The role of modern agricultural practices in enhancing soil erosion resistance

Abstract This review focuses on conservation agriculture (CA) and its effects on increasing the soil’s resistance to erosion. CA involves minimum soil disturbance (minimum tillage/ no-till), diversified crop rotation, and maintenance of the soil cover to increase soil fertility and reduce erosion. CA reduces soil loss by up to 90% and water erosion by approximately 50 to 70% from runoff as it increases the health of the soil, yield of crops, and water-retention capacity of the soil by incorporating soil organic matter and promoting biodiversity. Crop rotation prevents the replenishment and depletion of soil nutrients by atmospheric fixation of nitrogen/biological nitrogen fixation. Controlled traffic farming (CTF) is a new strategy in which traveling by agricultural equipment is minimized to preserve the integrity of the land and soil, and compaction is reduced. It has advanced tools such as remote sensing (RS) to assess the erosion of soil and to evaluate the effectiveness of such practices in place. They enhance farmers’ capacity for better management of the resources and access to accurate information about the soil. Even though the previously discussed practices have numerous benefits, there are shortcomings and limitations to implementing CA practices for enhanced resistance of the soil to erosion. CA entails a special tool, the affordability of which may not be accessible to small-scale farmers or farmers in developing countries. In addition, the deployment of advanced methods such as RS requires investment in technology and infrastructure. Environmental issues of more weeds and pests where the appropriate pesticides are not used, also face CA, and the technological issue of implementing advanced methods in certain regions. Finally, the practice of CA entails providing training and education to the farmers on the correct use of new technologies and new approaches, which can be difficult in some regions with limited training materials. Finally, the review highlights the importance of implementing these practices to ensure agricultural and environmental sustainability because CA is an essential means of ensuring sustainable farm productivity and improvement in soil erosion resistance.