Soil provides the nutrients needed for plant growth, animal life, and millions of microorganisms. It is home to many living things apart from being key to carbon cycle. However, if soil becomes unstable, unhealthy, or polluted, the life cycle comes to a halt. Soil conservation aims at keeping soils healthy. People committed to soil conservation help ensure that soil is productive and fertile, and protect it from wearing and decay.
Major thread to soil conservation are: 1. Climate Change 2. Burning & Clearing forests for farming 3. Overuse of land Why should we conserve soil? Soil conservation helps in sustaining and providing huge benefits • Increased fertility enhances crop yields and reduces the need for chemical fertilizers • Water storage through better filtration and prevent soil from drying out • Soil producing vegetation is a source of nourishment animals and offers protection from the elements • It minimises loss of fertile and arable land, thereby impacting crops and livestock production, as well as the economy • Decreases pollution and sedimentation flowing in streams and rivers, affecting fish and other species • Reduces erosion and environmental desertification and degradation of land which in turn increases flooding and negatively impacting forest ecosystems What practices shall we adopt to conserve soil? Crop rotation: Instead of planting the same crop year after year on the same plot of land (monocropping), crop rotation involves planning out growing sea-sons for different crops. Terrace farming: It is an agricultural practice that uses steps or terraces, built into the slopes of hilly or mountainous areas to create a water catchment sys-tem for crops. Contour farming: Like terrace farming, contour farming involves growing crops on hills, but instead of changing the structure of a hill, the farmers should use its natural slope. No-till farming: It protects the soil from moisture loss due to high tempera-tures because cover crop residue remains on the surface of the soil. Reestablishment of Forest Cover: In the areas where soil has degraded, the reestablishment of forest cover can improve the quality of soil and restore ecosystem health. This provides shade for crops and is specially useful for forest farming. Earthworms: As the earthworms in the soil digest plant matter, they release necessary nutrients into the soil. Their tunnel networks create air channels that assist water move through the soil. Windbreaks: Rows of trees and bushes are planted between fields of crops, reducing the erosive power of the wind on the soil. Windbreaks also provide homes for living beings. Grassed Waterways: They are furrows for water streams with a grass cover-ing. It is joined to a pit, ditch or current to store water. The grassroots keep the earth in place which protects it from water erosion. This, in turn, contributes to soil conservation. Say no to Pesticides and Synthetic Fertilisers: Using Chemicals to control weeds and pest infections is quite harmful and hinders soil conservation. Switching to alternative ways to solve the problem is highly recommended. These alternative methods are biological and cultural options - restoration of fertility with green and animal manure, compost etc.