Land improvement or land amelioration refers to investments making land more usable by humans. In terms of accounting, land improvements refer to any variety of projects that increase the value of the property. Most are depreciable, but some land improvements are not able to be depreciated because a useful life cannot be determined.
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Land improvement or
land amelioration refers to investments making land more usable by humans. In terms of accounting,
land improvements refer to any variety of projects that increase the value of the property. Most are depreciable, but some land improvements are not able to be depreciated because a useful life cannot be determined.
Agricultural Land Improvement
In terms of
agricultureAgriculture is the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of human civilization, with the husbandry of domesticated animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more densely populated and...
, amelioration includes:
- Hydrological improvement (drainage
Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from an area. Many agricultural soils need drainage to improve production or to manage water supplies.-Early history:...
, irrigationIrrigation is an artificial application of water to the soil. It is usually used to assist in growing crops in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
, leachingIn general, leaching is the extraction of certain materials from a carrier into a liquid . Specifically, it may refer to:*Leaching *Leaching *Leaching **Dump leaching...
of saline soils, landslide and flood control)
- Soil improvement (fertilization, establishment of proper chemical balance).
- Soil stabilization/erosion
Erosion is a gravity driven process that moves solids in the natural environment or their source and deposits them elsewhere...
control
- Road construction
- Afforestation
Afforestation is establishing a forest on land that is not a forest, or has not been a forest for a long time by planting trees or their seeds. The term may also be applied to the legal conversion of land into the status of royal forest....
, as a means for both water conservationWater conservation refers to reducing the usage of water and recycling of waste water for different purposes like cleaning , manufacturing , agriculture etc.- Home :Water-saving technology for the home includes:...
and land protection against wind erosionErosion is a gravity driven process that moves solids in the natural environment or their source and deposits them elsewhere...
(shelterbelts)
Soil remediation
Uncontrolled use of the land may damage the soil, requiring measures for combatting soil degradation, such as:
- Combating desertification
Desertification is the degradation of land in arid and dry sub-humid areas, resulting primarily from man-made activities and influenced by climatic variations...
;
- Decontamination of polluted land;
- Land rehabilitation
Land rehabilitation is the process of returning the land in a given area to some degree of its former state, after some process has resulted in its damage...
after industrial or mining usage;
Urban Land Improvement
In an urban context, land improvements include:
- Clearing, terracing or levelling of the land;
- Access roads, walkways and parking lots;
- Fences and hedges;
- Landscaping;
- Service connections to municipal services and public utilities;
- Drainage and irrigation systems;
- External lighting;
Ecological problems
Massive land amelioration without proper consideration of ecological and geological consequences may lead to disastrous results, such as:
- Catastrophical buildup of soil salts and solonchak
Solonchak is pale or grey soil type found in arid to subhumid, poorly drained conditions. The word is Russian for "salt marsh" in turn from Russian sol, "salt".-See also:*Soil salinity*Solonetz*Takir *Playa...
formation, e.g., in Central AsiaAsia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east, and from southern Russia in the north to northern India in the south. It is also sometimes known as Middle Asia or Inner Asia, and is within the scope of the wider Eurasian continent.Various definitions of its...
, as a consequence of irrigation by saline groundwaterGroundwater is water located beneath the ground surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of lithologic formations. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water. The depth at which soil pore spaces or fractures and voids in...
.
- Desertification
Desertification is the degradation of land in arid and dry sub-humid areas, resulting primarily from man-made activities and influenced by climatic variations...
, soil erosionErosion is a gravity driven process that moves solids in the natural environment or their source and deposits them elsewhere...
and ecological shifts due to drainage.
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