Soil.
Have you ever, even for a brief moment, stopped to wonder about this fundamental resource? How easy it is to overlook the omnipresent soil, because, hey, it is always there, inert and infinite. I will have you know that soil is anything but inert, and anything but infinite. It is very much non-renewable. It holds within itself the capacity to make or break ecosystems, global food production systems, water availability, and resilience to extreme weather events and climate crisis even.
Soil erosion poses the greatest threat to the health of the soil and world’s food security. Erosion is nothing but the removal of topsoil, the most fertile layer, rich in nutrients, minerals, water and microorganisms, that is crucial for the growth of natural vegetation as well as food crops. It is important to understand that soil erosion is a natural, continual process caused by wind and water. But, when human activities such as intensive and unsustainable agricultural practices, overgrazing, and rampant deforestation are brought into the equation, the rate of soil erosion spikes by about a 1,000 times. And this far outstrips the soil formation rate. It takes up to a thousand years to form and restore just a few centimeters of soil. At the rate at which we are going, soil, enough to fill up a soccer field, is getting eroded every five seconds. If nothing changes, and improving soil health does not immediately become a priority, we stand to witness degradation of more than 90 per cent of all soil on the planet by 2050. That is a catastrophe we don’t want to take on.
Photo: Aditya Joshi
The impacts of soil erosion are near and far reaching in terms of geography and severity.
Water is caught, stored and filtered by soil, and erosion of topsoil denudes this capacity, affecting water absorption and filtration. When the number of plants whose roots hold the soil together reduces, more and more soil comes loose and becomes vulnerable to erosion. In instances of heavy rainfall, such degraded and loose soil is unable to absorb much water, making the region prone to intense and more frequent flooding. The eroded soil, along with the nutrients and minerals, as well as agrochemicals runoffs find their way into waterbodies, causing increased sedimentation affecting the quality of water and flow, pollution and eutrophication (accumulation of excessive nutrients from the soil runoffs in waterbodies resulting in excessive growth of vegetation such as algae and other aquatic plants which is detrimental to the aquatic life and its ecology).
When events like droughts, overgrazing, fires and deforestation render the topsoil exposed to elements like wind and water, damage could be irreversible and the original vegetation may not be able to recover despite restoration efforts. This is how desertification sets in.
Soil erosion is only intensifying the vicissitudes of climate change by hampering resilience of communities by putting our food, water, social, cultural and economic security in danger. From a human perspective, we are looking at an impending apocalypse, further accelerated by soil erosion.
Photo: Anish Andheria
Restoring vegetation cover is known to reduce erosion due to wind by nearly 80 per cent and helps to increase water absorption. Control measures in the form of sustainable agricultural practices such as no-till methods, terracing, crop rotation, agro-forestry etc. have known to do well in mitigating soil erosion. The world needs to rise up to stop erosion. Collaborative soil management efforts of farmers, policymakers, scientists, and communities can turn this downward spiral around. Over 90 per cent of our food comes from soil, and our lives depend on this magnificent natural resource, which is non-renewable, irreplaceable and life-giving.
A renewed appreciation and respect for soil are in order.
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About the Author: Purva Variyar is a conservation and science writer at the Wildlife Conservation Trust, India.
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Disclaimer: The author is associated with Wildlife Conservation Trust. The views and opinions expressed in the article are her own and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Wildlife Conservation Trust.
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