Chapter 6 AWWS

Rocky Planet

Imagining a Lifeless World

• Picture a planet with:

  • Rocky surface

  • No odor

  • Inability to sustain life

• Wind stirs sand, obscuring a bright blue sky

• Rain creates rivulets carrying sand and gravel to gullies, filling rivers with sediment

• Land replaced by silt, pebbles, and boulders

Importance of Soil

• A world without soil threatens:

  • Loss of food security

  • Loss of beauty and ecological balance

• Erosion already affecting landscapes and food production

  • Current situation not as severe as a "rocky planet" stage

Impact of Soil Loss

• As soil erosion progresses:

  • Threat to global food security increases

  • Hunger in unexpected regions emerges

• Necessity to understand connections between:

  • Food systems

  • Soil health

• Food system complexity:

  • Interactions of physical environment, biology, and social forces

  • Each farm’s unique variables complicate comprehensive understanding

Systemic Challenges

• Consequences of soil erosion explored through:

  • Crop cultivation

  • Biodiversity

  • Demographics in agriculture

  • Societal policies and issues surrounding soil

• Measuring soil erosion impacts:

  • Economic loss, biodiverse loss, crop yield reduction

  • Evaluation in both local and global contexts

Global Data on Soil Erosion

Scale of the Issue

• UN reports: 40% of global land degradation due to soil erosion affects:

  • 1.5 billion people suffering welfare loss

• Economic predictions indicate:

  • $3 trillion in losses due to soil erosion by 2030

  • Highest losses in Sub-Saharan Africa (60% share)

Contributions to Erosion Effects

• Crop production affected by:

  • Annual yield losses estimated at 33%

  • Ongoing erosion potentially leading to 50% decline by 2050

  • Local farmer impact more severe than global averages

• Erosion affects different soil types variably

• Example of Mollisol rich in topsoil at risk of extinction without intervention.

Erosion in Africa

• Africa's challenges:

  • Erosion threatens food production severely

  • Ultisols in Sub-Saharan Nigeria highly degraded

  • 30-50% of the cultivated land risked in moisture-effective seasons

• Case study in Anambra, Nigeria details:

  • Barren gullies from erosion due to wet/dry expansion cycles.

  • Erosion rates of 20-70 tons/ha annually.

• Farmers affected personally, losses translate into food security concerns.

Addressing Erosion Problems

Experimental Research

• Researchers conducted desurfacing experiments in Nigeria:

  • Crop yield reductions of 46% with simple soil removal.

• Consequences manifest through:

  • Floods destroying crops

  • Decreased diversity impacting food supply

  • Erosion-driven conflicts emerging in north-eastern Nigeria

Country-Specific Responses

• Morocco:

  • 25% land agricultural, 50% degraded by soil erosion

  • Agriculture vital for economy, relying on soil health.

• Ethiopia and Tanzania suffer similarly from high erosion rates impacting agricultural GDP significantly.

Global Agricultural Dynamics

• Asia experiencing diverse erosion effects based on different terrains:

  • Rice production seen critical in India and China.

  • Total loss in South Asia triggers massive GDP losses and food insecurity.

The Bigger Picture: Impact of Smallholders

Smallholder Vulnerability

• Smallholders constitute 80% of farms globally:

  • Influence in maintaining agricultural diversity

  • Critical in preserving genetic resilience in crops

• Impacts of erosion disproportionately affect smallholders:

  • Dimensions of poverty and limited resources impact resilience.

The Role of Women in Agriculture

• Women hold substantial share of agricultural labor:

  • They represent 56% of the agricultural workforce in sub-Saharan Africa.

  • Barriers in land ownership reduce their economic power.

Global Food Security Challenges

International Connections

• Food aid systems increasingly stressed:

  • Soil loss coupled with population demands complicates future outlook

• UN Food and Agriculture Organization warns of potential drastic shortages

• Historical reliance on food aid for crisis mitigation at risk due to eroding capacity of food-producing nations.

Future of Agriculture

• Need for alternative farming practices to address erosion and feeding nine billion:

  • Innovations in crop management and sustainable practices will be key to future food security.

• Climate change making incredible impacts on farming:

  • Rising temperatures and weather extremes impacting yields.

Conclusion

• The interrelationship between soil, agriculture, and climate:

  • Balancing actions addressing climate change alongside soil conservation.

• Ensuring sustainable practices essential moving forward.