Soil erosion takes place when the surface soil (also known as the ‘topsoil’) is eroded or washed away due to wind or water attrition. It can occur through both natural and artificial processes. Soil erosion is an incredibly serious issue faced by humankind. As per recent estimates, soil is being eroded at a rate of 5.3 billion tonnes a year, which is in large excess of its recharge capacity. For example, India loses 0.8 million tonnes of nitrogen, 1.8 million tonnes of phosphorus and 26.3 million tonnes of potassium every year. The total quantity of soil nutrients that are lost by India ranges from about 5.8 to 8.4 million tonnes annually. India, an agrarian economy, supports approximately 16% of the world’s human, and a fifth of its livestock population, on less than 3% of its geographical area. The high population density, particularly in the arable plains, and competing multifarious uses of land resources for forestry, agriculture, urbanisation and industrialisation, exert an enormous pressure on the limited quantum of the country’s resources.

Soil erosion can be traced back to improper, unstable, and inappropriate land use & management practices. The loss of invaluable nutrients and consequently, lower food grain production, severely compound the problem and pose a threat to national food security.

How can we counter soil erosion? One solution is afforestation. The opposite of afforestation is deforestation, which involves the permanent destruction of indigenous forests and woodlands. Hectares of rainforest are cut, cleared and removed to be put to non-forest use. Deforestation disrupts the intrinsic ecological balance and leads to loss of biodiversity. Moreover, it causes heavy soil erosion and leads to siltation of damns and waterlogging.

Better farm management practices are also vital to mitigating soil erosion. Overgrazing (grazing of natural pastures and grasslands by livestock at stocking intensities higher than the inherent carrying capacity) and encroaching into forested land must be limited. Fuel and fodder must be extracted sustainably. If used properly, practices such as crop rotation can have a profound effect on preventing soil erosion. Crop rotation may be defined as the practice of growing a diverse variety of crops on the same piece of land in a specific sequence to avoid depleting its nutrients. It leads to increased fertility and yield and helps to prevent soil degradation and erosion. Unlike monocropping, it does not leach the soil or facilitate the development of strains of resistant pest and bacteria. Crop rotation is useful for its simplicity and ease of application.

Declining quality of soil is a major cause for concern in today’s day and age. Indiscriminate use of chemical-based agricultural inputs, unplanned irrigation and unvaried cropping patterns are worsening the problem. It is imperative we protect, preserve and promote soil health together.