Soil Erosion and Crop Productivity Loss in Palghar and Thane Districts of Maharashtra

Present research work was carried out on soil erosion and crop productivity loss in Palghar and Thane districts. The study also describes tolerable soil loss and relationship between top-soil loss and yield loss. The estimated average annual soil loss was 40.45 t ha-1yr-1 before adoption of the soil and water conservation measures (by USLE method) and estimated average tolerable soil loss was 9.36 t ha-1 yr-1, for Palghar district. Similarly, for Thane district the estimated average annual soil loss and tolerable soil loss were found to be 35.89 t ha-1 yr-1 and 9.61 t ha-1 yr-1, respectively for Thane district. The estimated average conservation practice factor (P) factors were obtained as 0.32 for Palghar district and 0.30 for Thane district to bring the soil loss below the tolerable limit. After adoption of soil and water conservation measures, the estimated soil loss were 9.02 t ha-1 yr-1 and 9.38 t ha-1 yr-1 for Palghar and Thane districts, respectively.

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The effect of natural infrastructure on water erosion mitigation in the Andes

10.5194/soil-2021-76 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Veerle Vanacker ◽

Armando Molina ◽

Miluska Rosas-Barturen ◽

Vivien Bonnesoeur ◽

Francisco Román-Dañobeytia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Water Conservation ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Southern Oscillation ◽

Soil And Water Conservation ◽

The Andes ◽

Conservation Measures ◽

Erosion Mitigation ◽

Soil And Water ◽

Loss Rates

Abstract. Soil erosion by water is affecting natural and anthropogenic environments through its impacts on water quality and availability, loss of soil nutrients, flood risk, sedimentation in rivers and streams, and damage to civil infrastructure. Sustainable management aims to avoid, reduce and reverse soil erosion and can provide multiple benefits for the environment, population, and livelihoods. We conducted a systematic review of 121 case studies from the Andes to answer the following questions: (1) Which erosion indicators allow us to assess the effectiveness of natural infrastructure? (2) What is the overall impact of working with natural infrastructure on on-site and off-site erosion mitigation? and (3) Which locations and types of studies are needed to fill critical gaps in knowledge and research? Three major categories of natural infrastructure were considered: protective vegetation, soil and water conservation measures, and adaptation measures that regulate the flow and transport of water. From the suite of physical, chemical and biological indicators commonly used in soil erosion research, two indicators were particularly relevant: soil organic carbon (SOC) of topsoil, and soil loss rates at the plot scale. In areas with protective vegetation and/or soil and water conservation measures, the SOC of topsoil is –on average– 1.3 to 2.8 times higher than in areas under traditional agriculture. Soil loss rates in areas with natural infrastructure were reported to be 38 % to 54 % lower than rates measured in untreated croplands. Further research is needed to evaluate whether the reported effectiveness holds during extreme events related to, for example, El Niño–Southern Oscillation.

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Natural infrastructure interventions and their effect on soil erosion mitigation in the Andes

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-11975 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Armando Molina ◽

Veerle Vanacker ◽

Miluska Rosas-Barturen ◽

Boris Ochoa-Tocachi ◽

Vivien Bonnesoeur ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Water Conservation ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Soil And Water Conservation ◽

The Andes ◽

Conservation Measures ◽

Erosion Mitigation ◽

Andes Region ◽

Soil And Water

The Andes region is prone to soil erosion because of its steep topographic relief, high spatio-temporal variability in precipitation and heterogeneity in lithological strength. Soil erosion by water is affecting natural and anthropogenic environments through its impacts on water quality and availability, loss of soil nutrients, flood risk, sedimentation in rivers and streams, and damage to civil infrastructure. Sustainable land and water management, referred here as natural infrastructure interventions, aims to avoid, reduce and reverse soil erosion and can provide multiple benefits for the environment, population and livelihoods. In this study, we present a systematic review of peer-reviewed and grey literature involving more than 120 local case-studies from the Andes. Three major categories of natural infrastructure interventions were considered: protective vegetation, soil and water conservation measures, and adaptation measures that regulate the flow and transport of water. The analysis was designed to answer the following research questions: (1) Which soil erosion indicators allow us to assess the effectiveness of natural infrastructure interventions across the Andean range? (2) What is the overall impact of implementing natural infrastructure interventions for on-site and off-site erosion mitigation?The systematic review shows that the effectiveness of protective vegetation on soil erosion mitigation is the most commonly studied characteristic, accounting for more than half of the empirical studies. From the suite of physical, chemical and biological indicators that were commonly used in soil erosion research, our review identified two indicators to be particularly suitable for the analyses of the effectiveness of natural infrastructure interventions: soil organic carbon (SOC) of the topsoil, and soil loss rates at plot scale. The implementation of soil and water conservation measures in areas under traditional agriculture had positive effects on SOC (1.28 to 1.29 times higher SOC than in agricultural land). Soil loss rates were 54% lower when implementing SWC than on cropland. When implementing SWC in rangeland, the data indicated an increase in soil loss rate by 1.54 times. Untreated degraded land is reported to have significantly higher soil loss and specific sediment yield compared to cropland.The results of this systematic review allows to assess the overall effectiveness of commonly used natural infrastructure interventions, which can guide policy and decision making in the Andes. Similarly, the review identified critical gaps in knowledge that must be attended by more comprehensive research to consider the high spatiotemporal variability of the Andes region.

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Remote Sensing and GIS-Based Soil Loss Assessment Using RUSLE Model -A Case Study of Bareli Watershed, Seoni District of Madhya Pradesh

Agropedology ◽

10.47114/j.agroped.2019.dec1 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Sagar N. Ingle ◽

◽

M.S.S. Nagaraju ◽

Nirmal Kumar ◽

Nisha Sahu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Remote Sensing ◽

Soil Erosion ◽

Water Conservation ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Madhya Pradesh ◽

Soil And Water Conservation ◽

Rainfall Erosivity ◽

Rusle Model ◽

Conservation Measures ◽

Soil And Water

A quantitative assessment of soil loss was done using Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model, remote sensing and digital elevation model (DEM) in integrated raster based GIS in Bareli watershed, Seoni district of Madhya Pradesh. GIS data layers including rainfall erosivity (R), soil erodibility (K), slope length and steepness (LS), cover management (C) and conservation practice (P) factors were computed and integrated to compute average annual soil loss in the watershed. The watershed has been delineated into very low (<10 t ha-1yr-1), low (10–25 t ha-1yr-1), moderate (25–50 t ha-1yr-1), severe (50–100 t ha-1yr-1) and very severe (>100 t ha-1yr-1) soil erosion classes. The study indicated that 63.8% of TGA is under very low to low followed by 14.3% of TGA under moderate soil erosion class. The severe and very severe erosion classes constitute 21.9 % of TGA which warrant immediate attention for preparing strategies for soil and water conservation measures. Various soil and water conservation measures have been suggested based on landforms, soil, slope, land use and soil loss for sustainable management of land resources to improve the productivity of these lands.

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The effects of farmers’ adoption behavior of soil and water conservation measures on agricultural output

International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management ◽

10.1108/ijccsm-02-2020-0014 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 599-615

Author(s):

Xiaohui Huang ◽

Qian Lu ◽

Fei Yang

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Water Conservation ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Soil And Water Conservation ◽

Agricultural Output ◽

Content Type ◽

Conservation Measures ◽

The Impact ◽

Soil And Water

Purpose This paper aims to build a theoretical model of the impact of farmers’ adoption behavior of soil and water conservation measures on the agricultural output to analyze the impact of farmers’ adoption behavior of soil and water conservation measures on agricultural output. Design/methodology/approach Based on the field survey data of 808 farmers households in three provinces (regions) of the Loess Plateau, this paper using the endogenous switching regression model to analyze the effect of farmers’ adoption behavior of soil and water conservation measures on agricultural output. Findings Soil erosion has a significant negative impact on agricultural output, and soil erosion has a significant positive impact on farmers’ adoption of soil and water conservation measures. Farmers adopt soil and water conservation measures such as engineering measures, biological measures and tillage measures to cope with soil erosion, which can increase agricultural output. Based on the counterfactual hypothesis, if farmers who adopt soil and water conservation measures do not adopt the corresponding soil and water conservation measures, their average output per ha output will decrease by 2.01%. Then, if farmers who do not adopt soil and water conservation measures adopt the corresponding soil and water conservation measures, their average output per ha output will increase by 12.12%. Government support and cultivated land area have a significant positive impact on farmers’ adoption behavior of soil and water conservation measures. Research limitations/implications The research limitation is the lack of panel data. Practical implications Soil erosion has a significant negative impact on agricultural output, and soil erosion has a significant positive impact on farmers’ adoption of soil and water conservation measures. Farmers adopt soil and water conservation measures such as engineering measures, biological measures and tillage measures to cope with soil erosion, which can increase agricultural output. Social implications The conclusion provides a reliable empirical basis for the government to formulate and implement relevant policies. Originality/value The contributions of this paper are as follows: the adoption behavior of soil and water conservation measures and agricultural output are included into the same analytical framework for empirical analysis, revealing the influencing factors of farmers’ adoption behavior of soil and water conservation measures and their output effects, enriching existing research. Using endogenous switching regression model and introducing instrumental variables to overcome the endogenous problem between the adoption behavior of soil and water conservation measures and agricultural output, and to analyze the influencing factors of farmers’ adoption behavior of soil and water conservation measures and its impact on agricultural output. Using the counter-factual idea to ensure that the two matched individuals have the same or similar attributes, to evaluate the average treatment effect of the behavior of soil and water conservation measures, to estimate the real impact of adaptation measures on agricultural output as accurately as possible and to avoid misleading policy recommendations.

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Application of a RUSLE-based soil erosion modelling on Mauritius Island

Soil Research ◽

10.1071/sr12175 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 50 (8) ◽

pp. 645 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Rody Nigel ◽

Soonil D. D. V. Rughooputh

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Water Conservation ◽

Soil Loss ◽

Regional Scale ◽

Soil And Water Conservation ◽

Geographical Information ◽

Environmental Damage ◽

Total Soil ◽

Mauritius Island ◽

Soil And Water

Soil erosion by water is one of the most important natural resources management problems in the world. The damages it causes on-site are soil loss, breakdown of soil structure, and decline in organic matter content, nutrient content, fertility, and infiltration rate. Lands with the highest erosion risk on Mauritius Island are crop cultivations (sugarcane, tea, vegetables) on erosion-susceptible terrain (slopes >20% coupled with highly erodible soils). The locations of such lands on Mauritius were mapped during previous, qualitatively based regional-scale erosion studies. In order to propose soil conservation strategies, there is a need to apply a more quantitative approach to supplement the previous, qualitatively based studies. This paper reports an application of the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) within a geographical information system in order to estimate soil loss on the island, and particularly for the high-erosion areas. Results show that total soil loss on the island is estimated at 298 259 t year–1, with soil loss from high-erosion areas summing 84 780 t year–1 (28% of total soil loss). If all of the high-erosion areas were afforested, their soil loss would be reduced to 10 264 t year–1, i.e. a reduction of 88% for the high-erosion areas and a reduction of 25% for the island. This study thus calls for soil and water conservation programs directed to these erosion-prone areas before the land degradation and environmental damage they are causing become irreversible. The methodological approach used in this work to quantitatively estimate soil loss from erosion-prone areas can be adopted in other countries as the basis for a nationwide erosion assessment in order to better inform environmental policy needs for soil and water conservation.

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Review on Dynamics of Soil Erosion and Conservation Efforts in Ethiopia

Asian Journal of Advanced Research and Reports ◽

10.9734/ajarr/2020/v10i330243 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 27-32

Author(s):

Yibeltal Yihunie

Keyword(s):

Soil Erosion ◽

Water Conservation ◽

Temporal Dynamics ◽

Participatory Approach ◽

Soil And Water Conservation ◽

International Standards ◽

Research Activities ◽

Conservation Measures ◽

Soil Erosion And Conservation ◽

Soil And Water

This paper was aimed to review the spatial and temporal dynamics of soil erosion and conservation efforts being practiced in Ethiopia. In the country, there is highly fluctuating dynamics of soil erosion and its loss rate is large as per the stated international standards. Even if the efforts to conserve soil and water in the country are affected by different factors like agro ecology and the choice of conservation measures, it was practiced since 1970s. Apart from the government’s effort as well as the contribution of different non-governmental organizations in increasing the awareness and understanding towards the impacts of soil erosion, the land tenure system, the existence of poor technology, lack of finance, limited technical support and limited participation of the local community are some of the challenges in Ethiopia restricting the effectiveness of conservation efforts. In addition, the research activities done regarding soil and water conservation in the country are not following integrated and participatory approach. Thus, this makes the efforts regarding research and finding out the best approach for sustainable soil and water conservation practices inefficient. Therefore, promoting integrated and participatory approach as well as linking with income generating business like carbon trading through climate change mitigation is the best options for the expansion and sustainability of soil and water conservation measures in Ethiopia.

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