Question

What are the reasons for depletion of soil resources?(What are the reasons for depletion of soil resources?

Answer 1

• Soil is the most important component of land. It is the fertile surface layer ofthe earth capable of supporting life. It is a mixture of mineral matter, air,water, organic matter (humus) and organisms.
• It influences the distribution of plant species and provides a habitat for a widerange of organisms.
• It controls the flow of water and chemical substances between theatmosphere and the earth.
  It acts as both a source and store for gases (like oxygen and carbon dioxide) inthe atmosphere.
• Unfortunately, industrial and agriculture practices continue to damage anddeplete this valuable natural resource.
• Mining activities, urban development, civil structures, factories, canals, andimproper waste disposal have reduced productive land.
• Extensive cultivation on marginal land, improper cultivation practices likemono-cropping, poor manuring, misuse of fertilizers or excess use offertilizers, excessive irrigation are causes for degradation of the soil.
• Soil erosion is another major cause of soil degradation. Soil becomes deficientin essential minerals and this results in productivity loss. Deforestationaccompanied by reduced frequency of rainfall leads to soil erosion.
• Soil degradation leads to reduction in crop yield in the affected lands and inextreme cases becomes unfit for cultivation.
• Soil degradation also has several adverse impacts on the global climate due tochanges in the carbon, nitrogen and water cycles.