HIGH-PRECISION FILTERING IN SQUARE-ROOT DOMAIN

The study was carried out in the Upper East Region of Ghana, Bongo District, to assess the driving causes and effects soil erosion in the District and the Region at large. While soil erosion is widely recognized as reducing environmental resource capacity to provide for the populations, few studies have explicitly measured its effects on the rural farmer and the apparent root causes of erosion in the region. Upper East Region is particularly vulnerable to the effects of soil erosion with one of the highest rates of soil erosion in Ghana. Some observed indicators of soil erosion-land degradation include sealed and compacted top soils, stones, gravel, concretions and iron pan. The major human activities that affect the physical environment are farming and domestic energy production. Associated practices such as land clearing for farming, total crop harvesting, burning of organic material during land preparation and inadequate manure application aggravate the degradation problem. These activities destroy the soil’s physical and chemical properties, thus, resulting in nutrient–depleted soils. A major effect is a progressive decline in crop yields as confirmed by 94% of 120 respondents. For soil rehabilitation to be effective there is the need for provision for soil surveys, research on soil physical characteristics affecting erosion, fertility investigations and the working out of new agricultural systems.