Soil Erosion and

Conservation
Soil Erosion

Soil is a fragile resource. Most

soil erosion is caused by
natural processes such as
water flowing downhill and by
the wind.
Soil Erosion is caused by:
Natural Processes Human Activities
• Water flowing downhill • Overcropping
• Wind • Overgrazing
• Deforestation
Problems caused by soil erosion:
1. Loss of valuable topsoil.
2. Burying valuable topsoil.
3. Damage to fields.
4. Plant productivity decline.
5. Desertification.
 Case Study:
Soil Erosion and Desertification in the Sahel

The Sahel stretches for

5,400km across Africa from the
Atlantic Ocean in the West to
the Red Sea in the East.

It includes countries such as

Mali, Nigeria and Ethiopia.
Case Study:
Soil Erosion and Desertification in the Sahel
• Soil erosion (caused by overgrazing, overcropping
and deforestation) is leading to desertification in
the Sahel region of Africa.
• Increased drought in the Sahel region as a result of
climate change is also causing soil erosion and
desertification.
Overgrazing
• When farmers allow too many animals to graze
an area of land.
• This damages the soil structure and removes
plant cover, allowing the soil to blow away.
Overcropping
• When land is continuously farmed, the nutrients
are drained from the soil which destroys soil
structure and makes it less fertile.
Deforestation
• Large areas of forest are cut down leaving bare
landscape. Tree and plant roots prevent soil
erosion. When they are removed the soil dries out
due to constant exposure to the sun and is easily
blown or washed away.
 Climate Change
• Global warming has
caused a rise in the “The rain doesn’t come on
temperature of the time anymore. After we
plant, the rain stops just as
atmosphere in the our crops start to grow.
Sahel region. And it begins to rain after
the crops have already
• As a result the air been ruined.”
can hold more water - Quote from an Ethiopian
vapour and rain is farmer.
less likely to occur.
 Methods of Conservation:
Windbreaks / Shelter Belts

Barriers formed by
trees and plants
with many leaves.
Methods of Conservation:
Contour / Strip Ploughing
The tractor operator follows
the contours of the hillside.
The furrows thrown up by the
plough (going in different
directions) stop the flow of
water and encourage
percolation in the soil.
Methods of Conservation:
Stubble Planting
• The old stubble of harvested
crops is not ploughed back into
the soil (as usually is done).
• Instead the stubble is left in
place in order to reduce wind
and water erosion while the new
crop is growing.
Methods of Conservation:
Terraces
• Large steps cut into a hillside.
• This reduces slope length and steepness to
limit the energy of running water and its
ability to carry soil away.
Methods of Conservation:
Stone Walls / Bunds
• Low walls placed along the contour of a hill.
• These walls capture water allowing it to filter
into the soil rather than run off downhill.
Methods of Conservation:
Reduce ploughing in dry/windy weather
• Ploughing in dry and windy weather
increases the risk of wind erosion.