ABSTRACT
The extent of human-induced soil degradation is so alarming that the acquisition of new scientific knowledge is of paramount importance. The effect of rapid changes in land use on water and soil resources in the tropics caused by demographic, economic, political, and cultural factors is well documented. Land-use conversion, such as deforestation of natural ecosystems and inappropriate land use, has notable effects on water supply, water quality, soil erosion, and soil degradation. The direct impacts of fallow on the reduction of soil water erosion over catchments are well documented. The spatial distribution of soils developed from these bedrocks is controlled mainly by the topography. The lower soil erodibility after a fallow period may first be explained by a greater resistance of the soil aggregates to mechanical breakdown.
