Land improvement
Encyclopedia
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.
Home building pertains to anything from a house made of all stone, or a shack made of sticks. Containment's hit everything from walls, fences, roads, paths and gates.
, amelioration includes:
Land Improvement History
- Home building and containment were two of the most historical common improvements.
Home building pertains to anything from a house made of all stone, or a shack made of sticks. Containment's hit everything from walls, fences, roads, paths and gates.
Agricultural land improvement
In terms of agricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, amelioration includes:
- Hydrological improvement (Land levellingLand levellingLand levelling or leveling is the process of flattening land. This process is often undertaken for some of the following reasons:* Creating bigger drainage areas* To change the direction water flows....
, drainageDrainageDrainage 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:...
, irrigationIrrigationIrrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
, leachingLeaching (agriculture)In agriculture, leaching refers to the loss of water-soluble plant nutrients from the soil, due to rain and irrigation. Soil structure, crop planting, type and application rates of fertilizers, and other factors are taken into account to avoid excessive nutrient loss.Leaching may also refer to ...
of saline soils, landslide and flood controlFlood controlIn communications, flood control is a feature of many communication protocols designed to prevent overwhelming of a destination receiver. Such controls can be implemented either in software or in hardware, and will often request that the message be resent after the receiver has finished...
) - Soil improvement (fertilization, establishment of proper chemical balance).
- Soil stabilization/erosionErosionErosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
control - Road construction
- AfforestationAfforestationAfforestation is the establishment of a forest or stand of trees in an area where there was no forest. Reforestation is the reestablishment of forest cover, either naturally or artificially...
, as a means for both water conservationWater conservationWater conservation refers to reducing the usage of water and recycling of waste water for different purposes such as cleaning, manufacturing, and agricultural irrigation.- Water conservation :Water conservation can be defined as:...
and land protection against wind erosionErosionErosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
(shelterbelts)
Soil remediation
Uncontrolled use of the land may damage the soil, requiring measures for combatting soil degradation, such as:- Combating desertificationDesertificationDesertification is the degradation of land in drylands. Caused by a variety of factors, such as climate change and human activities, desertification is one of the most significant global environmental problems.-Definitions:...
; - Decontamination of polluted land;
- Land rehabilitationLand rehabilitationLand 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;
Destroying Habitat
- It is recommended to stay away from destroying a natural environment if you have to build on new land. But if you have to, do it in the safest way of destroying the least amount of natural Habitat.
Preventing the Destruction of Habitats
- Putting up fences, paths and/or gates, providing a path for animals.
- Soil conservation efforts and keeping certain green land untouched to avoid negative impacts on wildlife.
Geography improvement
- Building canals, drains or any diversion project may be used to make unusable land suitable for our needs.
- Building over dry washes to avoid any type of flooding or road washouts.
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;
- LandscapingLandscapingLandscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including:# living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly referred to as gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal of creating a beautiful environment within the landscape.#...
; - 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 solonchakSolonchakSolonchak 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"....
formation, e.g., in Central AsiaCentral AsiaCentral Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
, as a consequence of irrigation by saline groundwaterGroundwaterGroundwater is water located beneath the ground surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock 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 rock...
. - DesertificationDesertificationDesertification is the degradation of land in drylands. Caused by a variety of factors, such as climate change and human activities, desertification is one of the most significant global environmental problems.-Definitions:...
, soil erosionErosionErosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
and ecological shifts due to drainage.
See also
- Land reclamationLand reclamationLand reclamation, usually known as reclamation, is the process to create new land from sea or riverbeds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamation ground or landfill.- Habitation :...
- Land rehabilitationLand rehabilitationLand 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...
- InfrastructureInfrastructureInfrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
- Land levellingLand levellingLand levelling or leveling is the process of flattening land. This process is often undertaken for some of the following reasons:* Creating bigger drainage areas* To change the direction water flows....
- Watertable controlWatertable controlWatertable control is the practice of controlling the water table in agricultural land by subsurface drainage with proper criteria to improve the crop production.- Description and definitions :...
- Subsurface drainageDrainage system (Agriculture)An agricultural drainage system is a system by which the water level on or in the soil is controlled to enhance agricultural crop production.-Classification:Figure 1 classifies the various types of drainage systems...
- Soil salinity control
External links
- Improvement of waterlogged and saline soils, provides free downloads of software and articles on land drainage.