Soil Erosion Control: Common Causes (+ 7 Ways to Prevent)

Let’s start with a question. What’s the hidden danger that’s eating away steadily at the global agricultural produce?

The answer isn’t hard to guess. Erosion of soil.

It’s a geological process where forces of nature like wind and water carry away the soil particles. While the process is natural, it’s greatly increased by human activity. In a country like Australia, where the soil quality is notoriously poor, the effects of soil erosion can be devastating.

Imagine the fertile topsoil gone with the wind or water. Quite simply, the global effects will be disastrous. The first step towards controlling this serious environmental issue is to understand the causes behind it.

What Causes Soil Erosion?

Based on the action of the eroding agent, erosion is classified into multiple types. Each of these forms of erosion occurs when soil is left exposed to wind and water.

The top layers get washed by rainwater or meltwater not permeating the ground. The splashing effect of raindrops lifting soil particles in the air. also play a role. Fast-flowing streams, water runoff and flooding can also damage the soil. Rivers and streams also carry away soil, damaging the banks.

The action of waves and currents also leads to coastal erosion. In such cases, the new material deposited on the shoreline can’t make up for the material being eroded. Australia has been a victim of high coastal erosion in the last century. And that has put some famous beaches—like the tourist hotspot Noosa Beach—at risk.

What makes erosion even worse is human activity. Here’s the kicker: research suggests that things we do en masse such as working the land, cutting down forests, building things and knocking them down, and of course, mining can increase soil erosion rates between 10 to 100 times.

On the other hand, a simple piece of ground naturally covered in vegetation and shielded with shrubs is less prone to erosion. The reason? Simple. Diverse plants that have grown where and how they please have the magic power of blocking off the wind.

On the other hand, soil that’s being ploughed and worked for agriculture is often left exposed to the elements, allowing wind and water to carry on with what they do best: eroding. Our construction and building activities don’t make it better. When you shave off forests and grasslands from a piece of land, you make the soil vulnerable to erosion.

But the rate of erosion also has to do with the soil type. Dry, loose, and finely granulated soil is much lighter and gets easily carried away by wind. You can calculate the soil loss through erosion by using the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE).

We may not notice it all around us, but erosion is visible if you know where to look. For example, the enormous scale of deforestation in the Amazon basin that happened between 1960 and 2019 has dramatically increased soil erosion rates to not 50% or 100%, but a whopping 600%.

(We can hardly even bring ourselves to google what happened up to this moment, with deforestation alive and kicking in Amazon.)

It’s not for nothing that the director of the Land and Water division in the Food and Agriculture Organisation cited soil as the “treasure beneath our feet” during the World Soil Day commemoration.

“We must stop soil erosion to save our future,” he added. “It takes up to 1,000 years to form one centimetre of topsoil, but this one centimetre can be lost with just one heavy rainfall if soil cover is not protected.”

A study in NSW indicates that the ability of rainfall to cause soil erosion or rainfall erosivity in the region can go as high as 19% in the future. The negative impact of that on the environment and the communities will be immense.

Now, you might be wondering what the effects of soil erosion are.

Let’s not sugarcoat it—the world’s food supply is at risk. Remember, all the essential nutrients needed for the plants grown by us are contained in the topsoil, which is only 5 – 8 cm deep. The quality of life of the global community depends on the fertility of the topsoil which is rapidly becoming an endangered commodity.

And that is not all. Erosion results in soil’s reduced ability to act as a carbon sink. This increases the amount of planet-warming carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.

How to Control Soil Erosion: 7 Basic Ways

The situation may be bleak, but there are quite a few things we can still do. So, here are seven simple but effective ways to control soil erosion.

1. Build Soil Organic Matter

Organic material is a major component of the cocktail which is soil. Actually, soil organic matter is a huge reservoir of nutrients. Every single percentage of organic matter in the soil contains a high amount of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus, essential elements of plant growth.

Moreover, that organic matter is an excellent binder.

How so? Adding organic matter to soil strengthens its structure, helping particles stick together more effectively.

This stability allows the soil to drink water more efficiently, which in turn lowers erosion rates. Even a tiny gain in organic content, as little as 1-2%, can make a big difference in preventing soil erosion.

An easy way to boost organic matter is by adding natural plant and animal materials.

2. Plant Cover Vegetation

Planting vegetation and reforestation are great ways for soil erosion management. Forested areas with grasses underneath, as well as natural grasslands, can significantly reduce soil erosion. Native plants are especially beneficial—not only do they provide long-term erosion control, but they also support local biodiversity.

Trees and shrubs offer a double benefit. First, their roots anchor soil particles, keeping them from washing away. Second, the organic matter supplied by trees – like leaf litter – helps in restoring the lost nutrient content of the soil.

3. Ever Heard of Conservation Agriculture?

The most important aspect of conservation agriculture is minimum or no-tillage farming. This involves minimum soil disturbance while seeding the next crop as well as soil compaction.

So damaging issues like soil inversion and deep soil mixing are minimised, reducing wind and water erosion.

Other practices include leaving partial straw from the previous crop on the soil that acts as mulch and using herbicides for weed control. In Western Australia’s East Yornaning, the practice of conservation agriculture for the past two decades has reduced the rate of erosion. In fact, over 90% of the farmers in Australia use some form of conservation agriculture practice.

4. Contour Banks and Slope Drains

Contour farming is not a new concept, but it’s recently become pretty popular due to its added feature: helping control erosion on sloped land.

It involves planting crops in horizontal rows along a slope face so that these crops act as natural barriers. These rows help slow down water flow, cutting down its force as it moves downhill and thereby minimising soil erosion.

For erosion control in Australian lands, soil scientists also suggest improving the drainage system to carry the surface water away effectively. Add sloped drains that carry the water down the slope through pipes for an effective erosion control plan. That prevents the water from running down the slope and damaging the topsoil. Sloped drains are effective in construction zones as well.

5. Practice Rotational Grazing

Think of the livestock grazing at the same location for very long periods. What it does is it wears down the grass cover, leaving soil exposed and vulnerable to erosion. Moving the cattle to different pastures allows the green cover to regenerate. For small landholders, balancing between pasture growth and the removal of pasture is important, especially for dairy pastures.

During the wet season, the cattle need to be moved to drier paddocks. This will prevent wet soil compaction and subsequent destruction from cattle hooves. The cattle traffic can also be confined to laneways to minimise soil compaction.

6. Drip Irrigation

The most efficient water delivery system for plant roots – is undoubtedly, drip irrigation. This is a slow and controlled method for watering without fast water flows or splashes. With the water delivered directly to the plant root, there is minimum surface runoff. As a result, it is great for erosion control on agricultural lands.

Besides, drip irrigation also requires around 60% less water than traditional irrigation methods. All in all, a super effective way for mixed-crop farming and viticulture in the semi-arid lands of Australia.

7. Use Mats and Blankets

Erosion control blankets and matting are made from environmentally friendly materials like jute and coir geotextiles. These erosion control products are held together by netting and are spread on the soil to reduce the erosion effects of wind, rain, and runoff. Since these mats can absorb a lot of water, they create the right environment for the grass seeds to take root.

Depending on their quality, erosion control mats can last as long as 3 years. So, you get an affordable solution for erosion control in the long run. They can be used on slopes, high-flow channels, and river banks. The thing is, proper installation is essential for their successful use.

Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Plan: FAQs

What are the ways to control soil erosion?

There are things anyone can do to control soil erosion. Those are: protecting the soil surface with some form of cover, using the land according to its capacity, and controlling erosive forces like runoff.

What causes soil erosion?

The main agents of soil erosion are wind and water. Human activities like deforestation, farming, and construction increase the erosive effect of the natural forces.

Why is soil erosion control important?

It’s not just important but necessary to control erosion because it washes away the very thing you’re after: the fertile topsoil. This means the nutrient content of the soil gets depleted, and that’s the very least of the problems. This is why proper erosion and sediment control plan also helps to preserve biodiversity and soil stability.