Soil Erosion and Degradation

Intensive farming has devastated soil quality and led to significant soil erosion. The heavy use of chemicals has had a detrimental affect on micro-organisms in the soil and single crop farming is resulting in topsoil being lost and therefore organic matter in soils being reduced.

Topsoil generally has a high level of biological activity and a great amount of organic matter. When this soil is lost through erosion, there is a substantial loss of nutrients and trace elements which leads to poor plant growth. Farmers then need to use more chemical fertilisers just to maintain their output. This excessive use of fertilisers results in runoff affecting water supplies which may result in algal blooms and the death of native wildlife.

Growing single crops on large farms decreases the nutrients and minerals in soil due to a lack of diversity. This also results in more diseases and pests affecting crops which then require an increased use of pesticides. This lack of diversity has also led to a dramatic loss of native wildlife such as snakes, frogs, butterflies, and small mammals.

The loss of the protective native vegetation to make way for crops makes topsoil susceptible to being washed away by wind and water. If topsoil and the level of organic matter are reduced, the soil loses its structure and becomes compacted resulting in more erosion. If the topsoil has eroded away and plants are no longer able to grow there, the land can become unarable. Unarable land is generally lost forever, it is almost impossible to restore it to its original state.

Organic farming practices help to prevent soil erosion and degradation as these practices are based on building long term healthy, fertile soils. This includes using composted animal manures and plant matter as fertiliser, using companion planting to reduce the need for pesticides, and implementing crop rotation to increase nutrients in the soil.

Adding compost to the soil increases the number of micro-organisms, earthworms, and insects in the soil which improves the growth of crops and helps to control pests. Although there are more weeds in organic farms, this adds to plant diversity and flowering weeds attract important pollinators.

Planting mixed crops and rotating crops are important in reducing erosion as is increasing the number of native plants in the area, introducing wind breaks, and reducing or stopping ploughing. Reducing the use of tractors to plough land can help prevent soil erosion and degradation.

Farms which use organic farming methods typically have more organic matter in the soil, more nutrients, less runoff, and less erosion.