THE Department of Agriculture is calling on farmers to take extra precaution while planting crops especially on slopes.
The recommended practice is that sloping land less than 15 degrees should only be cultivated and incorporated conservation measure such as contour farming be practised.
Care for the environment should be paramount says the Minister for Primary Industries, Joketani Cokanasiga.
Mr Cokanasiga said contour farming would avoid land degradation.
"Farmers are also urged to plough sloping land sideways to prevent water run off and plant hedgerows such as vetiver grass and fruit trees across the slope.
"Land sloping for more than 15 degrees is not suitable for productive use but good for forestry. It should only be used for planting fruit trees," said the minister.
He said the problem of soil erosion from poor land use was quite evident as every year, the Government spends millions of dollars to dredge rivers around the country because of silt deposits settling on the riverbed, making it shallow.
"The eroded soil gets to the stream and the main river system and hence disturbs the river's capacity of water flow.
"It causes immense damage to the people's properties because of flooding," said Mr Cokanasiga.
He said because of that, the ministry was advising farmers to take extra care while planting because the erosion of top soil would erode nutrients for plants.
As a result more money would be spent on fertilisers. Mr Cokanasiga advised farmers to avoid indiscriminate burning which disturbed soil structure and eventually added to the problem of soil erosion.
