Salinization

Soil salinity is the salt content in the soil; the process of the salt concentration's increasing is known as salinization.

Salts occur naturally within soils and water. The ions responsible for salination are: Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺ and Cl⁻.

Salination can be caused by natural processes such as mineral weathering or by the gradual withdrawal of an ocean. It can also come about through artificial processes such as irrigation (dissolved salts) and road salt.

The inflow of salty water can be due to flooding of the land by seawater, seepage of seawater or brackish groundwater through the soil from below.

Due to climate change, sea levels are rising, which further accelerates the process of salinization. Although salinization is a global problem, it tends to concentrate in arid and semi-arid regions.

Regions affected

From the FAO/UNESCO Soil Map of the World the following salinised areas can be derived:

By using traditional farming practices for irrigation and fertilization, salinity levels have even been seen to increase. In many places, salt-affected lands become non-arable.

In addition to the struggle farmers face, salinization is a serious threat to global food security.

Why is salinization a problem?

Salinization of farmland is a fast-growing problem worldwide.

Due to rising sea levels, vast areas of formerly arable land become increasingly saline and, since most farmers around the globe are unfamiliar with saline agriculture, their common belief is that saline soil is not suitable for growing crops. As a result, farmers feel forced to migrate and/or live with famine and poverty. Thus ever more farmers around the world suffer from salinization and are forced to live in poverty.