Soil Erosion
While knowledge of how soil erosion occurs and how to control it is firmly established, more research is needed on how to measure soil loss rates and budget for measures to reduce them - remain under debate. Indeed, there is disagreement over whether erosion turns soil into a source or sink for carbon emissions, as well as rival formulas to assess the relationship between the size of raindrop splashes and the likelihood that they detach soil particles and remove them from the landscape.
Still, evidence is clear that soil erosion rates on conventionally ploughed agricultural land or intensively grazed pasturelands are notably greater than erosion under native vegetation - and much higher than soil formation rates - implying that we are depleting a non-renewable resource.
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It is difficult to rate the importance of the different soil functions, since all are vital to our well-being, to some extent. However, the function ofsupportingfood andagricultureworldwide is fundamental for the preservation and advancement of human life on this planet. Soil is also the basis...
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Soils are the main terrestrial reservoir of organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus. Thus, any type of disturbance, e.g. landuse changes, that alters soil integrity is a threat to planetaryscale biogeochemical cycles that sustain the life-support systems of the Earth. Soil erosion impacts the...
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Soil erosion poses a major threat to global food security and to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Find out more about the effects of soil erosion and the ways we can prevent it. --- FAO http://www.fao.org/global-soil-partne...
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01-01-2001 The environmental impact of eucalypt plantations in particular on soil water and nutrients, understorey vegetation and biodiversity is a controversial topic. Commercial plantations, mainly eucalypts, have been established on poor sandy soils of savannas in the Congo since 1978. This report on the...
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Abstract, PLOSone, 2019 Knowledge of the geographical distribution of soils is indispensable for policy and decision makers to achieve the goal of increasing agricultural production and reduce poverty, particularly in the Global South. A study was conducted to better understand the soilscapes of...
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FAO launchedSoil erosion: the greatest challenge for sustainable soil management, at theGlobal Symposium on Soil Erosion symposium. The 100-page book, with Dan Pennock, professor at Canada's University of Saskatchewan as its lead author, takes stock of the current state of knowledge regarding...
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The soil is in trouble. About one-third of the world’s land is moderately to highly degraded, suffering from erosion, salinization, acidification or chemical pollution or some combination of those (FAO, 2015). Erosion in particular poses a major threat to global food security. Runoff carries away...
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Abstract, Science Advances, 2018 Understanding of the processes governing soil organic carbon turnover is confounded by the fact that C feedbacks driven by soil erosion have not yet been fully explored at large scale. However, in a changing climate, variation in rainfall erosivity (and hence soil...
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20-01-2019 Despite almost a century of research and extension efforts, soil erosion by water, wind and tillage continues to be the greatest threat to soil health and soil ecosystem services in many regions of the world. Our understanding of the physical processes of erosion and the controls on those...
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Abstract, Scientific Reports, 2018 The debate over whether soil erosion is a carbon (C) sink or atmospheric CO2source remains highly controversial. For the first time, we report the magnitude of C stabilization associated with soil erosion control for an entire large river basin. The soil erosion...
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Abstract, Land Degradation and Development 2018 Soils are vital for supporting food security and other ecosystem services. Climate change can affect soil functions both directly and indirectly. Direct effects include temperature, precipitation, and moisture regime changes. Indirect effects...
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Abstract, Environmental Research Letters, 2018 Implementation of socially acceptable and environmentally desirable solutions to soil erosion challenges is often limited by (1) fundamental gaps between the evidence bases of different disciplines and (2) an implementation gap between science-based...
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The increasing degree and extent of soil degradation processes due to mismanagement and land use changes are threatening our soils. Urgent action is needed to reverse this trend if we are to ensure the necessary food production for future generations, mitigation of climate change, provision of...
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Abstract, Scientific Reports, 2019 Farming plot construction engineering in hilly areas plays an important role in the mechanization, large-scale production and industrialization of agriculture. The method is undertaken to improve water and soil conservation, enhance soil fertility and extend...
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Abstract, European Jounal of Soil Science, 2018 Land degradation in the form of soil erosion is a major problem in semiarid and arid regions. Understanding the processes and mechanisms affecting the generation of runoff and subsequent soil erosion in these regions is essential for the development...
- Abstract, SCAPE, Terracing is one of the oldest means of saving soil and water. The objective of this paper is to provide information on the different types of terraces and their functioning, and to describe advantages and disadvantages of terraces regarding their efficacy to stop or reduce soil...
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Frontiers in Soil Scienceprovides a forum for research excellence in all aspects of soil science. We welcome article submissions in the traditional fields of soil chemistry, physics, and biology as well as those involved in pedology and soil classification. In addition, we invite submissions that...
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Access Agriculture Training Video Contour hedgerows slow the speed of water coming down the slope and allow the water to infiltrate. They also allow the washed away soil and nutrients to settle out above the hedgerows. You can plant many different grasses, depending on what you need and what is...
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A brief video ofChris McDonoughdescribing the issues of soil erosion in black cracking clay soils in Tanzania, showing the importance of conservation farming techniques to help overcome this.
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13-02-2019 Session: The presenter will describe the use of terraces to control soil erosion and increase land availability for agriculture in the DRC. Biographical information: Filbert Leone Ahmat works for FHI in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
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Abstract, Soil Systems, 2019 Land degradation, particularly soil erosion, is currently a major challenge for Nepal. With a high rate of population growth, subsistence-based rural economy, and increasingly intense rainfall events in the monsoon season, Nepal is prone to several forms of land...
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Abstract, 2009 At the Visayas State College of Agriculture (ViSCA) on the island of Leyte in the Philippines, hydrologic and soil-loss measurements were recorded for 32 erosion events over 3 yr on three 12-m-long bare soil plots with slopes of approximately 50%, 60%, and 70%. Measurements...
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Access Agriculture Training Video Stone lines induce a natural process of terracing as they trap sediments. They are also built to rehabilitate eroded lands. Farmers in Kenya show how they construct stone lines. Available languages Arabic English French Spanish
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19-05-1991 Assessing low-external-input farming techniques Bontoc rice terraces Pleasant strategies to deal with risk Africa's soils are being mined Local economies From data collection to farmer assessment Soil erosion Natural grass strips Soil fertility techniques Beans Agroforestry New approaches to...
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01-01-1983 In compiling the booklet we have kept the following objectives in mind: To emphasize the seriousness of the erosion problem. Erosion is not always recognized in time, and certainly not when it takes place surreptitiously. To give an insight into the causes and the course of the erosion process,...
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