Soil erosion not only involves the loss of fertile topsoil and reduction of soil productivity, but is also coupled with serious off-site impacts related to increased mobilisation of sediment and delivery to rivers, causing siltation and pollution of South Africa’s water resource. Several scientists agree that the cost of food production is increasing in many parts of the world due to erosion and loss of nutrients. filtering, infiltration and water holding capacity) of soil. biomass production) and hydrological functions (e.g. Prolonged erosion causes irreversible soil loss over time, reducing the ecological (e.g. Soil formation is a relatively slow process and therefore soil is essentially a non-renewable and a limited resource. Poor farming practices as well as the trend toward agricultural intensification have been considered to be major causes of erosion. Although soil erosion is a natural process, it is often accelerated by human activities, for example by the clearing of vegetation, soil tillage or overgrazing. Soil erosion is a major environmental problem confronting land and water resources in South Africa. JAY LE ROUX, lecturer: Department of Geography, University of the Free State and HENDRIK SMITH, conservation agriculture facilitator, Grain SA Soil erosion in South Africa - its nature and distribution
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