Benefits Of Soil Conservation

Benefits of Soil Conservation

Soil conservation refers to various management strategies that are put in place for protecting soil from various factors. For instance, soil conservation helps to avoid soil erosion or damage to soil by salinization, acidification or overuse. By conserving soil, the following rewards are gained.

1. Promotes soil organisms
Ensuring that useful soil organisms, especially the macroscopic species, are unharmed is a major advantage of soil conservation. Soil organisms like the earthworm offer several benefits in terms of promoting macronutrient availability and increasing aeration. Actually, through simply burrowing through the soil, the earthworm creates channels for enhancing drainage and aeration processes. The protection of soil organisms in soil conservation thereby boosts fertility.

2. Maintains soil PH
Soil PH normally controls nutrient accessibility to the vegetation. Macronutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorous, calcium, sulfur and magnesium prefer slightly alkaline or neutral soils. Chemical acidification of the soil may cause these nutrients to become inaccessible to the plants, leading to abnormal plant growth. However, soil conservation practices help maintain proper levels of soil PH and this ensures that all nutrients can be easily accessed by the plants.

3. Prevents soil erosion
Soil erosion refers to the gradual loss of soil due to the flow of wind or water on a piece of land that lifts and moves the small soil particles. While it may not be possible to actually see soil erosion happening, you will only realize that the topmost fertile soil has disappeared once you look out and all you see are gravel and stones. Soil conservation offers the best method of guarding against erosion. Building terraces and introducing new farming practices such as deep tillage acts like a preventive measure against soil erosion.
Soil conservation might be beneficial for the environment but most farmers find that undertaking the commended conservation practices is a very expensive affair.

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