A Walk Down Memory Lane: Erosion Control Solutions across History
Although the public has only recently come to terms with the adverse effects of soil erosion, bioengineers and geologists have been combating this natural process for years. Today, we’ve decided to look at the different techniques that are used to minimize soil erosion with erosion control supply so that we can better appreciate how far soil engineering has come over the decades.
1. Crop Rotation:
As soon as irrigation was introduced, people soon realized that their fields were rendered useless for months after the crop completed its lifecycle – much of this was due to soil erosion. As the world’s population was increasing, our ancestors came up with an ingenious solution to this problem; crop rotation.
The practice revolves around growing two dissimilar crops on the same arable land in synchronized cycles. Crop rotation proved to be a great success as it increased the fertility of the soil, enabled farmers to earn money all year round, and significantly limited soil erosion.
2. Reforestation:
With the world’s consumption of wood increasing at alarming rates, deforestation was a mathematical inevitability. This could’ve had a huge impact on society as forests effectively act as a barrier and prevent the top-most layer of the soil from getting eroded.
As a result, the practice of reforestation was introduced in a desperate bid to stop soil erosion. As its name suggests, reforestation revolves around replanting trees in woodland areas where tree population is at alarmingly low levels. Not only does this stop soil erosion but it also mitigates global warming.
3. Buffer Strips:
Buffer strips play an important role in agriculture. Often called contour buffer strips, these are strips of land on farms that are intentionally left unfarmed. This results in large plots of arable land being separated by buffer strips.
These strips of unfarmed land are great trapping sediment (thereby effectively reducing sedimentation), aid the filtration of nutrients, and even help farmers maintain air, soil, and water quality on their farms.
4. Hyrdroseeding:
Hydro mulch seeding (or hydroseeding as it is commonly called) is the practice of spraying a mixture of seed and mulch on eroded land. Although the slurry of seed and mulch are enough to prevent soil erosion, farmers also tend to add fertilizer, fiber mulch, and tackifying agents to further improve the quality of soil in farms.
5. Coir-Based Products:
As far as preventing soil erosion and sedimentation are concerned, coir-based products are by far your best option. Not only are these products incredible at improving the fertility of the soil but they also tend to cost a fraction of what the other options on this list do.
Furthermore, GeoNatural high quality erosion control and sediment control products like our Coir Wattl and Coir logs are completely biodegradable. This means that as soon as they approach the end of their useful cycle, they decompose and enrich the soil with nutrients which further enhances the soil’s fertility and guarantees you a higher yield.
Contact us today to learn more about how your land stands to benefit from our soil erosion and sediment control products.