ENV 2111 Soil conservation and management (4CU)
Description
This course explains the concepts of soil conservation and their applications in the different
economic activities
Objectives
The course will help the students to achieve the following objectives
 Describe the different indices used in soil fertility and their applications
 Understand the crop water requirements and their relationship with crop productivity
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course students should be able to;
 Identify critical functions of soils, soil quality concepts and environmental consequences
of soil degradation.
 Identify processes of soil degradation principles, control measures and offsite effects.
 Conduct a soil survey mapping multi-criteria evaluation and soil fertility assessment.
Intellectual, Practical and transferable skills
 Creative and innovative
 Problem solving
 Analytical
 Communication
Teaching and learning patterns
 Use of practical examples
 Class discussions
 Lectures
 Group presentations
Indicative content
 Comprehensive study of soils including laboratory and fieldtrips to locations where
different management methods are practiced, soil origins, soil formation soil associations
use of soils.
 Techniques used in the field and laboratory for soil study and soil mapping.
 Soil as an aspect of land and land -use. Indexing soil productivity, physical chemical and
biological.
 Soil related crop requirement as an aspect of agro – ecological zoning.
 Methods and practices of soil (physical, chemical and biological) management (erosion,
surface runoff and infiltration). Emphasis is on tropical and sub-tropical soils.
Assessment Method
The assessment method is structured to include course work, and final examination. Course work
consists of assignments, reports, practicals and tests and accounts for 40% of the final grade. The
final examination will account for 60% of the final grading
Core Reference materials

Humberto Blanco-Canqui and Rattan Lal (2008): Principles of Soil Conservation and
Management, Springer Science + Business Media.

Noel D. Uri (2006): Agriculture and the Environment, nova Science Publishers, Inc.