Agriculture & Soil Degradation — The Conscious Challenge
Land degradation is happening at an alarming pace and is affecting regions inhabited by over one-third of the global population. This phenomenon contributes to a dramatic decline in the productivity of croplands worldwide, thereby threatening food security and environmental quality. A major part of soil depletion is due to the lands over-use and the products that we pour on it. We can consider that agriculture is responsible for 80% of the soil degradation in Europe and scientists estimate that 40% of lands in Europe are already degraded because of human actions. 


Some major aspects identified as drivers of soil degradation are:



Biodiversity decline

Induced by soil contamination, erosion, salinisation and sealing; Soil biodiversity reflects the mix of living organisms in the soil. These organisms interact with one another and with plants and small animals forming a web of biological activity.



Soil compaction

Induced by machinery use leads to a reduction in biological activity, porosity and permeability. It reduces water storage and conduct and make soil less permeable to plant roots, can affect water infiltration capacity and increase erosion risk by accelerating run‐off.



Livestock

In this desertification of our soils we can target livestock and animal exploitation as the biggest actor in the changes that we know.

Livestock are also responsible because of their excrement, which are highly toxic for the atmosphere. When too many animals are concentrated in a small area, the amount of excrement, in the long term, can degrade the soil and create erosion, in addition to the greenhouse emissions.

But even if animals are spread over a big territory, the soil can suffer from degradation. A cow for example, can eat between 40 and 75 kg of food per day. So, if we consider that they are on the same land all year long, they will eat all the resources without the possibility of regeneration for the soil.

Livestock are also responsible indirectly with the land needed, to grow their foods. Because it is not directly for human consumption, people use to give to animals second-class agricole products, like GM(genetically modified) soja, GM corn or even animal origin flour.

These exploitations are massively polluting and source of soil erosion. For example, in South America, we consider that 60% of the soil is degraded and 70% of this degradation comes from the land used to grow food for animals.



Cultural inappropriate practices

Practices in the agricultural world are one of the biggest threat for the soil. Farmers in the previous 50 years did not pay attention to the soil, animals or even people who used pesticides and fertilizers in big quantities. Now the biggest threat is GMOs but all the products used in the past, are still used which make the agricultural world even worse.



Soil salinization (irrigation)

Soil salinisation is, in some regions, is a huge problem for the agricultural world. It can lead to the reduction of soil productivity or even the impossibility to grow plants.

As rocks and soil are eroded by water, small amounts of the mineral salts they contain are carried to rivers and lakes.

Thus, the latter seep into the irrigation water. If an insufficient amount of water is used in a field, the salts become encrusted in the soil. But the most serious danger for the soil is too much water.

In fact, in these conditions, the soil is engorged and raises the level of the water under the first layer of soil. The soil then functions as a sponge and absorb water into the rhizosphere by capillarity.

This effect can attract water to the surface for about 1.5 m, depending on soil types. Water evaporates and salt stays around the roots, impeding their ability to absorb water. A process encountered particularly in arid regions.

Currently, only 17% of all agricultural land is irrigated. But they account for 40% of worldwide food production. This is why we should start thinking about soil salinization.

