With reference to soil conservation, consider the following practices:

1. Crop rotation

2. Sand fences

3. Terracing

4. Windbreaks

Which of the above are considered appropriate methods for soil conservation in India?

The correct answer is 1, 2, 3 and 4.

 Key Points

• Crop rotation, Sand fences, terracing, and windbreaks all are used for sand conservation in India. Hence all the options are correct.

 Important Points

• Sand fences are a simple and cheap method of inducing the accretion of sands in arid and sandy areas.
  • Sand fences are barriers made of small, evenly spaced wooden slats or fabric.
• In crop rotation, crops are changed from year to year according to a planned sequence.
  • Crop rotation is considered to be a key principle of conservation agriculture for, it improves the soil structure and fertility.
  • It also helps to control weeds, pests, and diseases.
• Terrace farming is the practice of cutting flat areas out of a hilly or mountainous landscape in order to grow crops.
  • It is a practice that has been in use from the rice fields of Asia to the steep slopes of the Andes in South America.
• A windbreak (shelterbelt) is a planting usually made up of one or more rows of trees or shrubs planted in such a manner as to provide shelter from the wind and to protect soil from erosion.
  • Farmers sometimes use windbreaks to keep snowdrifts on farmland that will provide water when the snow melts in the spring.