Good soil conservation helps to put nutrients back into the soil. Soil erosion has been continuing over, such a large part of india for such a. In addition to improving soil fertility, water harvesting, enhancing the soilwater retention capacity and reducing soil erosion are measures that could significantly improve agricultural productivity in rainfed marginal environments. Here we share the best and most uptodate information we use to inform our work at the nature conservancy. Soil conservation includes all those measures which help in protecting the soil from erosion and exhaustion. Conservation tillage is any method of soil cultivation that leaves the previous years crop residue such as corn stalks or wheat stubble on fields before and after. One of the main causes of soil degradation identified in various parts of africa by the food and agriculture organization of the united nations fao is the practice of inappropriate methods of soil preparation and tillage. Choosing native plants that are adapted to regional rainfall and soil moisture content is a great way to conserve this precious resource. The conservation gateway is for the conservation practitioner, scientist and decisionmaker. Soil erosion is a natural phenomenon by which soil is removed from rocks. The emphasis is on soil conservation, but conserving soil moisture, energy, labor, and even equipment provides additional benefits.
Soil conservation practices include minimum and notillage, which maintain high levels of crop residues on the soil surface and reduce heavy machinery traffic. The problem of torrent erosion, in both the foothilla of the northern. Soil conservation wisconsin initiative on climate change impacts. It includes soil conservation, soil amendment, and optimal soil health. Normally, the land will possess a vegetational cover so as to prevent erosion. Describe two soil conservation practices that are designed to decrease soil erosion. It is therefore prerequisite that soil conservation practices should be adopted. Nuclear techniques provide data that enhances soil fertility and crop production while minimizing the environmental impact. The erosion of siwaliks has been studied by glover and hamilton 1935 and gorrie 1951 and various methods have been suggested for soil conservation. When large areas of the forest are cleared, the topsoil gets eroded by wind and flowing water.
These practices can also affect the quality of the soil. Soil conservation service along witha system of soil and water conservation districts. Reduce or prevent soil erosion by best management practices such as terracing, cover cropping, strip cropping, no till planting, sodding waterways, diversion. Soil health key points natural resources conservation service, february 2016 iowa department of agriculture and land stewardship. Soil health measurements can be used to better understand the capability of soil to provide essential nutrients for growing crops. This can be enhanced through organic and inorganic fertilizers to the soil. A sequel to the deforestation is typically large scale erosion.
List of conservation management practices may 20, 2004 1 list of conservation management practices. Study terms unit 4 free response flashcards quizlet. Soil fertility is the ability of soil to sustain plant growth and optimize crop yield. Mulch cover and soil loss from two simulated rainfalls 15 3. Physical soil conservation measures physical soil conservation structures are permanent features made of earth, stones or masonry, designed to protect the soil from uncontrolled runoff and erosion and retain water where needed. Crop rotation and periodic use of clover or alfalfa hay crops increase soil organic matter and lead to improved soil structure and fewer compaction problems. Soil management is the application of operations, practices, and treatments to protect soil and enhance its performance such as soil fertility or soil mechanics. The problem of soil conservation is very complicated and is receiving attention of scientists and engineers. Newly recruited staff s within act were also exposed to the conservation agriculture concepts and practice through the international ca course. Assessment of the effects of conservation practices on. Erosion processes and soilconservation technology 4. This practice of farming across the slopes takes into account the slope gradient and the elevation of soil across the slope. Similarly, certain farming practices like notill and contour plowing help prevent loosening of the soil.
Soil conservation and management in developing countries. Thus, soil and water conservation practices are becoming increasingly important in the arid and semiarid. Soil conservation is the prevention of loss of the top most layer of the soil from erosion or prevention of reduced fertility caused by over usage, acidification, salinization or other chemical soil contamination slashandburn and other unsustainable methods of subsistence farming are practiced in some lesser developed areas. Soil conservation is an important part of sustainable agriculture and food production, since it entails keeping soil from becoming a pollutant in the surface waters, and its ability to sieve and filter pollutants that would otherwise end up in drinking water. Many conservation practices represent mature technologies directed at stabilizing the soil by promoting the formation of larger and more cohesive aggregates, providing a protective barrier to eroding wind or water, or reducing their erosive energy. Soil conservation encyclopedia of life support systems. Home soil conservation methods are the techniques that can be utilized at home to. Newer conservation practices combine these technologies with improved production practices. Learn more about infield and edgeoffield conservation practices. The objective of conservation tillage is to provide a means of profitable crop production while minimizing soil erosion due to wind andor water. Soil conservation an overview sciencedirect topics. Water harvesting techniques gather water from an area termed the catchment area and channel it to the cropping area or wherever it is required. Practice water conservation conventional lawns and many ornamental exotic plants require an exorbitant amount of clean water to stay green.
Conservation choices, your guide to 32 conservation and environmental farming practices natural resources conservation service. To be considered conservation tillage, the system must provide. The roots of trees hold the soil together, thus preventing the soil from getting uprooted. As the soil is managed with conservation practices, such as cover crops or reduced tillage, the soil health changes that these practices create in the soil can be measured and compared clark, 2007. Manual on integrated soil management and conservation. Observations of soil conservation practices in australia and overseas suggest that. Technical guides are the primary scientific references for nrcs.
The purpose of these entities, now as then, is to work with farmers and ranchers and help them plan, select, and apply conservation practices to enable their operations to produce. Animals that graze land eat plants whose roots hold soil down. Any activity that exposes soil to wind and rain can lead to soil. Soil conversation involves working to reduce contamination and depletion. Prevention of soil erosion is also called conservation of soil. Manual on integrated soil management and conservation practices 1. Soil conservation treats soil as a living ecosystem. The three principles of conservation agriculture disturb the soil as little as possible. Soil conservation david sanders world association of soil and water conservation, bristol, england,uk keywords. What is soil conservation and what are various ways to. Accelerated erosion due to misuse of resources of land, water and soil is today one. Some of the categories and ways to conserve the soil include. Conservation techniques conserve water within the biomass and the soil by reducing runoff and keeping the water where it falls, as much as possible.
Munodawafa reports that grain yields of maize grown under semiarid conditions on the infertile, sandy soils of southern zimbabwe can be predicted accurately from the amount and timing of rainfall. Climate and the need to retain or discharge the runoff. Conservation practices sought farming methods that were. Planting trees and terracing are two of the best ways to prevent soil erosion. Practices for system operatorsengineering practices metering, leak detection and repair. Soil erosion is a leading issue to consider when maintaining healthy soil, either for farming practices or sustaining livestock. Preventing pollution of soil helps maintain soil health, contributing to the conservation of this precious natural resource. The way people use land can affect the levels of nutrients and pollution in soil. The soil erosion can be prevented by the following ways. Soil conservation practice include soil management, crop management, engineering, range management and forestry.
Conservation tillage decreases erosion by disturbing the soil as little as possible when planting crops. Some of the methods that must be adopted for conserving soil are as follows. Crops are cultivated along the contour of the land. Terracing or division terrace decreases erosion by shaping the land to create level shelves of earth to decrease soil. The choice of zimbabwe as a case study is premised on the fact that. The techniques to conserve soil are very simple and require implementation so as to reduce the dire environmental impacts. The food and agriculture organization of the united nations fao finds soil and water conservation swc go handinhand and describes and defines it as activities which maintain or enhance the productive capacity of the land in areas affected by or prone to degradation.
Definition of conservation agriculture it is a way of farming that conserves, improves and makes more efficient use of natural. In conservation agriculture, this is minimized by planting the right mix of crops in the same field, and rotating crops from season to season. Agricultural soil conservation involves the practices that can be used by farmers to promote the health and. One way to help increase quality is to rotate crops frequently or to add materials back into the soil. Wind and water runoff can cause soil erosion, and it is therefore. Three methods of soil conservation include the prevention of soil erosion, reducing tillage and rotational grazing to prevent overgrazing. Streamside vegetation, grassed filter strips, and wetlands help keep our water supply clean by reducing the movement of pathogens, nutrients, and pesticides into streams, rivers, and lakes. Soil conservation stores more of the runoff from excess rainfall in the. Cover crops can be seeded by conventional methods, by notill drills or by broadcast seeding 2 to 5 days prior to a crop harvest. The purpose of this study is to present good practices in soil and water conservation and soil protection and restoration from the point of view of their contribution to reducing the vulnerability of the regions population and improving the resilience of its agrosilvopastoral systems.
Training course on methods of soil management and conservation. There are many types of conservation practices that can help prevent damage to the soil and can even help farms become part of a thriving ecosystem. Certain human activities can result in the erosion of soil, such as land being cleared for farming or timber. In agriculture, some amount of soil management is needed both in nonorganic and organic types to prevent agricultural land from becoming poorly productive over.
470 1307 1413 977 365 725 1307 621 984 114 1499 430 1509 398 896 674 204 750 1134 603 1027 1412 1273 715 1182 985 232 290 1473 93 257