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Understanding the impacts of land degradation is, at least in part, limited by our ability to accurately characterize those impacts in space and time. While in recent decades remote sensing has offered unprecedented coverage of the land surface, the evaluation of remote sensing products is often limited or lacking altogether. In this chapter we use...
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... Asia has the highest hint, followed by Africa, and the European regions have the least impact as a result of distressed and exploited land [6,7]. However, there are also reports that the LD also takes place in some advanced nations of the world, most of which is as a consequence of man's continuous or incessant exploration and exploitation of land as a major natural resource and owing to the fact that land is a source of other natural resources such as forest resources and petroleum and other mineral resources [8][9][10]. ...
... At present, the list of the kinds of LD is subjugated by progressions shimmering the dilapidation of all biological, physical, and chemical physiognomies of the entire ecosystem mechanisms [15]. In the same way, apart from appropriate observation and appraisal, the list of the causes, as well as the methods of identifying the causes of distressed and exploited land (degraded land), is somehow challenging and incomplete [8], which is, in contrast, subjugated by, in addition to natural sources, objects of socioeconomic activities, with the end consequence of the main production services of the entire environment being plummeted [16]. LD entails the deterioration or weakening of land quality or the reduction in land potential productivity attributes [17,18]. ...
... Among the various LR procedures, drainage and irrigation are the most important ones. Potentially, LR contributes to the conservation, preservation, improvement, enhancement, and development of soil fertility, plant growth capacity, the upsurge of AES, the extenuation of climatic influences, and the variations in production capacity [1,8,26]. Supposedly, even as the measure of LR increases, nevertheless, at the present stage, one of the utmost emphases is on enhancing its effectiveness and efficiency [54]. ...
The issues of land degradation are directly or indirectly influenced by human and/or natural actions, and it is one of the most challenging issues confronting several regions of the world, especially developing nations. Notwithstanding the importance of land, its degradation consequences, possibly as a result of the various biological, physical, and chemical processes caused by some activities (both natural and man-induced) that diminish viable yield, result in a long-term, enduring devaluation of land. Hence, this present review study is dedicated to some of the most emerging and challenging issues in monitoring, rehabilitation, prevention, and management of land (land reclamation) drawn from existing publications. Also, the description of some of the most extreme procedures of land reclamation in some natural environments with distinct consideration to their positive features is discussed. Some illustrations and instances of the emergence and challenging issues in land reclamation and nature protection, as well as the possibilities and prospects of their resolutions, are discussed and presented.
... These studies have laid the theoretical foundation for remote sensing monitoring of soil salinity. However, spectral reflectance of soil provides a comprehensive reflection of soil physical and chemical properties, which is influenced by soil nutrients (Hengl et al., 2017), atmospheric water vapor (song & Grejner-Brzezinska, 2009), ground-surface temperature (Anderson & Johnson, 2016), and so on. Therefore, it is difficult to accurately estimate the soil salt content based on the original spectral reflection characteristics (Jiang & Shu, 2019;Tilley et al., 2007). ...
Large-scale and accurate monitoring soil salinization is essential for controlling soil degradation and sustainable agricultural development. The agricultural irrigation area of the Manas River Basin in the arid area of Northwest China was selected as the test area. The soil salinization monitoring model based on spectral index group was constructed by comparing the accuracy of PCR, PLSR and MLR models using the transformation of multi-spectral index group and index screening. The results showed that there was a certain correlation between the 28 spectral index groups, with a maximum correlation coefficient -0.3689 between the original spectral group and the soil salt content was B10 band. After the transformation of original data for the logarithm Ln(R), exponential eR and square root R1/2 respectively, the correlation between each index and soil salinity was significantly improved, with the maximum correlation coefficient was up to -0.7564 of R1/2. The salt content estimation models were constructed by different data transformation using PLSR, PCR and MLR methods, respectively. This study provides a fast and accurate method for monitoring regional soil salinity content and the results can provide a reference for soil salinity grading management in arid and semi-arid areas.
... Bantanto, Gomone, and Niassene communities' assessment of land degradation was consistent with all three satellite data while only one community which remote sensing data showed improvement (Diakha Madina) was perceived by FGD participants to have improved (Table 19.13). As Anderson and Johnson (2014) argue, the inability of satellite data to capture specific type of land degradation is complemented by the its ability to reflect the reduced vegetative health of plants growing on saline soils, eroded soils and other forms of non-vegetative cover land degradation. However, the inability of satellite data to capture some form of land degradation is revealed in sites that experienced improvement. ...
... Similarly the site has experienced water erosion and a perceived decrease in crop values but also reports an increased yields in recent years. For more details on the methodology, see Anderson and Johnson (2014). ...
... Consistent with Boserupian theory (Boserup 1965), high population density increases the propensity to use ISFM. Market access increases the likelihood to use Anderson and Johnson (2014) manure and ISFM but surprisingly reduces the propensity to use fertilizer. Consistent with Nkonya et al. (1997) farmers who use improved seeds are more likely to use fertilizer and ISFM. ...
Senegal is facing a major land degradation challenge that poses threat to livelihoods of the rural poor. This study was done to inform policy makers on the cost of inaction and the costs and benefits of taking action against land degradation. The study shows that the annual cost of land degradation on rice, millet and maize—which account for 45 % of cropland area—is US$103 million, or 2 % of the country’s GDP. The on-farm cost of grazing land degradation is about US$9 million or 0.1 % of the GDP. The low cost of grazing degradation is a reflection of the low livestock productivity. The cost of land degradation due to Land Use/Cover Change (LUCC) is about US$0.412 billion or about 4 % of the GDP. This shows that LUCC accounts for the largest cost of land degradation. The marginal rate of return to investment in restoration of degraded lands is greater than 4—suggesting high returns to taking action against land degradation. Action against land degradation will have far-reaching benefits for the rural poor who heavily depend on natural resources. Senegal has great potential for successfully addressing land degradation. For example, the large number of agricultural extension agents from public and private providers, promoting Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) practices, Community-Based Forest Management (CBFM) and strengthening public-private partnership could help increase adoption of sustainable land management (SLM) practices. The Dankou Classified Forest investment in awareness creation of ecosystem services led to effective participation of the communities and their participation in protecting it. This demonstrates that awareness creation is a key strategy for ensuring community involvement in protecting natural resources.
Land degradation is one of the major challenges causing food insecurity and instability in Ethiopia. A comprehensive study on trends and drivers of land degradation and, socioeconomic and ecological impact of land degradation is necessary for an effective and sustainable mitigation measures. This study reviewed the drivers, trends and impacts of land degradation, existing sustainable land management (SLM) practices, and policies for land use and resources management. We employed the keyword research acquisition approach to review 122 scientific papers, reports, and other documents. The scientific literatures in the study were accessed through as the Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar search engines, while reports and other additional materials were sourced from a variety of repositories and governmental offices. There has been a substantial increase in soil erosion since the 1980s in the highlands of Ethiopia. Illegal logging, poor land management system, overgrazing of pasturelands, population growth, insecure land tenure, war and conflict, poverty, ineffective government policies and programs, institutional issues, poor rural markets, and low agricultural inputs remained the major drivers for land degradation in Ethiopia causing huge loss of agricultural production and environmental unsustainability. Biological and physical soil and water conservation measures, exclosure establishment, afforestation, and reforestation programs are the most common intervention measures of preventing and restoring degraded lands. SLM practices such as intercropping systems, composting, crop rotation, zero grazing, minimum tillage, agroforestry and rotational grazing has been implemented across the country. However, land security and the absence of clearly defined property rights are the major factors that influence farmers’ decisions for a long-term investment on land resources. Thus the SLM practices and various restoration interventions remain a critical requirement to address the growing concerns of land degradation in Ethiopia.
One of the major processes that affect land is its degradation. The term "land" contains all natural resources contributing to agricultural production, including forestry and livestock production. This definition includes landforms, climate, water resources, soils, and vegetation (forests and grasslands). This scoping document, in the context of the Soils for Europe - SOLO project, makes state of the art related to land degradation studies. It highlights that its complex profile needs a combination of monitoring and assessment schemes, due to the multiple dimensions, scales and perspectives, as well as to its transitional character, with multiple drivers and actors.
We describe how increased root cortical parenchyma wall width (CPW) can improve tolerance to drought stress in maize by reducing the metabolic costs of soil exploration. Significant variation (1.0 to 5.0 µm) for CPW was observed in maize germplasm. The functional-structural model RootSlice predicts that increasing CPW from 2 to 4 µm is associated with ca. 15% reduction in root cortical cytoplasmic volume, respiration rate, and nitrogen content. Analysis of genotypes with contrasting CPW grown with and without water stress in the field confirms that increased CPW is correlated with ca. 32 to 42% decrease in root respiration. Under water stress in the field, increased CPW is correlated with 125% increased stomatal conductance, 325% increased leaf CO2 assimilation rate, 73 to 78% increased shoot biomass, and 92 to 108% increased yield. CPW was correlated with leaf mesophyll midrib parenchyma wall width, indicating pleiotropy. GWAS analysis identified candidate genes underlying CPW. OpenSimRoot modeling predicts that a reduction in root respiration due to increased CPW would also benefit maize growth under suboptimal nitrogen, which requires empirical testing. We propose CPW as a new phene that has utility under edaphic stress meriting further investigation.
Soil quality is one of the main limiting factor in the development of the food sector in arid areas, mainly due to its poor mechanics and lack of water retention. Soil’s organic carbon is nearly absent in arid soils, though it is important for water and nutrient transport, to soil mechanics, to prevent erosion, and as a long-term carbon sink. In this study, we evaluate the potential benefits that are brought to inert sand by the incorporation of a range of, mainly, cellulosic networks in their polymeric or structured (fiber) forms, analogously to those found in healthy soils. We explore the impact of a wide range of nonfood polysaccharide-based amendments, including pulp fibers, nanocellulose, cellulose derivatives, and other readily available polysaccharide structures derived from arthropods (chitosan) or fruit peels (pectin) residues. A practical methodology is presented to form sand–polymer composites, which are evaluated for their soil mechanics as a function of humidity and the dynamics of their response to water. The mechanics are correlated to the network of polymers formed within the pores of the sandy soil, as observed by electron microscopy. The response to water is correlated to both the features of the network and the individual polysaccharides’ physicochemical features. We expect this work to provide a rapid and reproducible methodology to benchmark sustainable organic amendments for arid soils.
The effect of land degradation is mostly seen on the economically weak peoples because economically weak peoples are more dependent on natural resources. Almost all agroecologies and terrestrial biomes face the problem of land degradation, not only low-income countries but high-income countries as well. In the world, approximately 2 billion ha land is affected by land degradation in many forms of natural occurring and human generated. The main contribution in land degradation is done by water erosion. The world priority is restoration of ecology of ecosystems which are degraded. Agroforestry approaches like several species of fruit trees and forest, arable crops, medicinal crops of high value and forages are used for the rehab of degraded land from eroded soil, mining, deforestation, degradation of rangeland and intensive agriculture. To diversify and intensify farming system, agroforestry can be used through indigenous tree species integration which helps to maintain the sustainability also. The involvement of various integrated farming systems by including horticultural trees and various multipurpose trees helps to build up the soil fertility.
Human activity and climate change are degrading the environmentally fragile Loess Plateau in dry and semiarid regions. Land deterioration threatens human and ecological existence. To prevent additional land degradation and ensure the ecological development and quality of arable land in the region, China launched “Grain for Green” in the late 1990s. This effort greatly boosted Loess Plateau vegetation. However, land degradation is complex, and so we must also examine natural and social variables to prevent additional degradation. Thus, this study presents a comprehensive index system to quantify land degradation on the Loess Plateau and uses machine learning to anticipate high‐risk locations. The project improved land degradation, and the spatial distribution of degradation risk is high in the northern and low in the eastern and southern regions of the Plateau. Gross Domestic Product and population density are the main drivers of land degradation. Industrialization and urbanization have raised the risk of land degradation, which now accounts for 1%–2% of the area. This study emphasizes sustainable land management in the Loess Plateau, a critical area for sustainable development in China. The integrated assessment indicator system and random forest modeling machine learning help grasp the current status and future preventive measures. The outcome of this study advances the Loess Plateau land degradation research and sustainable land management. The research findings possess significant scientific reference value in terms of mitigating and managing land degradation in environmentally vulnerable regions worldwide.
This study analyzes the variations in soil erosion rate in a tropical catchment in India using the empirical revised universal soil loss equation model integrated with climate change scenarios from an ensemble of global climate models (GCMs) included in the NEX Global Daily Downscaled Projections Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 dataset for shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP) 126 and SSP 585. A set of seven GCMs are initially selected. Based on their ability to simulate the rainfall for the current scenario, the PROMETHEE-II method is used to rank the GCMs and the top four best-performing models are used for further analysis. Soil erosion rates projected for the future climate scenarios are compared with the current scenario. In the near future and in the mid of the century, soil erosion rates under the SSP 126 scenario are projected to be higher than that under the SSP 585 scenario. The ensemble average soil erosion rate is projected to increase by 15.41–25.94% toward the end of the century for different emission scenarios, and the areas susceptible to high and very high soil erosion rates are projected to increase to 40.3%.
