Mahatma Gandhi once said, “To forget how to dig the earth and tend to the soil is to forget ourselves.” Soil acts as the foundation for all life on Earth by recycling and producing nutrients we depend on every day. Estimated by the Food and Agriculture Organization, 95% of our food is produced by soil either directly or indirectly, yet almost a third of our soil is degraded. As soil erosion spreads, the foundation we depend on crumbles and poses a threat to all life it supports.
Soil erosion or degradation is the process by which unprotected soil is worn away by forces such as wind, water, and other phenomena (Erosion 101: Everything You Need to Know About Soil Erosion, 2021). Wind erosion typically occurs in areas lacking plant life as plants shield most soil from being blown away.
Water erosion occurs when there is excessive rainfall and takes many forms such as the following: sheet erosion, rill erosion, and gully erosion (Soil Conservation Concerns, n.d.).
