Question.
What is soil conservation? Suggest some measures to conserve soil.
(Chapter 6 Soils, Class 11 NCERT geography "India Physical Environment")
Answer.
Soil conservation is a method of maintaining soil fertility, preventing soil erosion, and improving poor soil quality.
As we know that soil is a very valuable resource as it takes thousands of years to form and most of the food and clothing needs of human beings are met through the soil. Therefore, the conservation of soil is very important.
Mostly, human causes are responsible for soil erosion.
Following are some measures to conserve soil;
Land with a 15-25 percent slope should not be used for cultivation. Land with a 1 percent slope means there is one meter of the rise of land every 100 meters. The roof should be carefully constructed on sloping land before cultivation.
Excessive grazing and shifting (Jhum) farming lead to soil erosion. It should be controlled and regulated by educating the farmers.
Methods like contour bunding, contour terracing, forestry, controlled grazing, cover cropping, mixed farming, and crop rotation are some of the remedial measures to reduce soil erosion.
A series of check dams should be constructed to prevent gully erosion.
Shelter belts should be installed around cultivable land to prevent desertification in semi-arid areas.
Agriculture should be promoted along with forestry in the semi-arid region.
The land should never be left fallow; The land which is unsuitable for agriculture should be converted into pasture for grazing.
Integrated land use planning is the best technique for proper soil conservation. Land should be classified on the basis of potential and land should be utilized properly.
Mono-cropping should be avoided as it leads to the depletion of specific nutrients in the soil.
Green manure and organic manure should be used on regular basis.
Chemical fertilizers and chemical pesticides should be eliminated from the soil through proper management.
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