Chapter 1.1 (Agriculture 6)

Soil erosion control (1)

In Grade Five, we learnt how to recover eroded soil and use it for farming.

Types of soil erosion

Activity 1

Sharing experiences on types of soil erosion.

Let us Find Out

In pairs

  1. Find out the meaning of soil erosion.
  2. Discuss your experiences on types of soil erosion. Share your findings with the class.

Let us understand

  1. Soil erosion is the carrying away of the loose topsoil.
  2. Different types of soil erosion are splash erosion, sheet erosion, rill erosion and gully erosion.

Activity 2

Identifying different types of soil erosion in the environment.

Let us practise

  1. Visit your neighbouring environment and identify the following types of soil erosion; splash erosion, sheet erosion, rill erosion and gully erosion.
  2. Discuss the type of environment where each type of soil erosion occurs.

Share your experiences with the others.

Activity 3

Differentiating types of soil erosion.

Let us watch

Video clip on different types of soil erosion

Work in groups

Discuss the differences between splash and sheet erosion, rill and gully erosion, the types of soil erosion you have seen in the video clips.

Share your experiences with the other groups.

Let us understand

  1. Splash erosion occurs where soil particles are removed from the ground by rain drops leaving a small depression.
  2. Sheet erosion is uniform removal of the loose soil from the ground by flowing water.
  3. Rill erosion is the removal of loose soil from the ground by flowing water leaving shallow and narrow channels.
  4. Gully erosion is the removal of soil by running water from the ground surface, leaving deep and wide channels.

How soil erosion takes place

How does soil erosion occur?

Activity 4

Carrying out an experiment to show how splash and sheet erosion occurs.

Let us Find Out

Look at the following pictures and carry out the activities as shown.

  1. What do you observe from each activity?
  2. Which type of soil erosion is taking place in activity A and B? Share your findings with the others.
Activity A
Activity B

Let us understand

  1. In activity A, water from the watering can hits the bare soil, detaching it and splashing soil particles on the manilla paper. This is splash erosion.
  2. In activity B, water flows down the slope carrying the loose top soil in a thin uniform layer. This is sheet erosion.

Activity 4

Carrying out an experiment to show how rill and gully erosion occurs.

Let us Find Out

Look at the pictures and carry out the activities as shown.

  1. What do you observe in each activity?
  2. Which type of soil erosion is taking place in activity A and B? Share your findings with the others.
Activity A​
Activity B​

Let us understand

  1. In experiment A, water flows down the slope carrying loose soil particles leaving small shallow channels known as rills.
  2. In experiment B, water flows down the slope carrying the loose soil leaving deep channels known as gullies.
Please wait