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Importance of Soil

Soil is essential for life on Earth, providing nutrients for plant growth, regulating water, serving as a habitat for organisms, storing carbon, and filtering pollutants. It is threatened by excessive farming, chemicals, erosion, and pollution, making soil conservation crucial. Methods for conservation include afforestation, crop rotation, managed grazing, and building structures to retain water.

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21 views2 pages

Importance of Soil

Soil is essential for life on Earth, providing nutrients for plant growth, regulating water, serving as a habitat for organisms, storing carbon, and filtering pollutants. It is threatened by excessive farming, chemicals, erosion, and pollution, making soil conservation crucial. Methods for conservation include afforestation, crop rotation, managed grazing, and building structures to retain water.

Uploaded by

201.00248.16.0062
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Importance of Soil.

Soil is the reservoir on which most life on earth depends. The importance of soil are: -

1. Supports Plant Growth


 Soil provides essential nutrients, water, and a physical foundation for plants. Plants, in
turn, are the base of most food chains — they provide food for animals and humans.
2. Water Regulation
 Soil helps absorb, store, and filter water. It reduces the risk of floods and droughts by
regulating the movement and availability of water.
3. Habitat for Organisms
 Millions of organisms live in soil — from earthworms and insects to bacteria and fungi.
These organisms help decompose organic matter, fix nitrogen, and keep the ecosystem
healthy.
4. Carbon Storage
 Soil acts as a major carbon sink, storing more carbon than the atmosphere and all
vegetation combined. This helps mitigate climate change.
5. Filters surface water or Pollutants
 Soil can trap and break down harmful substances, protecting water supplies and
improving environmental quality.
 In short, soil is not just dirt — it’s a living, dynamic resource that sustains life, supports
ecosystems, and underpins agriculture and human development. Without healthy soil, life
as we know it wouldn’t be possible.
Soil conservation

 Soil is a valuable natural resource and most of the world’s population still practice
cultivation despite industrialization.

 Soil is under constant threat from excessive farming, use of chemicals, erosion and
pollution.
Hence, soil conservation is very important

 Some of the methods that can be adopted to conserve soil are:

1. Afforestation and Reforestation

 Planting trees helps bind soil with roots and reduces erosion caused by wind and water.

2.Crop Rotation

 Rotating different crops helps maintain soil nutrients and reduces pest buildup.

3.Grazing

 Managing the number and movement of livestock prevents overgrazing and soil
degradation.

4.Building Check Dams and Bunds

 These structures slow water flow, helping in water retention and soil conservation.

5. Avoiding Deforestation and Overuse of Chemical

Protecting natural vegetation and reducing chemical inputs maintains soil health and
biodiversity.

Answer the following Questions

1. Why do you think it is important for the farmers to know the properties of soil?

2. Discuss soil as a base of all lives.

3. Explain the impact of human activities on soil and suggest measures to conserve it.

4. Discuss the importance of soil in the development of rural settlements.

5. Explore the main cause of soil degradation in your locality and suggest measures to
reduce these problems.

6. Suggest any THREE method to control overgrazing.

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