Question

Suggest two measures to conserve soil.

Answer 1

Hint: Soil is a significant part of our environment. It allows plants to thrive, holds and clears water, protects nutrients and provides a home for an abundance of organisms on the Earth. Soil conservation is the prevention of damage to the top most layer of the soil from deterioration or prevention of reduced fertility caused by over usage of fertilizers, acidification, salinization or other chemical soil contamination.

Complete answer:
Soil conservation methods are devices the farmer can utilize to curb soil erosion and build organic matter. Some of the measures which can be used to conserve soil are Contour farming, choice of crops, crop rotation, cover crops, intercropping, Strip cropping etc.

Afforestation: It means planting of trees. By planting more and more trees, the top layer of the soil becomes less inclined to deterioration by wind, water or anything likely. Thus, it aids soil conservation. It also conserves the soil and the microbes within from the effect of sun heat, rain and wind.
-It suppresses weeds by repressing their growth and lessening the number of weed seeds.
-It improves the soil fertility and the organic matter quantity of the soil.
-It boosts soil moisture by allowing more water to sink into the ground and by decreasing evaporation.

Crop Rotation: It is the strategy in which a different crop is cultivated on a piece of land each year. This encourages the conservation of soil fertility as several crops make several demands on the soil.
In many parts of India, a specific crop is sown in the same field year after year. This practice takes away certain components from the soil, making it infertile and dehydrated rendering it unpleasant for that crop. Rotation of crops is the ultimate solution to it.

Note: The USDA-NRCS is a nationwide agency that works with private landowners to put conservation practices in position that will aid the soil, water, air, and wildlife. The Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act is a United States nationwide law that enables the government to pay farmers to reduce output so as to conserve soil and prevent decay.