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Definition
Soil conservation is "a combination of all management
and land use methods that safeguard the soil against depletion
or deterioration by natural or by human-induced factors"
(Soil Science Society of America Online
Glossary).
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Related topics
Background information on soils
Soil health management
Soil conservation (erosion control, tillage, moisture conservation)
Integrated nutrient management
(INM): Overview
INM: Replenishing soil organic
matter
INM: Replenishing mineral nutrients
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Relevant literature
Available in PDF format
 Scientific
references: soil conservation
Available on the Internet
Determinants of soil conservation project success or failure
- Website: FAO
soil bulletin 64
- Reference: Hudson, Norman. 1991. A Study of the Reasons
for Success or Failure of Soil Conservation Projects. FAO
Soil Bulletin 64.
- Description: Hudson sought to determine why some soil
conservation projects were more successful than others.
He used a variety of sources and assessed factors arising
during the planning, design, implementation, and post-implementation
stages of the projects. He found that most projects with
poor performance had their problems built into them at the
design stage. Required reading for anyone contemplating
the development of a soil conservation project.
Soil and water conservation sourcebook
- Website: FAO
soil bulletin 57
- Reference: Hudson, N.W. 1987. Soil and Water Conservation
in Semi-Arid Areas. FAO, Rome.
- Description: This bulletin reviews the scope of the soil
and water-management problem facing African farmers in arid,
semi-arid and even sub-humid regions. It "reviews methods
and techniques which have been tested and found useful somewhere,
and which might be suitable for use in other conditions."
FAO soil tillage bulletins
- Website: FAO
soil tillage bulletins
- Description: The above link takes you to a page where
all 3 of the following bulletins can be accessed in their
entirety.
1. Soil tillage in Africa: needs and challenges. FAO Soils
Bulletin 69.
2. Tillage Systems in the Tropics: management options and
sustainability implications. FAO Soils Bulletin 71.
3. Tillage Systems for Soil and Water Conservation. FAO
Soils Bulletin 54.
Soil physical degradation
- Website: FAO/
Online
documents on soil fertility and plant nutrition
Reference: Gardner, C., K.B Laryea, and P.W. Unger. 1999.
Soil Physical Constraints to Plant Growth and Crop Production.
FAO, Rome, Misc. Pub 24. 106 pages.
- Description: To access this PDF (1651 KB), scroll down
to nearly the end of the page to find the document. This
book reviews the mechanisms underlying soil physical constraints
to crop production in great detail. It also covers possibilities
for ameliorating these problems, as well as considerations
for scientists undertaking research in this area.
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Relevant links
Conservation Agriculture
- Website: FAO
conservation agriculture
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Description: A newly launched FAO site on conservation agriculture.
"Conservation agriculture (CA) aims to achieve sustainable
and profitable agriculture through the application of the
three CA principles: minimal soil disturbance, permanent soil
cover and crop rotations. CA holds tremendous potential for
all sizes of farms and agro-ecological systems, but its adoption
is perhaps most urgently required by smallholder farmers,
especially those facing acute labour shortages. It is a way
to combine profitable agricultural production with environmental
concerns and sustainability and it has been proven to work
in a variety of agroecological zones and farming systems."
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