Soil Conservation Measures Soil Conservation emphasises the use of land according to its capability in order to keep it permanently

productive therefore any overall strategy for effective control measures should address the following: The reduction of erosion to a level where soil loss can be replenished by natural soil development The improvement of the physical structure of the soil To increase or maintain the level or organic matter To control and make the best use of available water To maintain the fertility level by reducing nutrient loss or improving fertilisation practices.

The use of a combination of both agronomic and engineering methods has proven necessary to achieve best results. The nature of the problem must first be assessed properly before deciding on the most appropriate practices.

Agronomic Methods Proper land husbandry can reduce soil loss. This includes improved crops, water and soil management practices and focuses on maintaining a protective ground cover, increasing the organic matter content improving topsoil resistance, decreasing surface runoff and increasing infiltration. These can be grouped under the broad headings of: Proper land use: According to the slope, depth of soil and nutrient status, permanent cropping (fruit trees, forage or forest) or short term cropping should be selected. The use must always promote conservation effectiveness. Cropping systems: Intercropping or growing pure stand will determine the amount of erosion occurring since it controls the amount of soil exposed and for how long. Mulching is important in increasing the physical, chemical and biological conditions of the soil. Tillage: Improper tillage can lead to soil compaction and retarded plant growth so it is advisable to plough the land no more than necessary. Also always plough at the right soil moisture content and also vary the depth of ploughing. Use chemical weed control where necessary and practicable. Cover crops: These should be an integral part of conservation farming since they assist in; Protecting the soil surface against detachment by raindrops, increasing resistance to moving water and slows down the rate of runoff, plant roots help to hold soil in place, plant waste and crop residue help to improve the soil structure, and increase the fertility level specially if leguminous Fertilization: To achieve rapid establishment, good growth and high yields the fertility level of the soil must be high. The use of inorganic fertilisers or legume crops are the available options. The better the crop growth the lower the erosion potential as the soil surface is adequately protected from the impact of the rainfall.

Engineering Methods Drainage Both surface and subsurface drainage of water is extremely important in the control of erosion and slippage is the Scotland District. Surface control is achieved by constructing drains and terraces while the latter also provides access to the land. Terraces

Constructed with a 1:100 gradient and inward sloping which allows water to travel at a nonerosive velocity to a protected structure. Terrace width and distance apart ranges from narrow (bench) to wide depending on the slope and depth of soil. It is necessary to grass the vertical face to increase its resistance against slumping. Terraces should always discharged onto a protected structure or existing water way. Watercourses

Watercourses can be natural or man made. It is important in the case of the latter that the sides should be adequately sloped and well grassed. Watercourses can also be constructed using large boulders to reduce the velocity of flow and to protect the bottom and sides from down cutting. The size of the boulders would depend on the volume of the flow and the slope of the land.

Sometimes a series of weirs (wire baskets filled with boulders) is used to channel heavy flow down a slope. It is important that they are constructed toe to crest in order for them to function properly. The drop at each weir reduces the velocity to almost zero then the flow travels horizontally for a short distance before it reaches the other weir and the process is repeated. The use of geo fabric behind each weir is important in retaining the fines and hence the integrity of the structure. Proper selection and compacting of the fill material is also important to prevent slumping and ponding of water around the structure since this would cause the under-mining and failure of the structures. Land Reshaping

This is done to smooth or level out small depressions. In the case of major slippage and the need for extensive reformation care is taken to store and then replace the topsoil after reshaping. This allows for rapid establishment of crops or in case of marginal lands revegetation with grass or forest trees. Retaining Walls

Sometimes stabilisation involves the reinforcement of the toe of a slope. Here the pore pressure of the water behind the retaining structure must not be allowed to build up and hence trigger failure of the toe support. Normally concrete structures with weep holes are used but in the Scotland District the use of gabion weirs is recommended since these are more flexible than concrete and the packed boulders allow for dissipation of the pore water pressure. It is important to have a proper base to ensure that the weight of the structure itself does not contribute to failure by substantially increasing the load on the soil below. Subsurface Drainage

Proper drainage is the core principle of prevention and control of erosion and slippage in the Scotland District. The surface layers which are mixtures of sand and clay when wet are prone to surface erosion. The shales (highly compressed clays) are stable when dry but very unstable when wet. The spring water seepage from the oceanic\Scotland interface is the prime factor triggering slippage of the Scotland soils.

Control involves the location of the source of water and the channeling of the flow down slope to a dam or existing watercourse. The position of the outfall is first determined and excavation then proceeds up slope. The perforated pipes are laid in the bottom of the trench and covered with gravel, which acts as a filter and allows the water to reach the holes in the pipe. If the distance is long a series of gabion wells are used at intervals to enable regular cleaning of the pipelines to be done as silt, moss and roots tend to build up and block the system over a period of time.