What Is Soil Conservation and What Do I Need To Know About It?
There is a lot of journalistic coverage about conserving forests, oceans, and energy, which are all extremely important for the environment. Soil does not currently receive as much attention, however, without adequately fertile soil, agriculture would disappear and humanity along with it. Soil erosion damages surrounding water ecosystems, which affects the entire planet. Therefore, it’s vital to also understand soil conservation and its threats, as well as sustainable farming techniques.
What Is Soil Conservation?
Soil conservation is the process of preventing erosion and loss of fertility in soil. Erosion is problematic because loss of topsoil equates to loss of nutrients that are required for plants to survive. There are additional negative environmental effects from loss of topsoil. Topsoil from agricultural areas typically contains fertilizers and pesticides, which end up in water systems where they cause harm to the delicate ecological balance. The aim of soil conservation is to utilize various techniques to preserve the fertility of soil and prevent harmful erosion.
What Are Threats to Soil Conservation?
Unfortunately, there are a number of threats to soil conservation. The most significant threats are from unsustainable farming practices. Slash and burn, land overuse, and chemical contamination are a few of the common offenders.
Slash and Burn Farming
Slash and burn is an agricultural technique that involves modifying wild lands for farming. This involves cutting down massive numbers of trees and then burning the residual vegetation. A layer of ash is created that makes the area temporarily fertile for agriculture. When the soil has been depleted of its nutrients from farming, the area is abandoned and the process repeated. This practice is detrimental to soil conservation as removal of trees and vegetation means there are no longer root structures to hold topsoil in place. Once nutrients from ash are gone, the soil is no longer able to sustain life. Lush, nutrient ecosystems are converted to desert wasteland.
Land Overuse
Repetitive cultivation of crops in an area eventually renders soil infertile. The process of tilling removes essential micro-nutrients that are vital to life, including phosphorous, iron, and nitrogen. Repetitive cultivation depletes the topsoil and eventually renders the land unbalanced and unhealthy.
Chemical Contamination
While fertilizers are commonly thought to be beneficial, in reality, they create harm in excess. Plants use only a fraction of the fertilizer applied. The residual chemicals throw off healthy soil balance and render it unsuitable. Pesticides cause problems as well. While they kill harmful insects, they also destroy beneficial organisms that are essential for soil health. Furthermore, runoff contaminated with fertilizers and pesticides damage surrounding water ecosystems and the life within them.
Soil Conservation Techniques
Fortunately, although there are threats to soil sustainability, there are many environmentally conscious techniques to support it. The following are five soil conservation methods that are highly effective. Fortunately, it’s likely even more environmentally friendly practices will develop over time as advancements in biotechnology seek to improve soil sustainability.
No-Till Farming
No-till farming is an agricultural technique in which land is farmed without a tilling process. Traditional farming involves regular tilling after each crop, thereby disturbing the soil. The sustainable practice, however, entails leaving the soil alone and allowing the last crop to decompose into the soil. This has been shown to dramatically reduce soil erosion while increasing the number of beneficial organisms. Water is better retained in the ground because evaporation is decreased. This is an efficient and cost-effective technique, therefore even from a solely economic standpoint, this agricultural method is superior to traditional tilling.
Crop Rotation
Crop rotation is a system of farming several different crops in succession on the same land. The different crops are farmed next to each other, such as in rows, and they are rotated every year. This prevents the soil from being exhausted by one crop year after year. It decreases disease because pathogens and weeds that would otherwise thrive on a crop are not allowed to build up over time. This effect is best seen when susceptible crops are rotated out with resilient ones on an alternating basis. By alternating crops with different nutrient needs, accumulation of excess nutrients is prevented. If done correctly, this is another economically superior agricultural technique as numerous studies have shown increased yields, and in turn profits, by using this practice.
Terrace Farming
This is a method of carving steps of level land into a hillside and farming each step. Soil is contained at each level with a barrier such as a mud wall. This conserves soil by preventing runoff into the environment. Instead, runoff is utilized by the lower levels of land. This method also better preserves nutrients in the soil, rendering it more fertile. This is a common method of agriculture in areas where rice is cultivated.
Windbreaks
An alarming amount of soil erosion can occur from pressure by winds. The idea behind windbreaks is to plant dense rows of trees around the farmland to prevent the wind from eroding the soil. An added bonus is that the root systems of the trees prevent erosion on the borders as well. Tall trees work the best, and coniferous varieties provide year-round protection.
Earthworms
Introducing earthworms into farmland, and ensuring the soil is free of pesticides so they survive, is another way to conserve soil. The burrowing of the species allows more water to infiltrate and drain properly, thereby improving nutrient transport and preventing surface water erosion. As an added bonus, the worms’ waste provides natural and effective fertilizer that is distributed below ground. Earthworms are also shown to increase yields by improving soil health.
Conclusion
It’s clear that soil conservation is a worthy cause that must not be overlooked. The concept of preserving soil fertility and preventing erosion is vital not only for health of crops, but for the surrounding environment, including rivers and oceans that affect the entire planet. While there are many threats to healthy soil, fortunately, many farming techniques are conducive to healthy soil, and therefore, a healthy world.
