FOOD TECHNOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Soil degradation causes include agricultural, industrial, and commercial pollution; loss of arable land due to urban expansion, overgrazing, and unsustainable agricultural practices; and long-term climatic changes.

Detailed explanation-2: -Physical processes include a decline in the soil structure, leading to crusting, compaction, erosion, desertification, and environmental pollution, whereas chemical processes include a loss of nutrients and/or organic matter, acidification, salinization, and pollution (Oldeman et al.

Detailed explanation-3: -Mechanisms that initiate soil degradation include physical, chemical, and biological processes. Important among physical processes are a decline in soil structure leading to crusting, compaction, erosion, desertification, anaerobism, environmental pollution, and unsustainable use of natural resources.

Detailed explanation-4: -Land degradation is caused by multiple forces, including extreme weather conditions, particularly drought. It is also caused by human activities that pollute or degrade the quality of soils and land utility.