Discuss the practices used by farmers to protect their soils.

There are numerous practices used by farmers to protect their soils. Crop rotation can return nutrients to the soil and can be used as an alternative to letting fields lie fallow, which exposes soils to erosion. Contour farming protects soils against erosion by shaping agricultural fields to minimize the possibility of water running down a hillside. Intercropping is the planting of two types of vegetation in the same field, either overlapping the crops or planting them in alternating rows. It provides a more complete land cover by decreasing bare areas between rows. Shelterbelts provide windbreaks that slow ground wind speed across a field. No-till, or conservation, tillage decreases the plowing of soil and provides less exposure of soils to wind and water for erosion. The use of irrigation can prevent wind erosion, although used incorrectly it can cause water erosion and salinization. The final way to protect soils is by composting, returning vegetable wastes to cropland so that their fiber and minerals can promote humus development.