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What is Soil Conservation?

The term 'soil conservation' is used to describe management practices, land use practices and land management practices which reduce soil loss by water and wind erosion, by tillage and other means which result in the decline in the chemical, biological and physical quality of the soil resource and the loss of nutrients. Soils are conserved by conserving surface (top soil) material from physical disturbance and erosion.

Importance of Soil Conservation in Agriculture

Soil is an ideal medium for growing things. Here are three reasons why care of soil health has become an issue to present day agriculture:

Saves Top Soil From Loss and Erosion: Heavy wind and rain removes top soil which can take a 100 years to replace naturally. Conservation practices can keep the soil on the surface.

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• Preserves nutrients and soil fertility: In an unmanaged field nutrients, (like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) will be depleted in every crop grown. Conservation tillage practices, along with the level of remaining soil organic matter, can preserve the nutrients.

• Improves Water Capture & Infiltration Well-structured soil can take in water like a sponge giving your crops a better chance at surviving during dry conditions and reducing runoff on your farm.

Maintains Long-Term Agricultural Output: Fertile soil that cannot grow crops anymore will not yield well anymore. By saving the soil, you will be able to continue to grow plenty of crops while simultaneously securing the world's food supply.

Feed Earth Worms, " good fungi" &Nitrogen fixing bacteria Earth worms, " good fungi" and nitrogen fixing bacteria grow well in a healthy, conserving soil. They work on decomposing organic matter and herbivore dung as well as plants.

• Checks Pollution in Environment: As a result of soil erosion chemicals such as pesticides, fertilisers and sediments from nearby rivers, streams and lakes that cause pollution of the water, environment and air.

Key Soil Conservation Techniques

Soil health farmer adoption practices include:

Crop Rotation & Cover Cropping Grow crop rotation and use leguminous or cover crops during the growing season to prevent leaching of nutrients from soil and to cover bare soil.

Contour plowing & Terracing a. Planting crops across the slope of the land (this is known as contour plowing) or even building a levee across the hillside (which is called terracing) can be helpful.

Tillage The following tillage methods are done in the state of preservative: conservation tillage it is a no or minimum tillage this preserves the soil structure from erosion by wind and water.

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