Land Use Change and Soil Erosion: Challenges and Way Forward to Management

Soil is a finite resource crucial for producing food, sequestering carbon, balancing nutrients and water, and maintaining biodiversity. Soil erosion poses a challenge to food security and sustainability, with an alarming rate of around 1.4 t ha−1 year−1, which surpasses the rate of natural soil formation. Destroying natural ecosystems and rapid transformation to cropland, urban, andpasture are also responsible for soil degradation. To solve this problem, SDG 15 has been proposed, which includes the target of achieving neutrality in land degradation. To achieve the target, many challenges, such as spatial and temporal variability, climate change, unplanned urbanization, unpredictability in quantifying soil loss, the complexity of model building, lack of long-term planning, and inadequate harmonization with field levels, need to be addressed. Erosion and land use change problems are intertwined, making them more intricate—attainable and cost-effective solutions like no-tillage, cover crops, mulching, and crop rotation suit conservation agriculture. Agroforestry, forest restoration, and buffer zones are some of the sustainable approaches that focus on maintaining vegetation cover and improving overall soil health. Terracing and contour farming can significantly reduce soil erosion in steep slope areas. Geographical information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) enhance the precision and efficiency of soil monitoring and formulation of management strategies. All these management strategies will truly attain their goals when awareness is coupled with strong support from policymakers.