Question

25 billion tons of soil are lost through erosion as a result of farming every year . What do you think happens to that soil ? In your opinion can something like the dust bowl ever occur here ? What could we do to prevent it

Answer 1

Answer:

Soils are the key ingredient for the plants and crops to grow. A large amount of soil is eroded every year due to the practice of farming. This is about 25 billion tons of soils.

Due to the various type of agricultural practices, the topsoil comprising the valuable minerals are continuously eroded by factors such as wind and water. This results in the increasing loss of soil fertility, and also it can lead to the occurrence of droughts, sandstorms, and dust bowls.

Dust bowls are the region where there occurs no rainfall and absence of vegetation, and soils are eroded drastically making a sandy dust environment, and affecting the ecosystem.

In order to prevent these effects, certain steps must be taken, and they are as follows-

• Planting more trees and crops so that the wind cannot cause much impact on the area.

• The waste vegetative particles and matters must be allowed to distribute evenly over the surface of these areas, so that wind cannot easily transport these sediments.

• Mulching of the soil must be done.

• By constructing the retaining walls.