How Does Salinity Affect Farming Communities

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Much of Australia's landscape is naturally saline and salt stored in the soil is a natural feature. Vast amounts of salt, mostly located underground have built up over many thousands of years and are so deep within the soil that they don't affect plant growth. Depending on the location, this salt that lies deep in the soil has come from different sources. One cause of this salt is believed to be the ocean; the salt has been carried inland by winds which drop salt in the rain or dust. Another source is the release of salts as rocks weather. Another possible cause could be ancient drainage basins or inland seas that evaporated during dry periods, leaving behind salt deposits that still remain today making that land infertile and useless for any agricultural purpose. However, rising groundwater levels are bringing previously stored undisturbed salt to the surface where it affects soils, streams, vegetation and farming. Rising groundwater levels can be caused in two different ways. The first is the naturally changing Australian landscape. Over thousands of years salt stored low in the soil has gradually risen to the soil level just below the root system. The second and the most common is a result of human activities and impacts by people. Since the early 19th century when farmers started to settle in Australia, the landscape has changed dramatically. Removing deep rooted native grasses, shrubs and trees and replacing them with shallow rooted vegetation for annual crops, pastures and other agriculture has significantly increased the amount of water leaking into the groundwater beneath the root system of plants. The annual crops and pastures that replace the native vegetation cannot use all the rain that falls; they only grow for part of the year, and their shallow roots cannot absorb water deep below the soil surface. When there is more water going into the ground

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