Soil Conservation Soil is very useful to us. In it we grow plants and trees. It holds trees in place and provides nutrients and water for plants to grow. Topsoil is very healthy for plant growth and therefore, farmers take care of topsoil to get better yield. However, a strong wind or heavy rain can easily remove the top fertile soil. The removal of soil by water or wind is called soil erosion. A forest is a great collector and repository of water. A tree's root structure holds the soil together and stops its erosion. Soil erosion brings less fertile soil to the earth's surface, if this process is not stopped timely, the earth may soon turn into a barren land or desert. Crops will no longer grow on such unfertile soil and there will soon be food shortages. Now who wants to go to bed hungry? We can prevent soil erosion by preserving forests and planting more trees. How can we conserve soil? When a piece of land is not used for agriculture, it is a good idea to grow grass, plants, flowers and trees on it. This would hold the topsoil firmly in place and prevent soil erosion. Another good method is terrace farming. Agricultural land on hill slopes is cut into steps or terraces, so that when water flows down the slope, the top soil is not washed away and is absorbed into the same area. Deforestation The need to build buildings, dams, shopping centers, The extraction of minerals, oil and natural gas has led to a reduction of forests. Deforestation refers to the removal of trees from a forest area for commercial use. It is a process that involves felling trees and clearing a large portion of forest for smaller, biodiverse ecosystems, such as plantations,...... half of paper......ityPlanting trees in Semi-arid areas attract rainfall and prevent such areas from becoming desert. Afforestation prevents soil erosion and preserves fertile land for agricultural use. Employment through Afforestation Governments around the world have come up with several tree planting programs that involve people sowing seeds and planting saplings. Therefore, it provides employment opportunities to people. Ecotourism also helps people earn a living.Activity 2: Give your opinion!On an A4 sheet of paper, write your opinion on any of the topics given below.• Write a letter about plants – The forest as a resource that informs people about its importance and how they can contribute.• Write a letter to the local newspaper to educate them on the importance of recycling, reusing and reducing the use of paper products to prevent deforestation and global warming.
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