Introduction
A growing population and climate change have put enormous pressure on the earth’s scarce natural resources. Agriculture relies heavily on water and soil, which are essential natural resources. Natural resources are deteriorating due to anthropogenic and detrimental biological activities. Soil degradation is among the most severe threats to water and soil resources, with intensive farming practices among the factors accelerating soil erosion. As with increased groundwater extraction, the level of underground water has been depleted (Hallett et al., 2017, p. 6). As a result, groundwater sources must be managed holistically to ensure sustainable agriculture and preserve the environment and climate (Gachene, Nyawade, and Karanja, 2019, p. 2). Land and inadequate systems can be prevented by developing and adopting innovative techniques, sensible use of environmental assets, and effective managerial practices.
There is a wealth of scientific information available about how to mitigate land degradation and water pollution. Although there are still technological and informational gaps to be filled, the more significant obstacle to helping to improve the quality of the soil and water is the scarcity of incentive schemes for production companies to use the information and innovation that already exist (Lin et al., 2018, p. 1). Farming systems’ impact on soil and groundwater quality is determined solely by the thousands of business decisions production companies make each year. It should be the national policy goal to generate the necessary support that will encourage producers to alter their farming systems. Crops, farm animals, and entrepreneurship management techniques are more understood than water and soil sustainability initiatives.
Data on the expenses of evolving sustainable agriculture is often either nonexistent or based on anecdotal evidence only. In addition to market price levels for components and products and new technology costs, the availability of capital and labor, the environmental policy, and the enterprise’s goals all influence production companies’ decisions (Hallett et al., 2017, p. 5). Manufacturers do not uniformly manage farms with the same skills, assets, and plans, commonly believed in the agricultural industry. Farmers instead differ significantly in the products they generate, soil quality, and terrain.
The access to the resources and high-tech tools to enhance soil and water conservation varies, with the farmers implementing or dismissing new agricultural practices for various reasons as a result of this variability. Since empirical evidence and statistical analytics of producer, behavior is insufficient, and the agriculture industry is diverse, it is difficult to determine the exact effects of potential reforms on producer behavior. National policies can be developed based on general knowledge of what factors influence producer decisions to alter the way manufacturers manage their agricultural practices.
Controversies Surrounding the Proposed Soil and Water Management Strategies
Concerns about trade-offs have hindered solutions to tackle this complex nature of resource problems. Groundwater contamination is being investigated as a result of soil erosion management strategies. Some believe that practices intended to reduce the volume of groundwater pollutants returned to waterways increase the number of soluble contaminants contained in water runoff. Society’s capacity to handle what seems to be inescapable ecological trade-offs has been questioned in light of these findings. Farming’s environmental productivity must be measured against its cost-cutting and productivity-increasing efforts (Lin et al., 2018, p. 6). Due to the difficulty of determining the best approaches to enhance the impacts of agricultural practices on groundwater resources, policymaking is hampered by the uncertainty surrounding trade-offs (Gachene, Nyawade, and Karanja, 2019, p. 12). In addition, regional and local variations in farm enterprises, soils, and aquatic ecosystems further exacerbate this. Although the most enticing possibilities for helping to improve agricultural activities were much more clearly defined, water and soil quality issues would be more superficial. Therefore, based on these opportunities, a policy could be developed.
As a result of many crop production practices, soil structure and biological life are greatly affected. In addition to destroying natural soil life, tillage destroys soil structure, buries sediment cover, and decreases soil water content. Consequently, as tillage is reduced, soil health and tilth strengthen (Gachene, Nyawade, and Karanja, 2019, p. 2). A different soil system has developed due to Mother Nature not tilling the land; cultivation is considered necessary by man. Producers can improve soil structure and water conservation by mastering more about them. It has been customary to focus on the apparent symptoms and problems visible above ground when it comes to farm management practices. According to recent research, what appears to be slight variations below the surface soil may have a tremendous impact on productivity and self-sufficiency. Producing systems, plants, and particulates must be managed to create healthy soils with a better structure to manage water better. Reduce runoff, deterioration, evaporative losses, and the associated environmental impacts by enhancing agricultural productivity and bioactivity while preserving residue cover.
Conclusion
Maintaining soil water balance has a long history and is practiced in many countries, arguing that human activities are threatening the quality of water and soil. Interestingly, the evolving technology promotes introducing new high-tech techniques to help safeguard the water and soil quality. However, the stakeholders continue experiencing challenges in managing the quality of the natural resources. Thus, this short article is crucial for equipping scholars and other environmentalists with reliable and evidence-based management alternatives.
Notably, the sources selected for this piece are credible, with the information therein enhancing the understanding of the complex topic: water and soil management.
Reference List
Gachene, C.K., Nyawade, S.O. and Karanja, N.N., 2019, ‘Soil and water conservation: An overview.’ College of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences, University of Nairobi, Kenya.
Hallett, S. et al. 2017, ‘Improving soil and water management for agriculture: insights and innovation from Malta.’
Lin, B.B. et al. 2018, ‘Soil management is key to maintaining soil moisture in urban gardens facing changing climatic conditions.’ Scientific Reports, 8(1), pp.1-9.
The Nature and Properties of Soil – Scientific Figure on ResearchGate.