Land degradation

Let’s first look at the definition of land degradation. When the crop yielding capacity/property of the land is hampered due to an imbalance in the soil’s natural nutrients, the land is degraded. This results in a lowered quality of the land. Degraded land is divided into slight, moderate, and severe degradation. The crop yielding potential of the land is reduced by 10% when it slightly degrades. When this capacity drops to 15%, the land is said to be moderately degraded. The most degraded land falls under the severely degraded category when crop yield potential drops to less than 50%. The causes of land degradation are mentioned further.

Causes of land degradation:

1. 1. Salinization

Salinization refers to the increase in the concentration of soluble salts in the soil. About six million hectares of land in India is saline. The soil becomes saline due to the following factors:

1. • Capillary action
   • Poor drainage of the soil
   • Quality of irrigation water
   • Salts blown by winds
   • Excess use of fertilisers

2. Overgrazing

   Regions that have a considerable livestock population tend to have overgrazed lands. The livestock survives on grazing and leaves the ground devoid of nutrients. In such areas, small plants and grass can’t grow. Most people in Asia and Africa depend upon rangelands and pastures with a low carrying capacity to raise their livestock.

3. Deforestation

   The main and the most significant cause of land degradation is the cutting down of trees or deforestation. The trees’ roots help bind soil particles, thus maintaining their quality. When trees are cut down, the soil particles tend to disperse, and the quality of the land is hampered.

4. Soil Erosion

   After deforestation, the primary cause of land degradation is soil erosion. The washing away of the upper layer of soil by water or wind also takes away the necessary nutrients with it. The quality of the soil left behind is not good enough to grow anything. Wherever soil erosion occurs, it limits the moisture storage capacity, reduces soil depth, and destroys the soil structure by impairing fertility.

5. Excessive Use Of Pesticides And Fertilisers

Although chemicals like these are used to increase food production and prevent pests, their excessive use has led to the environmental threat of land degradation. The imbalance caused in the soil’s nutrients due to these chemicals does not allow proper vegetation to grow at that place.

Measures to prevent land degradation:

• The first and foremost step is to limit all those activities that cause land degradation. This includes improper agricultural activities, overgrazing, deforestation, mining, etc. Just reading the extent to which these practises are followed will help.
• Methods that prevent land degradation should be followed. These include afforestation, reforestation, and restoration. Afforestation is the process of planting trees. Although reforestation is the same thing, the difference is that reforestation focuses on a previously deforested area to grow plants. This helps to better the condition of the land before it becomes a total waste. Restoration is the process of bringing degraded land back into a productive state.
• A change in the grazing practices will help deal with this issue. Rangers need to make sure that they are moving their cattle after they have had enough because, in most cases, the cattle are left open in the fields, and they keep on grazing until the whole land becomes devoid. Also, moving to different places and different types of land every time would help. This will ensure that the vegetation of only one place is not hampered all the time.
• Modernisation of irrigation practises will also help. Over-irrigation has not only been a factor causing land degradation, but it also causes water pollution when fertilisers and pesticides enter water bodies along with the water used for irrigation. This leaves the water bodies polluted. Modern irrigation methods like drip irrigation or sprinklers should be used. Irrigation practice should be closely monitored for each crop separately.
• The pressure on deforestation can be reduced if we shift our focus from wood products/substitutes to non-wood substitutes. This step can be taken by most of us personally, and it may bring about a considerable change if a large population decides to make this switch.
• In urban cities, huge builders should analyse their projects well before cleaning a lot of land for building something. It is often the case that there is no need for a particular land to be cleared, but it happens so that nobody else takes possession of it. This process needs to be carefully monitored.

Conclusion:

The abusive behaviour of humans has caused much disturbance in mother nature and tremendous damage to the natural balance. We need to fix this. The full-fledged elimination of land degradation is a long-term and complex process. It requires the effort of each one of us. Land degradation is harming nature and impacting our lifestyle as well. It has become a critical global issue because of its effects on the ecosystem, agronomic productivity, and impact on food security. It is high time that we take steps to reduce land degradation before it ruins the quality of our everyday lives.