Abstract
Land degradation through erosion processes is probably the most restrictive issue regarding the sustainable agricultural use of land resources in contemporary Romania. The socio-economic changes that occurred in Romanian society after 1990 resulted in a sharp decline in the implementation of conservation practices along with an increase in intensity of land degradation. Consequently, the present paper firstly aims to analyse the actual spread and intensity of land degradation in the Puriceni-Bahnari catchment, representative area in terms soil erosion within Moldavian Plateau of Eastern Romania. Secondly, the achievement of a dedicated project at the level of the entire basin regarding the implementation of land conservation practices is the most suitable solution for the sustainable agricultural use of this fragile natural resource. The results prove the severe degradation state of the agricultural land, with a mean value of annual soil loss of 15.46 t·ha−1·yr−1 (13,500 t·yr−1). Furthermore, 460 ha of agricultural lands (72.7% of total) falls within the category that exceeds the limit of admissible erosion of 7 t·ha−1·yr−1. As a solution to the existing land use pattern, we designed a map of proposed conservation measures and works on agricultural land for the whole catchment that can be relatively easily implemented and conserve soil and water. The main issues of the proposed land use pattern are: (1) the entire cropland must be reduced and changed to a strip-cropping system; (2) the quality of the pastures should be improved; (3) the forested area must be substantially extended, especially on account of unproductive land, and (4) the agricultural road network must be halved and entirely reshaped. In conclusion, the large-scale implementation of conservation practices on degraded agricultural land is the only rational solution for sustainable development of poor local communities in the hilly areas from eastern Romania.
Highlights
Agricultural land planning represents a set of technical, economical, juridical and social measures that aimed both to rationally use and preserve the land resources [1].By continuously trying to harmonize the natural offer of land resources with the socioeconomic needs of the society, this activity became an essential component of the concept of sustainable development.Worldwide, land degradation through soil erosion enhanced by anthropogenic activity is spreading extremely fast, especially in more fragile geographical environments [2]
The high intensity of land degradation in the studied area was mainly caused by the widespread erosion processes, including soil erosion, gully erosion, and landslides
In accordance with the natural conditions specific to the Romanian territory, the agricultural land located on slopes higher than 5% is the most exposed areas to soil erosion [48]
Summary
Agricultural land planning represents a set of technical, economical, juridical and social measures that aimed both to rationally use and preserve the land resources [1]. The main effect of the erosion on soil is directly related to the modification of its properties, which subsequently leads to the reduction of fertility and, the decrease in agricultural production [5] In this context, the implementation of land conservation measures is recognized worldwide as a very important activity that contributes to an increase in the level of the agricultural production and to overall improve the quality of the environment [6]. Perieni falls into complex research topics grouped in two directions, namely: (1) assessment of land degradation processes [23,24,25,26] and (2) implementation of soil and water conservation practices [27,28,29] All these substantiate the urgent need for widespread adoption of complex technical and agrotechnical measures and works that promote sustainable agriculture. By means of a proposed project to implement conservation practices, the most suitable practical solutions on durable use of degraded agricultural land are proposed
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