Erosion Agents of soil erosion are high velocity of wind, air currents, flowing water, landslide, human activities (deforestation, farming and mining) and overgrazing by cattle. . . Management of Soil Erosion Retain vegetation cover, so that soil is not exposed.
Cattle grazing should be controlled. Crop rotation and soil management improve soil organic matter. Runoff water should be stored in the catchment. Reforestation, terracing and contour ploughing.
Wind speed can be controlled by planting trees in form of a shelter belt. . Renewable and Non-Renewable Energy Resources Energy is an important input for development. The expansion of possible energy resources has been directly related with the pace of agricultural and industrial development in every part of the world.
Energy resources can be classified as non-renewable and renewable. Non-renewable (Exhaustible) energy resources Energy obtained from sources that cannot renew themselves over a short period of time is known as non-renewable energy. These are available in limited amount in nature. They include coal, petroleum, natural gas and nuclear power.
These conventional energy resources account for % of the world’s production of commercial energy and nuclear power account for %. Renewable (Inexhaustible) energy resources These energy resources are available in unlimited amount in nature and they can be renewed over a short period of time , inexpensive and can be harvested continuously. These comprise the vast potential of non- conventional energy resources which include biofuel, biomass energy, geothermal energy, water energy (hydroelectric energy and tidal energy), solar energy, wave energy and wind energy. .
. Fossil Fuels Fossil fuels are found inside the earth’s crust and are energy rich substances formed by natural process, such as anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms , over millions of years. As the accumulating sediment layers produce heat and pressure, the remains of the organisms are gradually transformed into hydrocarbons. e.g.
petroleum, coal and natural gas. Environmental Management . . Coal and Petroleum Coal and Petroleum are natural resources .
They are called fossil fuels as they are formed from the degradation of biomass buried deep under