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.

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