1. SOIL CONSERVATION

2. BELLRINGER Franklin D. Roosevelt once said: “The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself.” What do you think he meant?

3. OBJECTIVES Describe three important benefits that soil provides Describe four methods of preventing soil damage and loss

4. WHAT IS SOIL CONSERVATION? Soil Conservation Method to maintain the fertility of the soil by protecting the soil from erosion and nutrient loss

5. WHY IS SOIL IMPORTANT? Nutrients Soil provides minerals and other nutrients for plants All animal life depends on plants for survival/food Housing Soil provides a place for animals to live Habitat – region where a plant or animal lives Water Storage Without soil to hold water, plants would not get the moisture or the nutrients they need

6. WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THERE WAS NO MORE SOIL? Damaging Soil can lead to soil loss: Overuse of Soil By poor farming or overgrazing Loss of nutrients which can make the soil infertile Desertification or Land Degradation If the soil is infertile, no plants can grow Without plants, soil will not be able to hold water in place and the area can become a desert

7. SOIL EROSION When soil is left unprotected it may begin to erode Erosion Process by which wind, water or gravity move soil and sediment from one location to another Plants and trees protect soil Roots are like anchors and keep the soil in place

8. WAYS TO REDUCE EROSION Contour Plowing Plowing curved rows across the slope of a hill instead of in straight lines which can act like rivers when it rains The curved rows act as a series of dams to prevent water from eroding the topsoil away

9. WAYS TO REDUCE EROSION Terracing Changes one steep field into a series of smaller, flatter fields No-till farming Farmers leave old crops to give cover and protect the soil from the rain

10. WAYS TO REDUCE EROSION Cover Crop Crops that are planted between harvests to replace nutrients and prevent erosion Provide cover from wind and rain Crop Rotation Plant different crops

11. THINK PAIR SHARE Why do humans depend on soil to survive? List 5 ways to conserve soil