the scientists in creating their own experiment by comparing the
soil run-off from a vegetated sample of soil, a semi-vegetated sample and a sample with07/10no
vegetation at all.
 Measures taken by Indian
government for soil conservation
The programmes/schemes implemented by the
Indian government include both Centrally Sponsored
Schemes as well as State Plan Schemes.
A. State Plan Schemes
(1) Soil & Water Conservation in General Areas.
(2) Watershed Management Programme.
B. Centrally Sponsored Schemes
(1) Integrated Wasteland Development Programme
(IWDP).
(2) Integrated Watershed Management Programme
(IWMP).
C. Additional Central Assistance
(1) Watershed Development project in Shifting
Cultivation Areas (WDPSCA)
(2) Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP)