Soil conservation

Soil conservation

Soil has many advantages including production of food crops, therefore, it must be conserved. Everybody in the community should be responsible for soil conservation for the benefit of the present and future generations. Activities involved in soil conservation include proper agricultural practices, control of soil erosion, proper livestock keeping practices, use of organic fertilizers and proper waste disposal.

1. Proper agricultural practices. Agriculture is a major occupation to many people in our country and other parts of the world. For valuable agriculture, the soil used must be well conserved. Agricultural activities may cause soil erosion or addition of different chemicals to the soil. In order to conserve the soil there must be proper agricultural practices including seasonal crop rotation. In crop rotation, leguminous crops are seasonally exchanged with cereal crops. While cereal crops reduce soil fertility, leguminous crops increase soil fertility. Fallowing of the land and proper use of chemicals such as pesticides and artificial fertilizers are also important for soil conservation.

2. Controlling soil erosion. Soil erosion occurs when the soil is exposed to wind and water. In order to avoid soil erosion, water and wind must be controlled. Ways to control soil erosion include terracing and mulching. Contour farming and strip farming are also important on steep lands. Other methods include planting of trees and crops that cover the soil.

3. Proper harvesting practices. Matured crops are harvested and stored. Harvesting practices differ from person to person and between one society and another. In order to conserve soil, crop remains such as leaves, stems and roots should be spread in the farm. This replenishes soil fertility. Removal or burning of crop remains after harvesting exposes the soil to erosion.

4. Use of manure. Manure is made from plant remains or animal fasces. Manure is good in conserving the soil, since it does not have negative effects to the soil structure or organisms living in it. Manure originating from plants and food remains is called compost manure and manure originating from animal feces is called farmyard manure.

5. Proper livestock keeping practices. Livestock keeping is important to human daily life because livestock has many benefits. The benefits include meat, milk, fertilizer and raw materials of different kinds. Despite the benefits obtained from livestock, the raised livestock should not exceed the available feeds. Large numbers of livestock such as cows and goats may result into depletion of grass and plants. This may leave the soil bare. Thus, there must be a proper ratio of the livestock to the available feeds.