3.7 Managing Soil Erosion

2026 Syllabus Objectives

By the end of these notes, you should be able to:

  1. Describe and explain strategies to reduce soil erosion
  2. Know and understand the following specific strategies: terracing, contour ploughing, bunds, wind breaks, maintaining vegetation cover, addition of organic matter to improve soil structure, planting trees, mixed cropping, intercropping, and crop rotation

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What is Soil Erosion — A Quick Reminder

Soil erosion is when the top layer of soil (the most fertile part) is worn away and carried off by wind or water. This is a serious problem because it removes the nutrients that plants need to grow, making farmland less productive over time. Managing soil erosion means using smart farming techniques to stop or slow this process down.

Strategy 1: Terracing

Terracing means cutting a steep hillside into a series of flat, step-like platforms — like a giant staircase carved into the slope.

  • On a steep slope, rainwater rushes quickly downhill, picking up soil and washing it away.
  • When the slope is broken up into flat steps (terraces), the water slows down. It has nowhere to rush, so it soaks into the soil instead of carrying it away.
  • Each flat terrace acts like a shelf that holds the soil in place.
  • This technique is very common in countries like China, Indonesia, and Peru, where rice and other crops are grown on steep hillsides.

How it reduces erosion: It slows the speed of water moving down slopes, so the water loses its power to carry soil away.

Strategy 2: Contour Ploughing

Ploughing means turning over the soil before planting crops. Contour ploughing means ploughing across a slope, following the natural curves of the land (called contour lines), rather than ploughing straight up and down the slope.

  • When farmers plough straight up and down a slope, the furrows (the grooves made by the plough) act like channels. Rainwater flows straight down them, picking up speed and washing soil away.
  • When farmers plough across the slope, the furrows run side to side. They act like tiny barriers that catch rainwater and slow it down.
  • The water sits in the furrows and soaks into the soil rather than rushing downhill.

How it reduces erosion: The horizontal furrows trap water and prevent it from flowing freely down the slope, so less soil is carried away.

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