HORTICULTURE

Detailed explanation-1: -A consequence of land shortage is poverty. Land shortage and poverty, taken together, lead to non-sustainable land management practices, the direct causes of degradation. Poor farmers are led to clear forest, cultivate steep slopes without conservation, overgraze rangelands and make unbalanced fertilizer applications.

Detailed explanation-2: -Effects of Land Use Changes. Land use changes occur constantly and at many scales, and can have specific and cumulative effects on air and water quality, watershed function, generation of waste, extent and quality of wildlife habitat, climate, and human health.

Detailed explanation-3: -When land is degraded, soil carbon can be released into the atmosphere, along with nitrous oxide, making land degradation one of the biggest contributors to climate change. An estimated two-thirds of all terrestrial carbon stores from soils and vegetation have been lost since the 19th century through land degradation.