Soil Conservation

Methods by which soil is prevented from being eroded constitute soil conservation. If the soil is wasted or blown away, it is not easy to replenish it. Therefore, the most important step of soil conservation is to hold the soil in place. This is possible by improved agricultural practices in different regions.

Contour ploughing and terracing are generally practised on the hill slopes. They are the simplest conservation methods. Rows of trees or shelter belts are planted to protect the fields in desert regions from wind erosion.

Afforestation of the catchment areas and slopes in the Himalayas, the Upper Damodar valley in Jharkhand and the Nilgiri hills in the south has been implemented. It reduces the surface runoff and binds the soil.

Ravines are noted for their enormous size and depth with vertical sides. The Central Soil Conservation Board has established 3 research stations: (1) Kota in Rajasthan, (2) Agra in Uttar Pradesh and (3) Valsad in Gujarat to suggest methods of reclamation of ravine lands.

Overgrazing by sheep, goat and other livestock has been partly responsible for soil erosion. Erosion due to these factor has been reported from Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Karnataka. Soil exhaustion can be prevented by the application of manure and fertilisers.

Summary

• The six major types of soil found in India are alluvial, black, red, laterite, desert and mountain soil.
• Both physical and social factors cause soil erosion. The physical factors are erosivity of rainfall, erodibility of soil, severity of periodic floods and length and steepness of the slope. The social factors are deforestation, overgrazing, nature of land use and methods of cultivation.
• Major forms of soil erosion are ravines, gullies, landslides and sheet erosion.
• Contour ploughing, terracing, planting of shelter belt afforestation checking of overgrazing and application of manures and fertilizers are the methods of soil conservation.