Soil Conservation:

towards sustainable agriculture

Introduction
Soil

conservation is a combination
of all methods of management and
land use that safeguard the soil
against depletion by natural or maninduced factors

Soil Perform Several Vital Functions

Sustaining plant and
animal life below and
above the surface
Regulating and
partitioning water and
solute flow

Filtering, buffering,
degrading, immobilizing,
and detoxifying
Storing and cycling
nutrients

Providing support to
structures

Why should we care about soil ?

Why we must conserve it and
use in sustainable manner ?

Overview / Points
Definitions of soil erosion
Impacts of soil erosion

Methods of soil conservation

Prediction models of soil
erosion

Definitions
of Soil Erosion

What is Soil Erosion?

Soil Erosion is the process of moving soil (by

wind or water) from place of origin to another
location.

Three step process of soil erosion

Types of soil erosion

Soil Erosion
1.
2.
3.

4.

Raindrop erosion
Sheet erosion
Rill and gully
erosion
Streambank and bed
erosion

Erosi Lembar

Foto: Kurniatun Hairiah, 2002

Erosi Alur

Erosi Selokan

Erosi Tebing Canal (sungai)

Erosi Tunel

Impacts of Soil Erosion

Erosion Impacts

Sedimentation in DAM

Methods
of Soil Conservation

Soil Conservation Methods

Reduce rain drop impact.

Reducing/slowing water movement across
the land.
Securing soil with plant roots.
Increasing absorption of water.
Carrying run-off water safely away.

What soil conservation techniques

are common practice?
Cultivated land

Agronomic measures

Mulching
Natural

Soil management

Crop management
Synthetic

Conservation tillage

Contour
tillage

Ridging

Terracing
High density
planting

Multiple
cropping

Crop
rotations

Mechanical methods

Cover cropping
(Fallow system)
Strip
cropping

Minimum
tillage
Water ways

Structures

Prinsip Metode Teknik Sipil

Mengatur air limpasan permukaan agar tidak
merusak atau daya rusaknya berkurang

Prinsip Pengaturan limpasan permukaan :

1. Memperkecil volume dan/atau laju air
limpasan permukaan
2. Mengarahkan aliran air limpasan permukaan
pada tempat/bangunan yang telah
dipersiapkan
3. Menampung air limpasan permukaan, dan
kemudian jika diperlukan mengalirkannya
pada tempat/bangunan yang telah disiapkan

Recommended Practices

Cover crops
Mulching
Terracing
Contour practices
Strip cropping
Add organic matter

Conservation tillage
Grass waterways
Crop rotation
Avoid overgrazing
Conservation tillage
Hedgerow , Agroforestry

Mulching

Prediction Models
of Soil Erosion

How do we estimate how much soil

was eroded?

Estimate sheet and rill soil erosion from water

with the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE)

RUSLE to estimate soil erosion. This is a

computer generated estimator which is more
specific in predicting soil loss.

USLE/RUSLE
A

= R x K x (LS) x C x P
A = Predicted average annual soil loss

(tons/ha/yr)

R = Rainfall factor
K = Soil erodibility factor
LS = Slope length and Steepness factor
C = Cover and management factor
P = Support practice factor

PURPOSE OF EROSION AN
PREDICTION MODEL

DEVELOP REASONABLE PLAN BASED ON

SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION
GUIDE MANAGEMENT DECISIONS
EVALUATE MANAGEMENT IMPACTS
DETERMINE PRACTICE COST : BENEFIT
ASSESS RESOURCE INVENTORY

Summary
Soil

perform several vital functions

and
Misuse of soil that affect soil erosion
Impacts of soil erosion are pollution
of environmental
Methods of soil conservations are
controls water runoff and soil erosion

Conservation of Soils

Reading Materials:

The Science of Soils

Brady NC, 1990. The Nature and Properties of Soils

Utomo W.H., 1990. Konservasi Tanah

Cited from Internet

Foto: Kurniatun Hairiah, 2002

Measure Erosion in the field

Misuse of Soil

Vegetative and Physics