How to measure soil erosion in sloping lands?

Abstract

Soil erosion is a gradual process that occurs when the effects of water or wind detach and remove soil particles from the ground (Al-Kaisi, 2000). According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), soil erosion poses the single greatest threat to global food security, with an estimated 33% of the world’s soil already degraded by erosion (FAO, 2015). While sloping land is a crucial resource for upland agriculture, it is also susceptible to erosion. Soil erosion and nutrient losses from sloping land are exacerbated by reduced water infiltration capacity, topographical characteristics, irregular and heavy rainfall events, and inadequate agricultural management techniques (Mao et al., 2020). The erosion of topsoil results in the loss of soil organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, leading to decreased soil fertility and adverse impacts on crop production (Sulaeman and Westhoff, 2020).

Evaluating soil erosion processes is critical for understanding the extent and causes of erosion, assessing environmental implications, planning conservation activities, developing erosion prediction systems, and implementing conservation policies (Hassim et al., 1995; Toy et al., 2002).

Published in

Publisher: ICRAF

SLU Authors

• Van Hung, Do

  • Department of Crop Production Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • World Agroforestry (ICRAF)

• Pham, Huu Thuong

  • Department of Crop Production Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • World Agroforestry (ICRAF)

UKÄ Subject classification

Agricultural Science
Soil Science

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/140522