Land improvement or land amelioration is making land more usable by humans. In terms of agriculture amelioration includes:
- Hydrological improvement (drainage, irrigation, leaching of saline soils, landslide and flood control)
- Soil improvement (fertilization, establishment of proper chemical balance).
- Soil stabilization/erosion control
- Road construction
- Afforestation, as a means for both water conservation and land protection
Uncontrolled land utilization expanded the above traditional categories with actions for combatting soil degradation:
- Combating desertification
- Polluted land reclamation
- Land rehabilitation after industrial or mining usage
Ecological problems
Massive land amelioration without proper consideration of ecological and geological consequences is known to lead to massive disasters. Examples:
- Catastrophical buildup of soil salts and solonchak formation, e.g., in Central Asia, as a consequence of irrigation by saline groundwater.
- Desertification, soil erosion and ecological shifts due to drainage.
See also
External links
- Improvement of waterlogged and saline soils, provides free downloads of software and articles on land drainage.
