Faulty land management practices

 Much of soil erosion in India is caused by faulty practices of farming. The most outstanding among these are faulty ploughing, lack of mulching, cultivation along the steep slope, deforestation, and above all the practice of shifting cultivation. One example of such practices is seen in the form of fields ploughed along the slope and not along the contours. This method of tilling the land provides readymade rills at the time of rain and the flow of water concentrates in the furrows made through ploughing. It increases the velocity of runoff thereby facilitating quick removal of soil. Contour ploughing, in contrast, provides a sequence of ridges and furrows to the water flowing over the surface and the velocity of runoff is thus retarded and a lesser amount of soil is likely to be removed in such a situation.