Basic Knowledge in Agriculture #67
What is soil erosion?
Erosion of soil is the slow withdrawal and laundering away of the topmost layer of soil through either natural or human actions like water, wind or human actions. Topsoil is the most fertile in the soil as this is where the nutrients and organic matter that plants require are found. In cases whereby this layer is washed or blown off, the land becomes less productive and more cumbersome to farm and build on.
What are the causes of soil erosion?
Soil erosion has a number of causes but these causes can be categorized into natural causes and human causes. Such natural causes are heavy rainfall and flooding which erode loose soil particularly on slope lands. Good wind may also erode dry and light soils especially in dry places or deserts. Gravity also plays a role in erosion by the way it causes landslides on steep inclines. Soil erosion is highly enhanced by human activities.
Deforestation, which is a process of cutting trees, deprives the plant roots that bind the soil. Animal overgrazing also causes vegetation cover to be bare exposing soils. Over-cultivation and farming on steep slopes without the right technique makes the soil loose. Land surface is disturbed by construction activities, road building and mining, thus increasing soil erosion.
What are the disadvantages of soil erosion?
Soil erosion has very severe side effects. Loss of soil fertility is one of the significant impacts that reduce agricultural productivity, resulting into low crop yields. This may result in food insecurity and loss of finances by farmers. The other effect is soil erosion which causes desertification when fertile land is slowly converted to desert. Water pollution is another drawback as well. The soil that is eroded is usually washed into rivers and streams hence causing muddy water that destabilizes aquatic organisms.
It is also capable of flooding because the soil removes eroded soil that blocks river channels making them unable to accommodate water. Moreover, soil erosion causes destruction of roads, buildings and farmland thus incurring high cost of repairing them. Soil erosion endangers the sustainable use of the environment, and the capacity of the future generations to effectively utilize the land.
In conclusively, soil erosion is a severe environmental issue that is brought about by natural factors as well as human activities and it has negative impacts on agriculture, environment and human livelihood.
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