Degradation of

Soil and
Conservation
Measures
By Pareesha & Aditi
About the topic

.Soil erosion and depletion are the major threats to the soil as a resource. Both
human and natural factors can lead degradation of soils.

. Factors which lead to soil degradation are deforestation,overgrazing,overuse of

chemical fertilisers or pesticides,rain wash,landslides and floods.
Conservation
Measures
 MULCHING

Mulching is a technique of adding a

layer to the surface of the soil
Recipe name around the plant with plastic film to
conserve the soil moisture that
30 minutes • Serves 4-6 suppress weeds growth, regulate soil
temperature and prevent water loss
through evaporation.
 CONTOUR BARRIERS

Contour barriers are contour strips

which intercept downslope flowing
water and soil particles. These
barriers slow down the water
movement and reduce its erosive
force. They also filter out and trap
many of the suspended soil particles,
keeping them from being washed
out of the field.
 TERRACE FARMING

Terrace cultivation, method of

growing crops on sides of hills or
mountains by planting on graduated
terraces built into the slope. Though
labour-intensive, the method has
been employed effectively to
maximize arable land area in
variable terrains and to reduce soil
erosion and water loss.
 INTERCROPPING

Intercropping is a multiple cropping

practice involving growing two or
more crops in proximity. The most
common goal of intercropping is to
produce a greater yield on a given
piece of land by making use of
resources or ecological processes
that would otherwise not be utilized
by a single crop.
 ROCK DAM

Rocks are piled up to slow down the

flow of water. This prevents gullies
and further soil loss.
 CONTOUR PLOUGHING
Ploughing parallel to the contours
of a hill slope to form a natural
barrier for water to flow down the
slope
 SHELTERBELTS

In the coastal and dry regions,

rows of trees are planted to check
the wind movement to protect
soil cover
About erosion
Soil erosion is the displacement of the upper layer of soil, it is one form of soil
degradation. This natural process is caused by the dynamic activity of erosive agents,
that is, water, ice (glaciers), snow, air (wind), plants, animals, and humans. In
accordance with these agents, erosion is sometimes divided into water erosion, glacial
erosion, snow erosion, wind erosion, zoogenic erosion, and anthropogenic erosion.[1]
Soil erosion may be a slow process that continues relatively unnoticed, or it may occur
at an alarming rate causing a serious loss of topsoil. The loss of soil from farmland may
be reflected in reduced crop production potential, lower surface water quality and
damaged drainage networks.