Factors Of Land Degradation

There are several factors of land degradation that happened around the world, some is caused by natural; some is human activities. One type of land degradation is land erosion. What is soil erosions? Soil erosion is the movement of soil components, especially surface litter and topsoil, from one place to another.

Natural Degradation Hazards

i. Water Erosion

Soil scientists recognize three types of water erosion. First, sheet erosion happen because of movements of water on wide surface or slope in a wide flow and erode fairly uniform the soil layer. The effects of sheet erosion only visible after a lot of damage has been done. Second, rill erosion occur when fast-flowing rivulets formed on surface water and cut small channels in the soil. Third is gully erosion. This happen when fast-flowing water from rivulets join together and

iii. Soil Fertility Decline

Soils have its nutrients that makes it fertile but the nutrient will loss through leaching. Nutrients leaching are generally lower in dry climates than humid climates. This is due to the higher frequency of water transport in humid climates. Some type of soils such as sandy soils and well-structured ferrallitic soils with low-organic matter contents are classified as soils with high water penetration and low nutrient retention capacity. This type of soils are especially conducive to nutrient leaching. iv. Salinization and Waterlogging

Salinization is a process of irrigation water repeated annually lead to the gathering of salts in the upper soil layer. It results in the crop to stunt, lower crop yields and ultimately kills plant and destruct the land.

Salinization Waterlogging

Small amounts of dissolved salts in irrigation water Precipitation and irrigation water seep