Soil conservation refers to all practices and techniques aimed at preventing soil erosion, maintaining fertility, and ensuring long-term productivity.
It includes:
- Mechanical/Structural measures: contour bunding, terracing, check dams, windbreaks, shelterbelts.
- Agronomic measures: crop rotation, strip cropping, cover cropping, mulching, mixed cropping.
- Biological measures: afforestation, agroforestry, pasture development, grass cover.
- Soil fertility management: balanced fertilization, organic manures, green manuring, bio-fertilizers.
- Watershed management: integrated approach to conserve soil & water together.