Vulnerability assessment of soil erosion/deposition in a Himalayan watershed using a remote sensing and gis based sediment yield model

Soil erosion strongly affects crop yield, undermines the long term productivity of farm land and sustainability of farming system, and poses a major threat to the livelihood of the farmers and rural communities. The United Nations Environmental Program reported that the productivity of soil has reduced and resulting in economically unfeasible cultivation on about 20 million hectare of land each year due to soil erosion and resulting degradation of land. The eroded soil is also a major cause of loss of storage capacity (1 to 2% annual reduction globally) of multipurpose reservoirs due to sedimentation which affects society at large.