Soil conservation is critical for maintaining the health of ecosystems and agriculture, as accelerated erosion caused by human activities leads to major problems such as land degradation and loss of biodiversity. Various management practices, including contour cultivation, terracing, strip farming, and no-till farming, can help mitigate soil erosion and enhance soil fertility. Additionally, crop rotation and planting protective crops play significant roles in preventing soil erosion by maintaining soil structure and reducing runoff.

1. Soil conservation problems &
their management

2. INTRODUCTION
Soil water and biodiversity are critical natural
resources that must be conserved effectively as
possible. Geologic erosion by wind and water has
created some of the world’s most productive soils
(e.g., the Indo-Gangetic Plains, Nile Delta), but
accelerated erosion, induced by human activities
has had drastic effects on ecosystem.Accelerated
erosion results in loss of top fertile soil & water that
needs to be used to recharge ground water.
Soil conservation is using and
managing the land based on the capabilities of the
land itself involving application of the best
management practices leading to profitable crop
production without land degradation.

3. Factors causing soil
erosion
Soil erosion:
Soil erosion is the process of
deattachment of soil particles from the
top soil & transportation of the
deattached particles by wind or water.
There are two major causes of Soil
erosion
A. Natural Factors.
B. Human Factors.

4. TYPES OF SOIL EROSION
 Natural factors/Geologic erosion
It occurs under normal natural conditions
by itself without the interference of man .
It is a very slow process.It is in equilibrium
with the soil forming process.
 Human factors/Accelerated erosion
This is the most serious types of loss
generally caused by an interference of
any agencies like man & animals. It is a
rapid process.Soil erosion is more than that
soil formation.

5. Natural Factors
Rainfall
Soils
Topography
Soil cover

6. Human Factors
 Overgrazing
 Overcropping
 Deforestation
 Mining activities
 Imbalance use of inorganic chemicals
like fertilisers,pesticides and
insecticides
 Defective methods of farming

7. Major problems occuring due to
poor soil conservation
Land degradation
Floods
Decline in productivity of agricultural land
Loss of rainwater
Environmental pollution
Loss of biodiversity

9. Contour cultivation
 A line joining the points of equal elevation is called
contour.
 All the cultural practices such as ploughing, sowing,
intercultivation etc. done across the slope reduce soil
and water loss.
 By ploughing and sowing across the slope, each ridge
of plough furrow and each row of the crop act as
obstruction to the runoff and provide more time for
water to enter into the soil leading to reduced soil and
water loss

10. Terrace Farming
This method of farming uses steps that are
built on the side of the mountain or hill. On
these steps, various crops are planted. When it
rains, instead of washing away the nutrients, it
carries them to next level.

11. Strip Farming
 Agronomical practice in which ordinary crops
are planted / grown in form of relatively narrow
strips across the land slope
 The strip crops check the surface runoff and
force them to infiltrate into the soil, thereby
facilitates to the conservation of rain water.

12. Shelter Belts
Planting lines of trees to create shelter
also works in a similar way. Rows of such
trees are called shelter belts. These
provide habitat for wildlife,reduces wind
velocity & also provide wood and timber.

13. No-till farming
No-till farming is a way of growing crops without
disturbing it through tillage. The process of tilling is
beneficial in mixing fertilizers in the soil, shaping it into
rows and preparing a surface for sowing. But the tilling
activity can lead to compaction of soil, loss of organic
matter in soil and the death of the organisms in soil.
No-till farming is a way to prevent the soil from being
affected by these adversities.

14. Crop rotation
Some pathogens tend to build up in soil if the same
crops are cultivated consecutively. Continuous
cultivation of the same crop also leads to an imbalance
in the fertility demands of the soil. To prevent these
adverse effects from taking place, crop rotation is
practiced. It is a method of growing a series of
dissimilar crops in an area sequentially. Crop rotation
also helps in the improvement of soil structure and
fertility.

15. Choice of crops
Row crops or tall growing crops such as sorghum,
maize, pearl millet is not protective in conserving soil as
they expose majority of the soil known as erosion
permitting crops.
Whereas close growing crops such as cowpea,
groundnut, green gram, black gram etc., which protect
soil are known as soil erosion resisting crops as they
are very effective in reducing soil loss by minimizing the
impact of rain drop and acting as obstruction to runoff.

16. Plant trees
We all know that the roots of trees firmly hold on
to the soil. As trees grow tall, they also keep
rooting deeper into the soil. As the roots of the
trees spread deep into the layers of soil, they
contribute to the prevention of soil erosion. Soil
that is under a vegetative cover has hardly any
chance of getting eroded as the vegetative cover
acts as a wind barrier as well.

17. Soil pH
The contamination of soil by addition of acidic or
basic pollutants and acid rains has an adverse
effect on the pH of soil. Soil pH is one of the
determinants of the availability of nutrients in soil.
The uptake of nutrients in plants is also governed
to a certain extent, by the soil pH. The
maintenance of the most suitable value of pH, is
thus, essential for the conservation of soil.

18. Mulching
 Mulching of soil with available plant residues reduce
soil loss considerably by protecting the soil from direct
impact of raindrop and reducing the sediment carried
with runoff .
 A minimum plant residue cover of 30 per cent is
necessary to keep runoff and soil loss within the
acceptable limits.