Why is soil conservation so vital to sustainable food production? Explain the terracing, contour planting, strip-cropping, alley cropping, shelterbelts, and conservation-tillage methods of farming used for soil conservation.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Land used for food production must have fertile topsoil, which takes hundreds of years to form. Soil conservation can involve various methods to reduce topsoil erosion thereby maintaining or restoring soil fertility. These methods primarily focus on keeping the land covered with vegetation. Terracing involves converting steeply sloped lands to a series of level terraces, which helps retain water for crops and reduce erosion by controlling runoff. Contour planting involves plowing and planting crops in rows across the slope of the land rather than up and down and each row acts as a small dam to slow runoff and help hold the topsoil. Strip-cropping involves alternating strips of a row crop with a cover crop that completely covers the soil, trapping topsoil that erodes from the row crop and reducing runoff. Alley cropping involves planting uses one or more crops in alleys between trees or shrubs, which provide shade and reduce soil water loss through evaporation. Shelterbelts, or windbreaks, help prevent topsoil erosion from wind. Finally, conservation-tillage eliminates or minimizes plowing and tilling of topsoil, which increases crop yields and reduces erosion and runoff.