Soil erosion control using agroforestry terraces in San Pedro Mixtepec, Oaxaca, Mexico.

Abstract

The forest soils of San Pedro Mixtepec, Oaxaca, present water erosion problems. The loss of plant coverage by the opening of lands to planting and overgrazing in lands with slopes > 30% cause such difficulties. Current water erosion was evaluated in rangelands by establishing a runoff lot and using the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE/RUSLE). Results indicate that the affected soils displayed a severe erosion of 16.67 Mg/ha/ year. The establishment of an agroforestry system with Leucaena lecocephala (Lam.) de Wit and Moringa oleiferous (Lam.) in terraces, contained the removal of soil that was worked out to be of 2.17 ton/ ha/ year. The control method avoided the loss of 14.5 Mg/ha/ year of sediments. We conclude that agroforestry technology in terraces is an efficient method for the control of water erosion and of the sustainable soil management.