Soil Erosion

Steep slope soil erosion can be a significant issue in geotechnical engineering, but there are several effective solutions to mitigate it:

1. Vegetative Solutions

Revegetation: Planting deep-rooted vegetation helps stabilize the soil.
Ground Covers: Using low-growing plants or grasses can reduce surface erosion.
2. Mechanical Solutions

Retaining Walls: Constructing retaining walls to hold back soil and reduce slope angle.
Gabions: Wire mesh baskets filled with rock can stabilize slopes and reduce erosion.
Terracing: Creating stepped levels can slow down water flow and reduce erosion.
3. Drainage Solutions

Surface Drainage: Designing channels or ditches to divert water away from slopes.
Subsurface Drainage: Installing drains to reduce pore water pressure and stabilize slopes.
4. Erosion Control Mats and Blankets

Coir Matting: Natural fiber mats can protect soil during establishment of vegetation.
Synthetic Mats: Erosion control blankets made from synthetic materials can also be effective.
5. Soil Stabilization Techniques

Chemical Stabilization: Using additives like lime or cement to improve soil strength.
Grouting: Injecting grout into the soil can enhance stability.
6. Bioengineering Solutions

Live Stakes: Planting live stakes or cuttings that grow into the soil to provide root reinforcement.
Bio-logs: Utilizing logs filled with vegetation can help absorb water and reduce erosion.
7. Retrofitting Existing Structures

Strengthening Foundations: Reinforcing existing structures can prevent collapse and further erosion.
Adding Drainage: Retrofitting structures with additional drainage systems to manage water flow.
8. Monitoring and Maintenance

Regular inspection of slopes and erosion control measures to identify and address issues promptly.
Conclusion

A combination of these methods, tailored to the specific site conditions and the extent of erosion, can effectively manage steep slope soil erosion. Integrating these solutions not only protects the slope but also enhances the overall ecosystem.

– 4o mini

Soil erosion is one of the threats to the economic performance of Burundi. Burundi counts on agriculture for its development. In the vision of Burundi as an Emerging Country by 2040 and a Developed Country by 2060, the third objective just provides with details of how agriculture will contribute to the achievement of the vision. The objective dwells a lot on modernizing the sector with machinery. Improving the agricultural techniques including use of machines is not necessarily going to improve the contribution of the sector due to the small size of agricultural lands. Furthermore, the increase in population growth will continue to reduce the land for agriculture to prioritize infrastructure for hosting this population, as well as providing social services such as schools, hospitals, etc. Finally, agricultural land itself is under constant threats of soil degradation due to climate change and soil erosion.
A 2017 World Bank analysis estimated the loss of soil in Burundi at almost 38 million tons a year, calculated a cost of $120 millions or 3.9% of GDP in 2014. This is extremely huge for the country with 90% of the population estimated to more than 14 millions directly dependent on land and agricultural activities and products. The projections tell a threatening story with the loss of land area is estimated to 5.2% due to soil degradation in 2020, and by 2050, Burundi land degradation will reach 200%.
The situation constitutes an existential threat to most vital sectors inclusing agriculture, livestock, fisheries, the environment, ecosystems, health, forestry, energy, infrastructure, human settlement, and water resource management. While land restoration is a necessity, community resilience building is equally an important investment. The WB has already invested in land restoration project equivalent to $30 millions from 2018-2024.
Overall, building the resilience capacity of communities can offer more options by nurturing capabilities and opportunities beyond the nature. On the other hand, there is urgency of forward thinking for revising pro-natality policies with dramatic change in building a more attractive agriculture for youth, encouraging innovation-centered agricultural policies and technologies to support the development of agriculture as source of wealth and growth. Innovations should consist of technology-powered micro-farming, use of integrated agricultural techniques that consider the Net Present Value of the current agrarian population size. More investment shall go to research centers for testing new and adapted crop varieties, but also new agricultural techniques and the integration of technology into the sector.

A study by the World Bank estimated that Burundi wa losing 38 million tons of soil every year, which is equivalent to $120 M or 3.9% of its GDP in 2014. By 2020, the loss of land areas due to soil degradation was estimated to 5.2%, and projected to 200% in 2050.
With 86% of the population living in rural areas and depending on agricultural activities and production, soil erosion as one form of land degradation in Burundi is a vital priority. The third pilars of the Vision Burundi as an Emerging Country by 2040 and a Developed Country by 2060 provided guidelines for developing agriculture as a source of wealth and catalyst of food security. The monthly meeting highlighted the importance of empowering communities with resilient land management approaches and techniques. Currently the WB has an investment in landscape restoration equivalent to $30M for the period of 2018 to 2024. A holistic land management should focus on building a robust policy infrastructure to guide the process of instrument development. Another important area for building land management capability consists of building the community capabilities to adopt agricultural resilience, among which, micro-farming that is more technology intensive and data driven than mere mechanization. Proposing incentives for social categories that are not ready to embark on agricultural career such as youth, by promoting investment mechanisms including venture capital, AI powered landa management, etc.