For example, moderate desertification causes a 10–25% drop in agricultural productivity, while severe desertification can result in a productivity loss of 50% or more. The International Food Policy Research Institute uses such data to show that, while food production may largely be maintained by ever-increasing inputs, there are ‘hotspots’ of serious land degradation in vulnerable places such as north-east Thailand, northern China, and many African drylands (Scherr and Yadav 1996). Converting big parts of the land surface to agriculture have severe environmental and health consequences. ... India’s precarious groundwater situation, land degradation and the threat of climate change all together make CA a desirable proposition – at least if we intend to tackle these challenges without comprising our … This calls for effective strategies and methods for its implementation, which requires the cooperation of specialists from many disciplines. Land Degradation Land Degradation. Eastern Africa including Ethiopia has experienced moderate to severe land degradation problems as shown in Figure 10. Soil degradation is a serious global environmental problem and may be exacerbated by climate change. For reasons outlined above, poor farmers are led to clear forest, cultivate steep slopes without conservation, overgraze rangelands, make unbalanced fertilizer applications, and the other causes noted above. Such soil salinization increases the osmotic pressure of the root medium, leading to a reduction of the vegetation's ability to tolerate water stress. Severe salinization and waterlogging may lead to complete crop failure. The 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro revived interest. Image Guidelines 5. Continuous tillage of the soil definitely lead to land degradation and leaching which in turn leads to loss of soil nutrients. In this way, they can change the enzyme conformation structure, thus, altering the enzyme specificity, activity, and functions (Kamiya et al., 2000) and consequently improve the degradation of chemical contaminants. Acidification, compaction and salinization are some other causes of agricultural land degradation. Yet, it is an old problem (e.g., Jacks and Whyte 1939), that has undergone a series of often-emotive revivals every decade since the Dust Bowl era in the mid-West USA (e.g., Osborn 1948, Carson 1962, Commoner 1972; Blaikie and Brookfield 1986). There are different causes for the different types/forms of land degradation, and causes may differ from one country or state/province to another (depending on factors like agricultural practices, other environmental pollution factors and so on). According to a study conducted by Ajai et al. FAO has a mandate to: support its member countries and partners in developing or reforming norms, standards and policies; provide technical advice; and implement national and local programmes through capacity development and technical knowledge management activities. 5. They cover over 40% of the earth's land surface, and are home to more than two billion people. The European Union (EU) recently established several major projects, such as Mediterranean Desertification and Land Use (MEDALUS). 2. Land degradation is a global problem largely related to agricultural use, deforestation and climate change. Under this condition, irrigation water fills all the soil pores in the root zone and obstructs the gas exchange between soil and air. It results into reduced growth of vegetation, reduced diversity of plant species, excessive growth of unwanted plant species, soil erosion, and degradation of land due to cattle movement. Intensive irrigation on a single patch of soil has caused a lot of the soil to be compressed and/or washed off. It is & practice in which cultivated crops are sown in alternative strips to prevent water movement. Agricultural land degradation and its end result of desertification have been receiving considerable attention by the international community in recent decades. agricultural practices. Report a Violation, Land Degradation: Mechanisms and Causes of Land Degradation, Land Degradation: 9 Main Causes of Land Degradation, Mineral Resources: Useful Notes on the Types and Uses of Mineral Resources. This causes the buildup of chemicals harmful to plant growth. CAUSES OF LAND DEGRADATION 1. Land degradation is not a new issue in the Mediterranean. Privacy Policy 8. Nevertheless, in the search for sustainable global futures, land degradation has once again come to the fore. Based on the chemical characteristics of the biosurfactants, the pollutants, and the physiology of the microorganisms, both stimulating and inhibitory effects of biosurfactants have been reported (Van Hamme et al., 2006). Arid and semi-arid areas (or ‘dry lands’) generally receive an annual rainfall less than 600 mm, with high interannual variability. So reports the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), an independent intergovernmental body set up by UN member states, in a new summary for policy makers. There are several different processes associated with the desertification phenomenon: degradation of vegetation cover; soil erosion; soil compaction; and waterlogging and salinization in irrigated lands. The figure shows that very severe degradation occurred in northern Ethiopia (the food basket area), Sudan, and part of Somalia. Such factors include access to markets, land tenure, and local governance; external factors, such as natural disasters and conflict and war; and economic drivers, such as international policy and trade agreements. As the vegetation cover decreases, soil compaction occurs as a result of the livestock trampling and rain drop tapping, which increases the proportion of fine materials in the top soil, thus accelerating soil erosion. water quality, air pollution, soil contamination. The National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning (NBSS&LUP) estimates projected an area of 187 mha as degraded lands in 19… LAND DEGRADATION IN GUJARAT: AN OVERVIEW 279 Jr. of Industrial Pollution Control 31(2)(2015) pp 279-284 ... Degradation, Water, Deforestation, Population, Agriculture ABSTRACT Land degradation can be considered in terms of the loss of actual or potential productivity or utility as a result of natural or anthropic factors; it is the decline in land quality or reduction in its productivity. Hailey's (1938) African Survey called it the ‘scourge of Africa,’ providing the reader with images of sediment-choked rivers and barren hillsides. Owing to the low level of rainfall and the shortness of a favorable growing season, the ecosystem of dry lands feature low biomass and poor resilience; the carrying capacity of the land, which is the number of people and animals the land can normally support, is very small. Increasing growth of population and demand for more residential areas and commercial sectors is also one of the reasons for land degradation. Land degradation means: 1) Loss of natural fertility of soil because of loss of nutrients. We hope this will be of use to scientists from different disciplines that are involved in ecological restoration projects and can stimulate meaningful interdisciplinary cooperation in this field. In most cases, the desert is not expanding continuously on the human time scale, although its boundary may advance and retreat in response to interannual climate variability. 2 billion people and the impact of its effects will only grow with time. It affects the land's capacity to supply ecosystem services, such as producing food or hosting biodiversity, to mention the most well-known ones. Roger R.B. Land degradation: Role of agricultural practices Most of these practices are not tuned to the natural processes and the natural variety of nature. Desertification is a land degradation process that occurs in drylands. In practice, productivity growth has steadily improved with support from industry and government sponsored research and … Land degradation is the major consequences of direct interference of human activities in the natural phenomenon. Gradually, the top soil loses its fertility. Deforestation accounts for the major land degradation problem as it results in severe soil erosion, flood, and loss of fertile soil. 4. ScienceDirect ® is a registered trademark of Elsevier B.V. ScienceDirect ® is a registered trademark of Elsevier B.V. URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B008043076704184X, URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780123847034005177, URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B0122268652000687, URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780124076860000038, URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S006521131830021X, URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780123847195002896, URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780123847034002276, URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378519X97800050, URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B012227090800035X, URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128053560000027, International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, 2001, International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, Vulnerability of Water Resources to Climate, http://www.envirosecurity.org/espa/horn-ofafrica/maps_images.php, Biosurfactants for Sustainable Soil Management, Encyclopedia of Biodiversity (Second Edition), Vulnerability of Food Resources to Climate, The Role of Trees in Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture in the Tropics. Agricultural practices also emit non-CO 2 greenhouse gases from soils and these 15 emissions are exacerbated by climate change (medium confidence). The annual rate of growth in food production and yield peaked during the early years of the Green Revolution, but it has declined since the 1980s (GoI 2004 83 pp.). As annual agriculture expands, the land loses the protection of vegetation, especially during the dry season, and suffers from severe wind erosion. ... Inappropriate land management practices refer to the use of land in ways which could be sustainable if properly managed, but where the necessary practices are not adopted. In other words, it can be as a consequence of poor management of our natural capital (soils, water, vegetation, etc.). However, rapidly changing social and economic conditions—along with the potential for climate change—pose many serious challenges to the Mediterranean region. Degradation of soil as a result of Erosion 2. Plant-based biosurfactants have excellent emulsification properties, although they are expensive to produce on an industrial scale. Stocking, in International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, 2001. For instance, over a period of time, Ethiopia’s original forest cover was reduced from 65% to a mere 2.2% of the total country’s area coverage (Berry 2003). A Classification of agricultural land degradation in Australia A1 B Classification of agricultural regions in New South Wales B1 C The extent of land degradation in Australia C1 D Conceptual model of land degradation, farm output and profits D1 ... resources for future agricultural use. The driving force for the renewed interest comes from new data from international projects such as the Dutch-based Global Assessment of Soil Degradation (see Table 1). Deforestation and inappropriate agricultural practices especially on sloping lands often lead to soil … Its drivers are related to both human activity and the climate,and depend on the specific context. Land degradation may be caused by i.e. Overgrazing refers to excessive eating of grasses and other green plants by cattle. The consequences of these include soil erosion, the loss of soil nutrients, changes to the amount of salt in the soil, and disruptions to the carbon, nitrogen and water cycles – collectively known as land degradation. In addition, compacted soil allows less water to infiltrate, limiting the water resources for plant uptake. It can be prevented by formation of ridge and furrow during irrigation which lessens run off. The mid-term assessment of the 11th Five Year Plan (GoI 2008a) suggests that the fertilizers used for enhancing the crop production has led to micronutrient deficiencies in the soil, leading to reduced capacity of crop growth and production. Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. or its licensors or contributors. Plagiarism Prevention 4. Yet, there is no doubt that the sustained research and institutional effort in the US, spurred originally by the Dust Bowl era, has not only raised awareness of land degradation but also done much to conserve that nation's soils today. Changes in the characteristic of soil. All of these things result in lower crop yields, which in turn lead to hunger, malnutrition, and increased health risks, all of which manifest as declining livelihoods and so return the cycle to a desire for security and wealth. Another destructive agricultural practice is the ‘slashing and burning’ of natural perennial vegetation, including trees and shrubs, to clear land for annual agriculture. In an attempt to make the concept more meaningful, Leakey (2010) added some steps to a conceptual diagram of the land degradation and social deprivation cycle. Thus, there is a global interest not only in exploring the green technologies for remediation of such problematic soils but also in devising strategies for sustainable plant protection and improvement of crop yields. High population pressure, especially in the highland, has led to a decline in arable area, which in turn led to agricultural encroachment onto marginal areas. Moreover, plant-based surfactants have other issues such as solubility and hydrophobicity (Xu et al., 2011). While the World Commission on Environment and Development (Brundtland 1987) highlighted sustainable development, land degradation was only then seen as a shadowy adversary in achieving long-term productive agriculture. Changes in climatic conditions because of unbalanced created in the environment. In particular, the availability, distribution, and use of water underlies many of the contemporary themes of land degradation. 4) Pollution of water resources from the contamination of soil through which water sweeps into ground or runoff to the water bodies. It is one of the agricultural practice in which different crops are grown in same area following a rotation system which helps in replenishment of the soil. Unsustainable agricultural practices include: In this highly interactive cycle, a desire for security and wealth drives deforestation, overgrazing, and unsustainable use of soils and water, all of which cause agroecosystem degradation. Desertification refers to land degradation in arid, semi-arid, and dry semi-humid areas resulting from various human impacts. The main causes of erosion on agricultural land are intensive cultivation, overgrazing, poor management of arable soils and deforestation. Content Filtrations 6. Normally they increase the bioavailability of hydrophobic compounds by reducing their water repellence (Paradelo et al., 2009). The issue of land degradation is further contributing to the loss of production. The historical stereotype of land degradation is that it is a process ruining the planet, and a destruction caused by ignorant peasants, who will in short time reap the folly of their degrading activities. G. Wang, G.S. Before publishing your articles on this site, please read the following pages: 1. Land Degradation. Historically, the failure to recognize and include the interdependencies of these three dimensions has slowed progress by the UNCCD in tackling the enormous problem of dryland degradation, although recent developments are encouraging. 3. In the case of overcultivation of marginal lands, land is cleared of natural vegetation for agriculture, but is then abandoned after crop failure. 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