1. How Can People Conserve Soil? Presented by Stacey Messer Woodhill-3 rd Grade
2. NCSCS Objectives Goal 2: The learner will build an understanding of soil concepts. Obj. 2.01 Properties of Soil such as color, texture, and capacity to retain water. Obj. 2.02 Analyze the ability of soil to support the growth of many plants, including those in our food supply. Obj. 2.03 Identify various types of soil: clay, sand, humus
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5. What are the Earth’s Resources? Water, air, trees, and minerals are resources . Soil is also a resource and is used to grow food.
6. How Soil Can Be Harmed Plants hold soil in place. When people cut down too many trees and other plants, the water and wind will carry away the soil. If trees are cut down; new ones should be planted to help the soil. Rain Forest with trees after trees are cut down
7. How Soil Can Be Harmed Farming on the same land for many years can also be harmful to the soil. The plants will use up all the minerals in the soil. Year after year the minerals are less and less for new plants that are put on the land. The rain forest have thin, poor soil. Plants and crops cannot grow in this soil for long. After the plants are harvested, there is nothing to hold the soil in place. The wind and rain washes it away and cracks are left.
8. Ways to Save the Soil One way to save soil is by conservation. Conservation is saving resources by using them carefully. Farmers practice conservation to have good soil to grow crops.
9. Another way farmers save the soil is to strip crop. Strip Cropping is planting strips of thick grass or clover between strips of crops. The thick mat helps keep water in the soil and from washing it away. Some farmers also use contour plowing. Contour plowing is planting rows of crops around the sides of hills instead of up and down. This way water does not run off in straight lines and the soil isn’t washed away. strip cropping
10. Summary Growing the same type of crop on the same land for many years removes minerals. When people remove plants and tree, soil may be washed away. Farmers conserve soil by strip cropping, contour plowing, and other methods.
