Soil and Soil

Resources
Group 4
Soil – the upper layer of earth in which
plants grow, a black or dark brown
material typically consisting of a mixture of
organic remains, clay, and rock particles.
Soil is not a dirt–––it is a resource.It is a
main component of land
resources,agriculture and ecological
sustainability.Soil is important sustaining
man’s existence and provides human
with following service:
 1. Arable Land for agriculture
The word ‘arable’ comes from the latin
‘arabilis’,which means able to plowed.
According to statistic from the world
bank,the agricultural land in the philippines
from 2011-2015 is 41.7% of its total land
area.
 2. Regulating water and filtering potential
pollutants.

In the water cycle,soil plays an

important part in absorbing water
and storing it as a ground
water.Water and dissolve solutes also
flow over the land or into and
through the soil.
3. Nutrient Cycling
Carbon,nitrogen,phosporus and
other essential nutrient
stored,transformed and cycled in the
4. Foundation and Support
Soil Structure provides a base for
plants roots.Soil along the bedrock
also provide foundation and support
for human shelter and structures.
5. Mineral Deposits
Soils are mined for their mineral
content––whether it be
iron,nickel or aluminum.
These soil called laterites
 How human activities degrade soil quality.
Soil is a nonrenewable,finite
resource which is generally not
recoverable within a human lifespan.It is
an important natural resource which is
often overlooked.The Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nation(UN
FAO)define soil degradation
as a change in the soil health
status ,resulting in diminished
capacity of ecosystem
toprovide goods and services
for its beneficiaries.Degraded
soils cannot provide the goods
and services required in its
ecosystem.
Soil Erosion

Causes the loss of topsoil and nutrients

in the soil.
The most visible effect of soil
degradation
It is a natural process but is often
made much worse by poor
management practices.
Soil Compaction

Reduces the amount of air ,water

and space available to roots and soil
organism.
An example of compaction
iscaused by repeated traffic or
traveling on a wet soil.
 Desertification
Is the irreversible change of the land to a such of
state where it can no longer be recovered for its
orginal used.It is characterized by droughts and
arid conditons a result of human activities and
exploitation.
It is a major threat to world soils and currently
affects about one–sixth of the world population
and a quarter of the worlds land.
Intensive Agriculture
Has been increasing since 1960s in an
effort to feed the world population
more efficiently.
However,this intensification of
agriculture has led to the use of more
and heavier machinery,deforestation
and clearing of land for cultivation.
 Urbanization

 The increasing of population has

led to the conversion of land to urban
centers which are generally
characterized by concrete
structures,roads and pavements.
According to UN FAO 33% of
global soil moderately to highly
degraded through
erosion,salinization,compaction,ac
idification, chemical pollution and
nutrient depletion which hamper
soil function and limit food
production.
Robert Pendleton considered as the “Father
of Philippine oil science”.He began the
classification of Philippine soils during his
tenure at the college of agriculture.
He trained a while generation of competent
Filipino soil scientists,including Dr.Nicolas
Galvez.
He is pioneer tropical soil science and his
work on soils and land used to extends to
central and southern america,asia and
central west africa.
 5 Practical Ways to Conserve Soil
1. Plan Trees and Groundcover
2. Employ “no-dig” gardening
techniques
3. Avoid compacting soil
4. Follow the trail
5. Control rainwater runoff
 Conservation of Soil Resource
The affects of human activity on soil
can be mitigated,such as increasing
soil organic matter content,keeping
the soil surface vegetated,avoiding
excessive tillage,using nutrients
wisely,promoting crop
rotations,reducing soil erosion, and
preventing soil compaction.
Increasing soil organic matter

The addition of new organic matter is

important in improving and
maintaining soil quality.
Also improves soil structures and
enhance water and nutrient–holding
capacity.
Keeping the soil covered and
vegetated
Ground cover and vegetation
protects the soil.
Provides habitat for larger soil
organism and can improve water
availability.
Avoiding excessive tillage

Tillage is done to loosen surface

soil and break up soil
structure.Reducing it minimizes
organic matter an protect the soil
surface from further erosion
Managing pests and nutrient
efficiently
Efficient pest and nutrients
management requires regular
testing and monitoring of soil
conditions and pests,along with
the application of only the
necessary chemicals at the right
time and place.
 Reducing soil erosion and
preventing soil compaction
Erosion can be prevented by keeping
the ground covered and
vegetated,and by channeling excess
surface water runoff.
Soil compaction can be prevented by
restricting human activities to
designated areas and pathways.
 Hazards to soil productivity threatened
food security
A group of leading soil scientists points
out the precaurious state of the world
soil resources and the possible
ramifications for human
security.Accordung to these scientist,Soil
is our planet's epidermis.
It is only about a meter thick,on
average,but it plays an absolutely
crucial-life support role that are often
taken for granted,human's have been
disturbing the soil since the advent of
agriculture,a approximately 10,000 years
ago
They say that we're already reached
the point where about 40% of earth's
terrestrial surface is use for agricultural
purposes,while another large and
rapidly expanding portion is urbanized.A
s the population of the planet grows
toward a projected 11 billion people by
2100,the key to producing enough food
will be to find better ways to manage
the existing agriculture lands.
At present,soil erosion greatly exceeds
the soil production of many
agricultural areas.The loss of soil to
erosion also involves the key
nutrients,for plant growth,leading to
the need for commercial
fertilizers.However,the current rate of
fertilizer production is unsustainable as
phosphate deposit are being
depleted.
Thus,we need to find a better ways to
protect and recycle our soil nutrients
and make sure that they are used by
crops efficiently rather than being
washed away.