ABSTRACT
Soil conservation and management in a sustained manner are of critical importance to the well-being of mankind. The diligent use in management is of vital and critical importance now than earlier to fulfill the ever-increasing production of food in tune with the demand of the rapidly increasing global population. Concerns have been raised worldwide about soil degradation and environmental pollution due to anthropological reasons like overuse of agrochemicals, and apathy towards judicious use of land resources and adoption of best environmentally benign practices for diligent conservation of soil despite extensive research, abundantly available literature on adopted soil and water conservation strategies, and management. Managing soils subjected to heavy use and replenishing already eroded/degraded soils should be the key priorities for achieving sustainable agronomic and forestry production. Managing for high-quality soils asks for managing water resources by adopting the best irrigation and drainage practices, managing nutrients, and managing nitrogen and phosphorus.
Management must precede conservation to restore and improve the eroded and degraded lands and ecosystems across the world. Thus, this chapter presents a balanced review and discussion about the consequences of soil erosion and its severity, evaluation of the soil health, management of soil fertility and its conservation, soil quality, biology, and resilience, chemical dynamics, and its measures. Special emphasis has been given to 134management techniques for resource-deprived regions; conservation and management over generic factors and mechanisms of erosion. It recognizes possible discrepancies of past and present research initiatives in water and soil conservation and prescribes measures for its enhancement. The issue of immense interest to both soil conservationists and policymakers is to promote a better understanding of principles on soil erosion and adopting measures of strategic importance for bringing about sustainable soil conservation and management.
