Sustainability

Earth

Soil

Erosion

The word erosion indicates the slow disintegration of the soil due to the action of agents such as the rain, run-off water (rain water that runs on the land surface), and the wind. Erosion is a natural process that depends on several factors like the topographic configuration of the interested area, the soil composition and structure (in particular, its granulometry), the climate (in particular as far as precipitations are concerned), and the state of its vegetation cover. Some human activities, such as intensive agriculture, deforestation, intensive animal farming, and the use of inefficient or inadequate irrigation systems, accelerate or intensify the erosive process.