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• Terrace Farming: It is a method of cultivation of crops especially rice in hilly areas. In this method, the sloppy
land is carved into steps for planting crops. Each step has a mud barrier to prevent the washing away of soil
nutrients by the rain water. It also helps in reducing water loss and soil erosion.
• Changing Agricultural Practices: Retaining soil nutrients and preventing soil erosion can be done by following
changed agricultural practices like:
Crop Rotation: It is the system of cultivating different varieties of crops on the same piece of land across different
seasons. This helps to conserve soil fertility as different crops have different requirements of soil nutrients.
Contour Ploughing: In this method, the soil is ploughed along the contour to decrease the soil runoff. By
growing the crops in a contour pattern, plants can absorb more rain water and thus minimise the soil erosion.
No-Till Farming: It is a method of growing crops without tilling the soil. This practice will not disturb the top
layer of soil and the last crop present in the top layer will be decomposed fast which helps in maintaining the
soil nutrients and preventing soil erosion.
• Wind Breaks: Dense rows of tall evergreen trees are planted around the boundaries of farm. This reduces wind
pressure and helps in preventing soil erosion due to wind and rain water.
• Salinity Management: The water, after evaporating from the soil, leaves behind salt. It is generally seen in the areas
near sea, lakes, oceans and in weathering of rocks. It affects soil fertility and reduces absorption of water by plant.
Using humic acids can prevent this or growing crops like saltbush can rejuvenate soil and replenish lost nutrients.
• Earthworms: Earthworms are considered as best friends of farmers. By introducing more earthworms, we can
increase the fertility of soil. They eat up the soil and fungi present in it due to no-till farming, digest the organic
matter present in it and excrete wastes full of plant nutrients known as worm cast which makes soil fertile. They
aerate the soil by making burrows.
• Stream Bank Protection: During the rainy season or floods, the vegetative cover of the stream bank is often
washed away into the stream, leading to soil erosion. This can be prevented by forming vegetation, constructing
rock ripraps, planting trees, and growing native grasses and shrubs along a stream bank.
Energy Conservation
Energy conservation involves preserving of non-renewable
resources like coal, oil, and natural gas by using it judiciously
and reducing its wastage, so that it can be preserved for
the generations to come. Increase in the consumption
of oil and natural gas has lead to an increase in the level
of carbon dioxide causing change in climatic conditions.
There are different ways to conserve energy:
Green Skills-I 143

