PowerPoint - Soil Conservation Methods

SOIL CONSERVATION

Form 2

Objectives

• Define the terms – soil erosion – soil conservation

• Recognize signs of soil erosion

• Discuss methods of soil conservation

• Say why it is important to conserve soil

Key Terms

• Soil erosion - removal of topsoil faster than the soil forming processes can replace it, due to natural, animal, and human activity (over grazing, over cultivation, forest clearing, mechanized farming, etc.).

• Soil conservation - the prevention or reduction of soil erosion and soil depletion by protective measures against water and wind damage

Signs of Soil Erosion

• Muddy water• shallow furrows• gullies• dams filled with mud• uneven growth• bare ground• deep cattle tracks• standing stones• uncovered roots• dust clouds• walls splashed with mud

Soil Conservation Methods

• Terracing

• Contour Ploughing

• Contour Strip Cropping

• Cover Crop

• Windbreaks

Terracing

• Building up walls of land (that resemble steps) to counter the effect of a mountain slope leaving uniform flat surfaces to plant on.

Contour ploughing

• A method of ploughing parallel to the contours rather than up or down a slope

• each furrow acts as a dam preventing water flowing downhill

• plants are planted along contours

Contour Strip Cropping

• alternate strips of crops are planted along contours of sloping hillsides

Cover Crops & Windbreaks

• Cover crops– reduces force with

which rain drops hit ground (splash effect)

• Windbreaks– belts of trees and

bushes to break the force of the wind

Importance of Soil Conservation

• Soil erosion results in land infertility and leads to desertification and devastating flooding.

Recap

• How many of these questions can you answer?1) The washing away of the Earth's topsoil is

known as ____________.

2) ____________ refers to protective measures for reducing soil erosion & depletion.

3) Three soil protective measures are ______, ________ & _______.

Information Sources include:

• http://pdsblogs.org/pdsapes812/2012/03/05/soil-degradation-and-conservation-scribe-post/