The Value of Soil

Soil is one of Earth´s most valuable natural resources
because everything that lives on land, including
humans, depends directly or indirectly on soil.
Humans and animals depend on plants or on other
animals that depend on plants for food.
Soil Conservation

Soil Conservation is the management of soil to
prevent its destruction.
Soil can be conserved through contour plowing, and
crop rotation. In contour plowing, farmers plow
their fields along the curves of a slop. This helps
slow the runoff of excess rainfall and prevents it
from washing the soil away.
In conservation plowing, farmers disturb the soil
and its plant cover as little as possible.
In crop rotation, a farmer plants different crops in a
field each year.

Soil Damage & Loss

The value of soil is reduced when soil loses its fertility
and when topsoil is lost due to erosion.
Soil that has lost its fertility is said to be exhausted.
1.- Plant grass and
ground cover in huge
expansive gardens and
on sports fields. These
are areas frequently
damaged by strong
winds and heavy rainfall.
The intact roots of lawn
grass or ground cover
will help retain the soil
when these areas are
exposed to strong winds
and rains.
2. -Never leave
embankments or sloped
gardens bare and
exposed. These can be
covered with
cobblestones or rocks to
create a natural looking
stone or rocky effect.
Alternatively the sandy
area can be chopped in
layers to accommodate
flowers or shrubs to cover
topsoil completely. The
nature or types of shrubs
should be able to have a
strong root system in
order to keep the soil
intact.
3.- Ensure that homes and
other buildings have adequate
draining and water collection
systems. This will refer to
gutters or pipes that can drain
water effectively into manhole
drainage systems. During
heavy rainstorms, gushing
water washes away all the
topsoil, leaving the roads and
driveways ridden with sand.
These are eventually swept or
thrown away, leading to a
waste of precious soil.
Adequate drainage will also
prevent the flow of gushing
water in and around your
property.
4.- Adopt a small piece of
land outside your property
as your own. Land or Town
board/Government owned
properties are often most
neglected and highly prone
to soil erosion. These
include the areas
immediately outside
boundary walls or fences.
Plant flowers or trees as they
will also add beauty to your
immediate environment. At
the same time the loose soil
will be protected from harsh
weather conditions.
5.- Create an awareness
among children and
younger adults. This can
be done by involving
schools, libraries,
shopping malls or any
other place that younger
people frequent, to
engage in talks, distribute
fliers etc. These events
should be fun orientated
to get younger people
interested and more
involved.
6.-Create a dislike for bare and
open spaces around your
home, schools, universities etc.
Get directly involved by
suggesting to authorities by
giving them ideas or
suggestions on how to cover
up these open spaces. Donate
your services in terms of time ,
labor, planting etc. in order to
make your own personal
contribution.
7.-Build a retaining wall or
fence
around
your
property. These can serve
as effective windbreakers,
reducing the possibility of
sand storms in your area.
Loss of Topsoil

Whenever soil is exposed, water and wind can quickly
erode it. Plant cover can protect soil from erosion.
Plants break the force of falling rain, and plant roots
hold the soil together. Wind is another cause of soil
loss. Wind erosion is most likely in areas where farming
methods are not suited to dry conditions.
The Earth is losing topsoil at a rate of 75 to 100 GT. per
year. If soil loss continues at a present rates, it is
estimated that there is only another 48 year of topsoil
left.