CHECKING SOIL EROSION
Soil erosion is the loss of soil from land surface due to gravity, wind, water or ice. Wind and water erosion are major land degrading processes in India. Excess rainfall causes leaching of nutrients and creates deficiencies in micro-nutrients whereas erosion by wind damages the land by drying out the soil and also by carrying away the finest particles of soil, particularly of organic matter, clay and loam, that reduces the fertility of the soil. Traditional methods such as contour bunding, stubble mulching and grassed waterways have been in use to prevent soil loss and augment moisture conservation. Measures of soil conservation would help to improve soils, prevent soil loss, conserve moisture and maintain the productivity of soil. These methods include use of shelter belts and earth basins with infiltration pits, and engineering measures as construction of check dams and gabion walls.