Degradation of the natural pasturages and quality of the soul in the region Sudan-Guinea of l'Adamaoua and Cameroon
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The term “soil conservation” is frequently used to mean a variety of activities by humans to control the rate of degradation, loss of soil, and yield of sediment from the landscape by wind, water and gravity (FAO, 1985). Except under forest conditions, surface horizons of most tropical soils having clay and organic matter contents are generally not well aggregated under cultivation. The soil aggregates are weakly developed and unstable to raindrop impact. On quick wetting during rain, these aggregates slake easily to form a surface seal or crust. Such formations occur when the surface ground is bare or incompletely covered by the vegetative canopy or surface mulch. In addition to sealing and crusting, migration of fine soil particles into underlying layers is often observed especially when the soil surface is disturbed by tillage and/or continuous cropping. The loss of pore continuity at the soil surface by sealing and crusting or at the adjacent soil layers by eluv iation of fine topsoil particles causes the reduction of water infiltration. As a result, runoff and soil loss can significantly increase especially on sloppy grounds. Soil erosion is one of the major constraints of agricultural development of the highlands in the tropics. More than 80% of cultivated lands in these regions are prone to severe erosion as a result of improper agricultural practices.