Causes of Soil Degradation

Farmers in India are expressing dissatisfaction with their crop yields for a variety of reasons, one of which is the degradation of the soil.Reduced levels of soil fertility lead to decreased levels of crop production. Additionally, it causes high costs of production, low income, a lack of food, the loss of biodiversity, and other problems. The issue of low agricultural productivity in India is a difficulty that needs to be tackled because food insecurity is a big worry in the country. The preservation of soil is the one and only method available for overcoming this challenge.

Principal contributors to the degeneration of soil

• Soil erosion

• Decrease in the fertility of the soil

• Water logging

• Salinity

• Changing up the cultivation

Soil erosion

• Water is often regarded as the agent that contributes most significantly to the process of soil erosion

• The most significant contributors to soil erosion are water, wind, waves, and glaciers in that order

• The process of removing the top layer of soil by a variety of different means, which can include both natural occurrences and activities carried out by humans, is referred to as soil erosion

Erosion of the soil brought on by water can be broken down into the following categories:

• Sheet erosion refers to the removal of the top layer of soil in a uniform manner, much like a sheet

• Erosion Caused by Rills Heavy water flow can cause rills to form in the landscape

• Erosion of Gully: Rills will become more extensive as Gullies, and the land will become disorganised. (for example, the Chambal Valley)

• Note that sheet and rill erosions can also be caused by wind erosion

• In India, the state of Rajasthan is the region that is most severely impacted by soil erosion, followed by the state of Madhya Pradesh

CONSEQUENCES OF SOIL EROSION

Soil Erosion

• There will be a reduction in the fertility of the topsoil.

• The amount of nutrients present will decrease as a result of erosion, which will cause them to be swept away

• There will be a lower level of water found underground

• A reduction in the amount of flora and habitat

• Both drought and floods are becoming more common

• Rivers become dried off

• Have a negative impact on both the economy and the culture

• Gully erosion can result in the formation of natural hideouts (for example, the Chambal valley was infamous for being a criminal’s hiding)

• Decrease in the fertility of the soil

Decline of soil fertility

• The fertility of the soil is negatively impacted the greatest in the states of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.

• It is a problem that occurs when the soil does not give enough productivity despite the fact that sufficient irrigation and nutrients are provided.

The following are the primary contributors to the decrease in soil fertility:

1. Frequent cropping

2. Crop rotation that lacks scientific basis

3. Utilization of chemical fertilisers on an extensive and excessive scale

4. An excessive amount of the usage of chemical pesticide

5. It is important that land be allowed to go uncultivated for some time in order for it to keep its fertility. The land will eventually become unproductive if it is continuously farmed.

6. It is possible to cultivate leguminous plants in cycles, which will result in an increase in the fertility of the soil.

Water logging

• It is certain that the ground will become flooded if there is not an adequate drainage system present

• The end outcome is that the crops are completely ruined

• As a result of the water logging, the usual circulation of air will not be feasible, and the amount of oxygen that is present in the soil will decrease

• The most effective method for lowering the risk of water logging is to install an adequate drainage system that directs excess water away from the area

Salinity

• In regions that receive little rainfall, the soil will gradually become salty or alkaline. One such example is the state of Rajasthan

• The land will turn into a salty environment whenever sea water comes into contact with it

• The presence of calcium carbonate beneath the soil will make it impermeable to water, which will result in water becoming trapped, as was the case in the regions of Rajasthan that are located along the Indira Gandhi canal. Because of this, if the soil has a high concentration of salt, it will eventually permeate the entire land

Jhum cultivation (also known as shifting)

• It refers to a method of farming that is carried out primarily in the states located in India’s north-eastern region.

• The method of farming known as slash and burn is one example of this practise.

• Following the harvesting of the crops, the area, which is typically a forest, is hacked up and set ablaze. The area that was torched will be left uncultivated for some time while the next cultivation will take place on a different plot.

• The time that passed between successive plantings on a given plot of land often ranged from ten to twenty years in earlier times

• Because of an increase in population and a decline in the amount of land that is available, the gap has shrunk to just two to three years.

• This results in significant habitat loss for wild species, pollution of the surrounding ecosystem, and deforestation of large areas of land.

• Erosion of the soil and a general decline in soil quality are both caused when forests are burned.

Techniques for the preservation of soil

• Afforestation.

• Ploughing along contours (cultivation against the direction of the wind).

• Strip cultivation (cultivation in strips).

• Control of flooding through actions taken by the government.

• The improvement of formerly unusable terrain.

• Wind breaks in land; like trees at borders.

• Farming that is organic.

• Maintain a tight rein on the changing of cultivation.

• The construction of suitable drainage systems.

• Filling in of depressions, gullies, and the like.

• Maintaining regulatory oversight over the distribution of chemical fertilisers and pesticides

• A proper understanding of the importance of conservation is required.

Conclusion

Soil conservation prevents erosion of the soil’s top layer or diminished fertility from overuse, acidification, salinization, or other chemical contamination.

Some less-developed areas employ slash-and-burn and other unsustainable subsistence strategies. Deforestation causes erosion, soil nutrient loss, and even desertification. Crop rotation, cover crops, conservation tillage, and planted windbreaks increase soil conservation.