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Soil Destruction

We aren't doing anything about it.

By Iria Vasquez-PaezPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
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Soil degradation means that soil is not being used to its fullest potential for agricultural use. (Source) This is because soil degradation is becoming a massive problem on this planet. The soil is a fundamental national resource, as the basis for all life on this planet. There is a huge problem on this planet right now with soil management on the forefront. The problem is a decline in soil fertility. There is also a problem with erosion as well as adverse changes in salinity. Water, wind, salinity, loss of organic matter, and more are the cause of soil problems. This can happen in other countries besides the United States.

Certain plants such as “coffee, cotton, palm oil, soybean, and wheat, can actually increase soil erosion beyond the soil’s ability to maintain itself,” (Source). Soil quality affects many aspects of agriculture. Soil health is a huge problem on the planet right now for farmers and anybody who wants to help things grow. The soil has to be maintained or we lose a high percentage of agricultural yield. Without soil that works properly, we are not doing ourselves a favor as a species.

The thing is, the soil is not just dirt, but rather living bacterial organisms, nutrients, rocks, and other minerals that are considered by scientists to be an outer layer over the bedrock of this planet. The sad part is that soil takes 20 years to replenish. (Source) Soil erosion, however, can undo this work. The United States loses $37 billion in productivity from soil loss. If rainstorms wash away heavily tilled farmland, then the result is that rainstorms wash soil into the Mississippi River, and then to the Gulf of Mexico. Soil damage on this planet will increase when the population reaches 9 billion in 2050.

We have to do something about the soil crisis now before Earth’s population reaches 9 billion people. Soil degradation is a huge problem everywhere, not just the United States but in the United States, the soil is lost 10 times while China and India are losing soil 30 to 40 times faster. (Source) The thing is, 60% of soil winds up washed away in rivers, streams, and lakes, which increases the risk of flooding while increasing the water contamination from fertilizers and pesticides. This is why some people are into organic gardening or farming since they don’t want to contribute to chemical contamination.

There is a way to fix soil degradation, however, because soil with problems has high salinity (or alkalinity). Greater use of organic farming techniques can have an impact on the soil restoration process. Organic compost is a less expensive way to fertilize the soil and crop rotation also helps. Microorganisms can be released into the soil to combat the chemicals that prevent the soil from becoming able to be used. (Source) Contaminated soil is an environmental hazard that needs remediation. Salt in soil needs to be washed out of the soil without pollution waterways.

The best way to deal with this soil problem all over the world not just in the United States is to think about it more. We are not paying attention to elsewhere anyway. This affects our food supply. We have 7 billion people on the planet now, and sustainability is not necessarily our strong suit as a race. We need to fix many issues on this planet, the least of which is soil degradation. Restoring soil is a lot of work, so we should make a job out of this task because so many people want to get involved with fixing the planet. Not everybody has global problems in mind since people are too busy working. But some of us have to do something about these problems we are facing as a planet, now do we?

Works Cited

Office of Environment and Heritage

How Do You Restore Degraded Soil?

The Week

WWF

science
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About the Creator

Iria Vasquez-Paez

I have a B.A. in creative writing from San Francisco State. Can people please donate? I'm very low-income. I need to start an escape the Ferengi plan.

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