When used for such purposes, soils can suffer various types of degradation that can ultimately reduce their ability to produce food resources. The following graph describes the relative importance of the major soil degradation mechanisms. World Map of the Status of Human-Induced Soil Degradation. An Explanatory Note, rev. International Soil Reference and Information Centre, Wageningen, the Netherlands.
Erosion is the number one factor degrading soils globally.
Erosion is a process where wind and water facilitate the movement of top soil from one place to another. Water erosion is more detrimental to soils globally both by the volume of soil removed and area of land influenced. Above-ground parts of plants, like stems and leaves, reduce the potential of wind and water to erode soils by acting as barriers to these mediums. Plants can also reduce erosion by binding and anchoring soil particles to roots. Agriculture increases the risk of erosion through its disturbance of vegetation by way of land-use conversion, tilling or overgrazing.