Hello and welcome to my blog this week. I hope it is going to be a very informative blog . The task set by Hind whale community is about steps to save soil.

Formation of soil takes millions of years and therefore its conservation is of utmost importance for the sustainability of the environment. Soil formation takes place through the process of weathering of Rocks. Besides the tedious process of formation, the conservation of soil is mandatory to support life on land.

Degradation of soil refers to the deterioration of the health status of the soil so much so that the sustenance of the organisms is endangered. As for the degradation of the soil is concerned, we are concerned about the topmost layer of the soil.

Degradation of health status refers to the deterioration of the quality and quantity of the soil. Compromise in the productivity of the soil occurs due to its reduced water and air holding capacity, increase in salinity, decrease in the organic and inorganic content of the soil, or erosion of the soil.

ACTIVITIES THAT DEGRADE SOIL.

Soil Erosion

The topmost layer of the soil is the most fertile layer and soil erosion refers to the removal of the topmost layer of the soil. It is this topmost layer that contains useful elements like sodium, phosphorus, and potassium and retains water, etc.

Soil erosion takes place due to a lack of vegetation in the soil and the high speed of water and winds over the soil. Vegetation holds soil together through roots etc, so lack of vegetation renders soil vulnerable to erosion because of no adhesive forces. The flow of water down the slope leads to an increase in the momentum of water due to the force of gravity which takes the soil surface along with it.

Rains and wind being natural factors in which we do not have a significant role to play, lack of vegetation is due to deforestation by humans for construction of residential or business establishments, etc.

Unscientific crop growth

Some crops drain this soil fertility by consuming the organic and inorganic matter contained in the soil while other crops replenish the fertility by substituting the necessary elements.

Repeated growth of crops like wheat and rice over the same soil year after year depletes the necessary micronutrients like phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium, etc, and therefore degrades the quality of the soil.

Over supplementation

If soil is fortified by unscientific fertilizers or supplemented by excessive scientific fertilizers, that also leads to degradation of soil quality. The presence of nutrients in access is also deleterious for the health of the soil.

Water logging

Water logging is mainly due to poor drainage systems. Although water is necessary for the growth of vegetation over the soil but excessive water logging drains air from the soil and roots are not able to access the air. Moreover, water logging leads to compaction of the soil, and the soil organisms like earthworms, etc get killed.

The other disadvantage is that evaporation of the water also brings with it salt and nutrients from the soil and they get deposited over the soil and form a saline layer which is not favorable for the growth of crops.

Shifting cultivation

Shifting cultivation is a practice in which nonagricultural land is converted into agricultural land by cutting and burning trees. The land so prepared is used for a few years until the yielding capacity of the land grossly deteriorates and then the land is left uncultivated for a few years and cultivators shift to some other place. So the practice of burning depletes the moisture content and repeated cultivation depletes the nutrient content of the soil.

How to prevent Soil degradation.

Having discussed the factors that lead to the degradation of soil it's now easy to understand the preventive measures. Soil preventive measures are directed to tackle the issues that lead to the degradation of soil as discussed below.

• Afforestation of large as well as small trees and plants over barren lands lead to the binding of soil and prevent Soil erosion. Plantation also reduces the speed of water and winds over the surface which also prevents removal of surface soil.

• Organic farming: it is a popular practice that encourages the use of organic fertilizers like cow dung manure, green manure, etc. It discourages the use of chemical fertilizers which are believed to be harmful to soil even if there is minor misquantificatiion.

• Crop rotation is a practice to enrich the soil with nutrients and prevent the depletion of nutrients by growing different crops on the same land in different seasons. Having mentioned above crops like rice and paddy etc when grown repeatedly deplete the soil nutrients on the other hand leguminous plants like pulses replenish the nutritional stores of soil. So these crops must be grown alternatively over agricultural land.

• Companion farming is another method of farming that involves growing together multiple crops on the same land in the same season. It also serves the purpose of fortification of soil besides pollination etc.

• Contour Plowing is a means to prevent Soil erosion by plantation on a slope following the elevation contour lines of a slope. It prevents the formation of rills and gullies during heavy rainfall. The rills and gullies are known to drain the water across the surface by creating an impermeable layer over the soil. Plows are used to make ruts perpendicular to the slope and therefore also prevent tillage erosion.

• Construction of a water drainage system to allow drainage of excess water and prevent water logging will help to remove issues related to water logging.

• Discouraging the practice of shifting cultivation.

Conclusion

Soil is a combination of organic and inorganic content that is present as a loose surface over land and supports life. Because of various anthropogenic activities, we are continuously degrading the health of the soil. It is high time to take preventive measures to stop the degradation of soil otherwise that time won't be far when we will have to face a food scarcity crisis besides being deprived of other blessings accrued out of the soil.