Ecological Solutions to Agricultural Land Degradation

This book provides an overview of the current status of land degradation globally and the different approaches used for its restoration. In addition to the technical aspects, it also delves into the social and economic implications of land restoration, such as in terms of policy planning. Land degradation is a serious threat to agriculture, affecting soil function and productivity. There are up to 6 billion hectares of degraded soil worldwide. It is estimated that 30% of forests, 20% of agricultural land and 10% of rangelands are severely affected by land degradation. The main causes of land degradation are soil erosion, acidification, compaction and salinization, intensive agriculture, overgrazing, poor management of arable land and deforestation. The consequences of such degradation include sand dune expansion and displacement, reduced rainfall, rangeland depletion, wind and rain erosion, and loss of biomass and biological integrity.

In 2015, the global goal of achieving land degradation neutrality (LDN) was included in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as sustainable development goal 15.3. Developing productive soil ecosystems by restoring degraded soils is therefore a future perspective for food security and environmental sustainability. This can be achieved through crop rotation, agroforestry, conservation agriculture, cover crops, terrace farming, ditching, geo-jute, and contour farming and zero tillage. Ecological restoration of farmlands offers an opportunity to reconcile agricultural production with improving ecosystem services. Restoring degraded land through environmentally friendly agroecological approaches has the potential to improve agricultural production and provide healthy ecosystems for organisms.

This book is an important resource for students, academics, researchers, national and international agricultural scientists, and soil experts.