How can over cultivation lead to desertification




















Share this:. Like this: Like Loading Follow Following. Sign me up. Already have a WordPress. Improving the quality of the soil - this can be managed by encouraging people to reduce the number of grazing animals they have and grow crops instead. The animal manure can be used to fertilise the crops grown.

Growing crops in this way can improve the quality of the soil as it is held together by the roots of plants and protected from erosion.

This type of farming is more sustainable. Water management - water can be stored in earth dams in the wet season and used to irrigate crops during the dry season. This is an example of using appropriate technology to manage water supplies in the desert environment.

We hope that the agricultural sector can adapt their practices so we can grow enough food while preserving our environment! If you liked this article, you might like to learn about vertical farming. Leyton, our lead designer and resident techie, reviews Nanoleaf's natural-aesthetic Element panels. From Ancient China to the modern kitchen, tea has always played an important role in giving humans a moment away from everything else.

With over-cultivation leading to soil sterilisation across the world, the agricultural sector needs to rethink its practices for ongoing, sustainable food sources. What causes over-cultivation? What are the negative effects of over-cultivation? How can we reverse the effects of over-cultivation? The Agricultural Situation in Australia In , it was reported that the state of New South Wales lost 60, hectares of woody vegetation in and more than half was for agriculture.

Email Address. An independent Australian-based digital magazine produced in Melbourne. Generally, as you may have thought the best way to counter over-cultivation is by implementing sustainable agriculture methods on your farm. You can also compare Conventional vs.

Sustainable Farming. The major change that needs to be focused on is the implementation of crop rotation. Crop rotation is a system of farming where different crops are cultivated on the same land by changing their schedule. Additionally, you also ensure fallow periods or break in between seasons. This allows land to restore its nutrients and regain fertility. A crop cover during fallow period and presence of other crops throughout the year means there is very little chance of soil erosion and degradation.

Common cover crops include legumes, brassicas, turnips and grasses like those in image above. Farmers should consider the slope and shape of land. This is so that it can be plowed in a manner that minimizes soil erosion. This way you will be plowing with the contours of the land and not against it. In laymen terms, this is also referred to as leveling. Leveling also prevent excessive loss of water and makes way for sustainable and effective irrigation.

Discourage crops that are resource-intensive and increase erosion risk. For example; Maize uses large amounts of fertilizer, pesticides and is planted at greater distances. Maize is also harvested later than usual. Due to these reasons, soil erosion is more likely to occur in fields planted with Maize. Windbreaks can be used to prevent soil erosion. Wind breaks are rows of trees at the edges of farmland. They are responsible for protecting your soil and the environment from significant erosion.

Reforestation should be promoted. This is because trees not only prevent soil erosion but also help in returning land to its natural state by conserving nutrients.

Tree roots hold the soil together and encourage soil health by promoting plant-bacteria interactions. Prevent overgrazing of your land. Restrict the number and types of animals grazing on a single area of your farmland. Over grazing results in loss of soil cover. This will make the soil exposed to external elements of nature, like wind, and promote soil degradation as well as desertification. Controlling urbanization and planning it thoroughly for sustainable use can reduce the need for clearing forests.

This will go a long way in preventing deforestation. Organic farming avoids use of any farm chemicals. Instead, organic matter is used in small quantities overtime to promote natural growth of soil fertility.

When you employ organic farming, you have lower chances of exhausting soil nutrients or degrade soil fertility by over-cultivating. Although all these measures are available and have been well researched, the problem lies in policy- making and unequal distribution of wealth. This puts pressure on local farmers to increase the yields by any means possible so they can increase their incomes.

In fact, soil conservation can be added as a side-goal in programs that combat desertification. At the end of the day, it is necessary for every individual and every government, especially in agriculture-dependent countries like Liberia, to take over-cultivation more seriously as it can have very drastic effects on economy and humans in near future.

My love for nature is not newfound. I have lived on the countryside for over a decade of my life where I realized how human activities impacted the environment. Later during my stint in medical school, I realized that many of our health concerns originate from neglecting our environmental responsibilities and this was just not sustainable in the long run.

Raising awareness, not locally but globally, was the mission. This led to the foundation of EnvironmentBuddy! Your email address will not be published. Environment Buddy. F Farming. Table of Contents What does Cultivation Mean? What is Overcultivation? Causes of Over cultivation 1. Overpopulation 2. Increased Fertilizer Use 3. Increased Pesticide Use 4. Limited Agricultural land; which is reducing already! Damage to land desertification 2.

Deforestation 3. Soil Erosion 4.



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