The document discusses the importance of soil conservation and various methods for conserving soil such as contour plowing, terracing, crop rotation, and afforestation. It analyzes strengths and weaknesses of different soil conservation techniques and valuation methods. The key message is that no single approach is sufficient and valuation should consider both economic and ecological factors.

2. Gururaj Amonkar
457CE13015
Civil Department
5TH Sem

3.  Introduction
 Why is soil conservation important?
 First let us look at the problem of soil erosion.
 Improve soil management
 Methods for soil consevation
 Contour plough
 Multiple cropping
 Ten technics to conserve soil
 Analysis of different methods
 Advantages & disadvantages
 Conclusion
 Referance
 Thank you

4.  Soil conservation is a set of management
strategies for prevention of soil being eroded from
the Earth’s surface or becoming chemically altered
by overuse, acidification, salinization, soil
erosion or other chemical soil contamination to
retain the fertility of soil.

5.  A nation that destroys it soil destroys
itself." - President Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1937
Why is soil conservation
important?

6.  Gully erosion occurs when small
streams unite and create a stronger
flow, cutting a channel down which
water flows during or just after rain

7. Practice:
 contour plowing
 reduced tillage or no
tillage,
 using windbreaks to
reduce wind speeds at the
land surface,
 allowing soils to rest
 promote humus
production

8.  TERRACE FARMING:
This method of farming uses "steps", called andenes,
that are built into the side of a mountain or hill. On each
anden, various crops are planted, and when it rains, instead
of washing away all of the nutrients in the soil, the nutrients
are carried down to the next level. Additionally, these "steps"
prevent a free flowing avalanche of water that would
take plants with it and destroy the all of the crops on the
hillside. This system also allowed them to build aqueducts,
which carried water to each andenes

9.  Contour farming is the farming practice
of ploughing across a slope following its
elevation contour lines. The rows form slow water
run-off during rainstorms to prevent soil erosion
and allow the water time to settle into the soil. In
contour ploughing, the ruts made by the plough run
perpendicular rather than parallel to slopes,
generally resulting in furrows that curve around the
land and are level.

10.  In agriculture, multiple cropping is the practice of
growing two or more crops in the same space
during a single growing season. In which a second
crop is planted after the first has been harvested,
in which the second crop is started amidst the first
crop before it has been harvested. A related
practice, companion planting, is sometimes used
in gardening and intensive cultivation of vegetables
and fruits.

11. Ten technics to conserve soil
Plant
trees Terraces
No-till farming Contour
ploughing
Crop rotation Soil pH
Water the
soil
Salinity management Soil organisms Indigenous
crops

12. Valuation
method
Description Strength and
Weakness
Example
Market based
approaches
Interaction between consumers
and producers with regards to
the demand and supply of goods
and services.
Standard, accepted
economic techniques.
Does not measure TEV.
Gross value
of crop
production.
Production
function/change
in productivity
method
Estimate the economic value of
ecosystem products or services
that contribute to the production
of commercially marketed goods
Single use systems
easier.
Multiple use production
function approach are
more problematic.
Risk of double counting
Soil fertility
improves
crop yield
Cost Based
approach
1) preventive
expenditure
approach
Environmental services can be
valued by looking at how much
it would cost to set in place
measures to prevent the damage
arising from their loss.
Easy, simple. Do not
directly measure WTP
for environmental
goods and services
Flood
control,
siltation
barriers
10/7/2016Lamsal

13. Valuation
method
Description Strength and
Weakness
Example
ii)Damage
avoided
approaches
Environmental services
help to avoid economic
costs
Easy, simple.
Do not directly
measure WTP for
environmental goods
and services.
The costs of destruction to
houses, roads, bridges and
farms caused by flooding.
iii)
Replacement
or repair
expenditure
Examining the potential
costs of restoring or
replacing productive
assets lost or degraded
due to project impacts or
improper management.
Easy, simple.
Do not directly
measure WTP for
environmental goods
and services.
The benefits of
implementing improved
agricultural practices in
upland soil areas can be
reflected in the cost of
replacing soil and
nutrients that would be
lost through erosion.
10/7/2016Lamsal

14.  Avoid annual soil disturbance
 Once established low maintenance requirement to
produce crop
 Avoid erosion and desertification
 reserve for native flora and fauna
 Maintain soil fertility

15. Unavailable for annual crop production
Possible weed competition
Often in applicable due to previous land distribuance
Labour intensive
Acceptable alternative must be available

16.  No single method is enough for appropriate valuation of soil
conservation due to its multidimensional role.
 Cost based approaches and market based approaches are easy
and simple but not capture the ecological, biological role of
soil and people's willingness to pay.
 Production function approaches which is complex and tedious
for multiple output but gives accurate if data were put
appropriately.

17. Here are some additional resources on the web
http://www.hintze-online.com/sos/soils-online.html
http://nscss.org/ssource.html
http://www.bsyse.wsu.edu/~saxton/soilwatr/