The Benefits Of Sustainable Land Management

The implications for future government planning for land degradation include the Soil erosion policy and notices and the contaminated land policy.

“Erosion occurs when the soil lacks protective vegetative cover”. (Pimentel, Kounang, 1998) “Soil erosion reduces the productivity of the land by loss of water, soil, organic matter, nutrients, biota, and depth of soil.” (Pimentel, Kounang, 1998) With no conservation methods in place in certain places like: no contour farming, no cover crop, no terraces, no water ways, and tillage on steep hills is asking for a loss of productivity from the land. The effects on the land that non-conservation methods have is horrible. “Its effects are pervasive, and its damages are long lasting. (Pimentel and others 1995a)” (Pimentel, Kounang, 1998) Soil loss is a bigger factor then most people think. For an example an comparison of how much soil is actually lost in certain environments: “On sloping agricultural land under tropical rainfall, as much as 400t/ha/yr of soil is lost (Pimentel unpublished report,1990).”(Pimentel, Kounang, 1998) “Under arid conditions with relatively strong winds, as much as 5600t/ha/yr of soil has been reported lost (Gupta and Raina 1996).” (Pimentel, Kounang, 1998) Soil loss is a huge factor when conservation practices are not put into place. “According to some investigators, approximately 75 billion tons a fertile soil are lost annually from the world’s agricultural systems (Myers 1993).” (Pimentel, Kounang, 1998) Soil loss is a huge factor and many different things can be done to help slow it,

People have seriously affected the land. We utilize it to develop harvests to sustain our developing populace. We additionally utilize it to give vitality. Every year one individual in North America utilizes assets equivalent to more than 12 sections

I care deeply about the planet Earth, the home humans originate from, so it pains me to watch “modern” society devastate natural life across the board. I feel personally connected to the issue of how we use our land. Having lived in the Lee County area since birth, I have noticed just in our own little part of the world how much “development” can change things. There used to be so much more plant life: trees, grasses, flowers and a myriad of other greenery. What was once considered “empty” lots, by some, have been adapted to suit human desires be it additional roads, restaurants, shopping malls, and a continuing spread of “chain” corporate industries. Beyond human structures, huge amounts of land also are cultivated for industrial farming

The government has land reserved that could be used for farming. In exchange for a yearly rental payment, farmers enrolled in the program agree to remove environmental sensitive land from agricultural production and plant species that will improve environmental health and quality. As it is there is very few farmers in this country but now they are limited on land availability. With less land to produce on, the sizes of the harvests decreases. For the farmers who raise animals on their farms, have less land to place their animals on, which can decrease the quality and quantity of the animal production. This program lasts between 10 and 15 years, trapping the farmers into an agreement that is both effective and ineffective. The program tries to help not completely destroy the planet by allowing the land to regain the nutrients in the ground that it needs, and to allow the animals that use it as their natural habitat to continue to have a home. "The ultimate goal of the Conservation Reserve Program is to improve the land quality by preventing soil erosion, help water quality and preserve the natural habitats of the wildlife."() But at the same time we are using land that could be used to grow crops or raise animals, causing the food shortage to not get any better. Although improving our land and quality of life is important it won't matter if there is no life to improve. Its like a

For centuries the world has depended upon the land as their number one resource. The threat of not being able to cultivate that land could trigger a chain of catastrophic events that would reach far beyond

“A land ethic is a moral code of conduct that grows out of these interconnected caring relationships (TALF).” Currently humans are using more fossil fuels then we ever had which is leading to the destruction of habitats but also the extinction of thousands of species. Certain organizations are being to fight the commercialization of America. Fossil Fuel companies are wiping out thousands of ecosystems and species because of the increase of industry. There are three major land ethic organizations like the Sierra Club, Bureau of Land Management and Ducks Unlimited which use specific land ethics to represent their specific ideals.

In the state of Nebraska, 93% of all land is used as agriculture. With such a high percentage, this puts Nebraska as the third highest state with corn exports. And although the state is doing well by selling corn and raising cattle, 40% of biodiversity was lost in the past 40 years (Von Roenn). Environmental anthropologists are working hard to preserve land and solve problems in development; although what was lost cannot be regrown overnight. Von Roenn suggests five main steps to restoring our environment. Collect rainwater, create our own resources, retrofit the home so it cools and heats itself and reduce

There are many ways to conserve soil. Windbreaks, cover crops and crop rotation are some methods to conserve soil. Windbreaks are tree lines that are planted around crop fields to provide shelter from the wind which in turn protects the topsoil from erosion. Cover crop is a crop that is planted just to occupy the land but they are not always harvested because the land is occupied by crop year round this reduces soil erosion. Crop rotation is a set of crops planted in order and repeated yearly. Examples of crop rotation are corn could be planted one year, wheat the following year and hay the third year. Crop rotation has various benefits such as the soil health is increased, the water absorption into the soil is increased and most importantly soil erosion is

Franklin D Roosevelt once said, “the history of every Nation is eventually written in the way in which it cares for its soil.” The United States began seeing sustainable management practices in farms, and healthier soil through this act. In 1982 through 2007, the United States soil erosion had declined by 43%” (Montanarella, 2015). Every year the United States loses about $400 billion dollars due to crop soil that is eroded. Soil is a limited resource and the largest resource for growing food, accommodating diverse ecosystems, and providing food resources. Therefore laws, acts, and provisions are necessary to protect this natural resource.

Land ethics is understood to be an ethical concept that includes man, his society, and (soil, water, plants, and animals collectively making up) the land. This philosophical approach focusses on cooperation and interdependency. (Leopold)

Weeds are generally controlled best through good preplant soil preparation. Using a cover crop will not only add valuable organic matter to increase soil tilth, but many cover crops will also outcompete or suppress weeds. Cereal rye, for example, can provide significant weed control through smothering and suppression from natural herbicides produced by the rye. Other cover crops, such as hairy vetch, will add significant nitrogen to the soil and attract many beneficial insects as well. These cover crops are traditionally planted the prior year and are tilled under prior to planting your flower crop.

The documentary Sustainable is about farmers and others discussing the history leading to the sustainable food movement and how it could change what we eat in the future. It is saying that sustainability is the idea that we can continue to live on limited resources. Not using more resources than we can replenish. In the film David Montgomery the author of dirt: the erosion of civilizations starts off by saying that soil is taken for granted. He says it’s the most undervalued yet invaluable resource humanity has. That it is the foundation for terrestrial life and agriculture. Soil has been treated like dirt. An estimated of 6.9 million tons of soil is lost every year in the United States due to erosion.

Multifunctional management would not only satisfy economic and social demand without any loss of environment values, but also provide alternative options or development potential for future generations. It is essential to understand today’s needs and values of public lands and recognize economic benefits and social benefits of public lands in modern society.

Degradation affects differently in different countries. North America has least percentage of degraded land which only 5% is affected. In details, only 0.2% is caused by deforestation, 3.3% is caused by over-cultivation, 1.5% is caused by over-grazing. Europe is most seriously influenced which 23% farm land is degraded. Most is caused of deforestation which shows 9.8%, it is also much more than other 2 regions.