Land Degradation - Causes And Effects

Land (Soil) Degradation :

Land degradation is the process of deterioration of soil or loss of fertility of the soil. 

Harmful Effects of land (soil) degradation :

1. The Soil texture and structure are deteriorated 

2. Loss of soil fertility, due to loss of  invaluable nutrients.

3. Increase in water logging, salinity, alkalinity and acidity problems.

4. Loss of  Economic social and biodiversity.

Causes of (or factors influencing) land degradation :

1.Population : As population increases, more land is needed for producing food, fibre and fuel wood. hence there is more pressure on the limited land resources, which are getting degraded due to over exploitation. 

2.Urbanisation : The increased urbanization due  to population growth reduces the extent of agricultural land. To compensate the loss of agricultural land, new lands comprising natural ecosystems such as forests are cleared. Thus urbanization leads to deforestation, which in turn affects millions of plant and animal species. 

3. Fertilizers and Pesticides : Increased applications of fertilizers and pesticides are needed to increase farm output in the new lands, which again leads to pollution of land and water and soil degradation.

4.Damage of  Top Soil : Increase in food production generally leads to damage of top soil through nutrient depletion.

5.Water logging, Soil erosion, salination and contamination of the soil with industrial wastes all cause land degradation.