Soil Erosion and Conservation
Denudation of soil cover & washing down of soil is called soil erosion
Causes
Human Activities
Overgrazing
Construction
Mining
Defective farming methods
Natural Factors
Wind
Glacier
Water
Cuts through clayey soil and makes deep channels called gullies
This land is called bad land and is unfit for cultivation
Water also flows as a sheet and erodes topsoil which is called sheet erosion
Ploughing along contour lines decelerates flow of water down the slopes called contour ploughing
Steps can be cut out on slope, making terraces. This restricts erosion
Strips of grass left to grow b/w crops breaks up force of wind
Planting trees to create shelter also works in the same way, which are called shelter belts
Western and Central Himalayas have well developed terrace farming
Shelter belts stabilize sand dunes and desert in western India