Erosion is the process of weathering and transport of solids (sediment, soil, rock and

other particles) in the natural environment or their source and deposits them elsewhere.
It usually occurs due to transport by wind, water, or ice; by down-slope creep of soil and
other material under the force of gravity; or by living organisms, such as burrowing
animals, in the case ofbioerosion.

Erosion is a natural process, but it has been increased dramatically by human land
use and we have a negative effect on erosion, especially industrial
agriculture, deforestation, andurban sprawl.[1][2] Land that is used for industrial agriculture
generally experiences a significantly greater rate of erosion than that of land under
natural vegetation, or land used forsustainable agricultural practices. This is particularly
true if tillage is used, which reduces vegetation cover on the surface of the soil and
disturbs both soil structure and plant roots that would otherwise hold the soil in place.
However, improved land use practices can limit erosion, using techniques such
as terrace-building, no-till, and tree planting.

A certain amount of erosion is natural and, in fact, healthy for the ecosystem. For
example, gravels continuously move downstream in watercourses. Excessive erosion,
however, causes serious problems, such as receiving water sedimentation, ecosystem
damage and outright loss of soil.

Erosion is distinguished from weathering, which is the process of chemical or physical

breakdown of the minerals in the rocks, although the two processes may occur
concurrently.
The rate of erosion depends on many factors. Climatic factors include the amount and
intensity ofprecipitation, the average temperature, as well as the typical temperature
range, and seasonality, the wind speed, storm frequency. Erosion is caused by “fluid
flow”. Any substance, like wind, water, or ice, which flows consistently from one place to
another, will facilitate erosion. The geologic factors include the sediment or rock type, its
porosity and permeability, the slope (gradient) of the land, and whether the rocks are
tilted, faulted, folded, or weathered. The biological factors include ground cover
from vegetation or lack thereof, the type of organisms inhabiting the area, and the land
use.
Practices
There are also conventional practices that farmers have invoked for centuries. These fall
into two main categories: contour farming and terracing, standard methods
recommended by the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service , whose Code 330
is the common standard. Contour farming was practiced by the ancient Phoenicians, and
is known to be effective for slopes between two and ten percent.[4] Contour plowing can
increase crop yields from 10 to 50 percent, partially as a result from greater soil
retention.[citation needed]

There are many erosion control methods that can be used such as conservation tillage
systems and crop rotation.

Keyline design is an enhancement of contour farming, where the total watershed

properties are taken into account in forming the contour lines. Terracing is the practice of
creating benches or nearly level layers on a hillside setting. Terraced farming is more
common on small farms and in underdeveloped countries, since mechanized equipment
is difficult to deploy in this setting.

Human overpopulation is leading to destruction of tropical forests due to widening

practices of slash-and-burn and other methods ofsubsistence farming necessitated by
famines in lesser developed countries. A sequel to the deforestation is typically large
scale erosion, loss of soil nutrients and sometimes total desertification.
Perimeter runoff control
Trees, shrubs and groundcovers are also effective perimeter treatment for soil erosion
prevention, by insuring any surface flows are impeded. A special form of this perimeter
or inter-row treatment is the use of a “grassway” that both channels and dissipates runoff
through surface friction, impeding surface runoff, and encouraging infiltration of the
slowed surface water.