Soil is our most important asset and no other gift of nature is as essential to human life as the soil. The fertile soil can ensure large agricultural production, industrial development and thus, a higher standard of living. Thus, we must conserve the fertility of soil for the sake of country’s prosperity.
Soil conservation includes all those measures, which help in protecting the soil from erosion and exhaustion. Some of them are as under.
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1. Afforestation:
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The best way to conserve soil is to increase area under the forests. New trees should be planted in the areas of soil erosion and the old ones must be protected. As far as possible the trees should be planted in rows, especially in dry areas to avoid soil erosion. These trees can reduce the speed of winds which can erode the soil cover.
2. Contour Ploughing:
It involves the ploughing of land along the contours or across the slope of the land. It helps in checking the flow of water. It can reduce the run-off, so that the plants get more water.
3. Terracing:
Terracing along the mountain slopes is one of the oldest methods of soil conservation along the hill slopes. The slope of the hill is cut into a series of terraces. There is enough level land on terrace for cultivation. It checks the flow of water promotes absorption of water by soil and thus reduces erosion.
4. Strip Cropping:
Crops should be grown in alternate strips. They should be parallel to one another. The various crops ripen at different times of the year and are harvested at intervals. Thus, the entire area will not be left exposed at any time. The tall-growing crops in one strip can also act as wind breakers.
5. Cover Cropping:
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In the plantations, the gestation period of tree crops is long. The cover crops may be grown between the young trees to protect the soil. The farmers can grow vegetables, which can provide extra income.
6. Crop Rotation:
In our country, the farmers tend to grow a particular crop in the same field year after year. This practice can make the soil infertile and takes away certain elements from it. In the crop rotation system, different crops are cultivated on a piece of land each year. This helps in conserving the soil fertility, as different crops needs different constituents from the soil.
7. Fallowing:
Sometimes it is important to allow the land to rest or lie fallow, so that the natural forces can act on the soil. This also increases the sub-soil moisture and improves the general structure and texture of the soil.
8. Use of Fertilizers:
Most of the soils vary in fertility and in crop producing capability. Continuous cultivation can reduce the fertility and may exhaust some of the essential nutrients. The fertility can be conserved by the application of organic manures and chemical fertilizers.
9. Shifting Cultivation:
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Some tribals in India are still practicing the ancient system of shifting cultivation. They should be persuaded by the tribal welfare organizations and the government to switch over to settled agriculture. Actually the shifting agriculture should be banned in India.
10. Constructing Dams and Barriers:
Most of the rivers during the rainy season cause
heavy erosion of the soil. This can be prevented by controlling the flow of rivers by building dams across the rivers.
11. Check on Over-grazing:
The animals, especially sheep and goats, do over-grazing in grasslands and forests. They also move freely in the cultivated fields and thus break the soil with their hoofs. This should be controlled by either growing fodder crop or developing separate grazing grounds.
12. Land Use Planning:
The Central Soil Conservation Board has prepared a number of plans for soil conservation in different parts of our country. These plans are based on the climatic conditions, relief of land and the social behaviour of the people. The integrated land use planning is one of the best techniques for proper soil conservation.
The actual responsibility for achieving the conservation of soil rests with the farmers, who operate on it and receive the benefits. The government can only guide and help them.