Soil and Agriculture: Land Degradation and Soil Conservation
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Soil and Agriculture:Land Degradation and Soil Conservation
By: Shaiza Ali, Simran Chotrani, Tyng Pan, Mansi Patel November 18, 2013
AP Environmental ScienceMs. Yuhas
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Desertification reduces productivity of arid lands
• Dry lands – arid and semi-arid environments that cover about 40% of Earth’s land service
• Desertification – a form of land degradation in which more than 10% of productivity is lost
• Made worse by climate change
Fertile Crescent region
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Desertification reduces productivity of arid lands
• Causes: erosion, soil compaction, forest removal, overgrazing, drought, salivation, climate change, water depletion
• Effects: endangers food supply, dust storms
41.80%
45.20%
3.40%
9.70%
Causes of soil degradation
Wind erosionWater erosionSoil structure problemsChemical prob-lems
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The Dust Bowl was a monumental event in the United States.
• The US, specifically the Great Plains, was once a land that supported prairie grasses that held soils in place.
• Settlement in 19th and early 20th centuries- area was turned into farmland.
• Land was unsuitable to grow crops and graze cattle. • This contributed to soil erosion by removing native
grasses and altering soil structure.
Dust Bowl Region
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The Dust Bowl was a monumental event in the United States.
• The most affected region in the Southern Great Plains become known as the Dust Bowl.
• The area was subject to “black blizzards” – massive gusts of dust that clouded the air.
• This, combined with drought, forced people off the land.
Kansas dust storm, 1930s
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The Soil Conservation Service pioneered measures to address soil degradation.
Soil Conservation Act of 1935, establishing the Soil Conservation Service (SCS). This new agency works to: • Assess the land’s resources, problems, and
opportunities for conservation. • Prepare an integrated plan for each property• Work closely with land users • Implement conservation measures
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The Soil Conservation Service pioneered measures to address soil degradation.
- Conservation districts: operate with federal direction, authorization, and funding, ut they are organized by the states. - 1994, SCS renamed to Natural Resources ConservationService (NRCS) responsibilites expanded to include water quality
protection and pollution control
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Soil conservation efforts are thriving internationally.
• The SCS and NRCS serve as models for the world.• For example, parts of South America, such as
Argentina, have shifted to no-till farming. • This happened due to the efforts of local grassroots
organizations and information provided by the government.
No-till farming
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Soil Conservation Efforts are Thriving Internationally
• Other approaches to soil conservation include:– Crop rotation– Contour farming– Strip cropping– Terracing– Grazing management– Reforestation– Wildlife management
Contour Farming
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Case Study: Measuring Erosion with Pins and … Nuclear Fallout?
• Late Jerry Ritchie, had adopted low and high tech methods by using simple measuring pins and turning them into radiation detectors.
• In order to see if these “erosion” pins would work, they were used to measure erosion around hedges near gullies in Maryland.
• Using these pins over wide areas gave an average reading of overall erosion rate.
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Case Study: Measuring Erosion with Pins and … Nuclear Fallout?
• The pins used in Maryland, using these technique, they found that 1-2 cm soil accumulating upslope from the hedges
• In order to get evidence of erosion on a wider scale, scientist have considered measuring nuclear fallout.
• Fallouts include cesium-137, a radioactive isotope of the cesium element.
• Radioactive test helped Ritchie determine that hedges can only offer partial help against erosion.
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Current Events - Healthy soil: the basis for a strong economy and wholesome
environment• Soil not only holds environmental and agricultural
importance; it is vital to ensuring the growth of a healthy economy.
• This is why an EU-funded project aims to show how successful regenerative agricultural practices for preventing soil degradation can make a significant difference.
• Soil offers us many services, including acting as a filter and buffer to contaminants, allowing us to have clean drinking water. It also acts as a pool of biodiversity, and as a sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide.
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Current Events - Healthy soil: the basis for a strong economy and wholesome
environment• However, soil has been subject to urbanization, mal-
farming, pollution, and climate change, leading to its degradation.
• This is why the LIFE REGEN FARMING project was launched in July 2013: in an attempt to discover and develop regenerative practices for soil conservation.
• These practices include the use of crops with minimum tillage, perennial crops, organic fertilizers, direct seeding and rotational grazing.
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Current Events - Healthy soil: the basis for a strong economy and wholesome
environment
• The project has been awarded 700,000 euros to fund its research.
• The project has started its research in the meadows of rural Spain and hopes to complete all its testing in multiple areas by June 2016.
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Bibliography • Google Images• Withgott, J., & Brennan, S. (2011). Essential
environment: the science behind the stories (4th ed.). San Francisco: Pearson.
• Tecnalia, N. (2013, October 29). European Commission : CORDIS : Newsroom. European Commission : CORDIS : Newsroom. Retrieved November 18, 2013, from http://www.cordis.europa.eu/fetch?CALLER=EN_NEWS&ACTION=D&RCN=36199