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Land improvement or land amelioration refers to investments making land more usable by humans. In terms of accounting, land improvements refer to any variety of projects that increase the value of the property. Most are depreciable, but some land improvements are not able to be depreciated because a useful life cannot be determined.
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Agricultural Land Improvement
In terms of agriculture, amelioration includes:
- Hydrological improvement (drainage, irrigation, leaching of saline soils, landslide and flood control)
- Soil improvement (fertilization, establishment of proper chemical balance).
- Soil stabilization/erosion control
- Road construction
- Afforestation, as a means for both water conservation and land protection against wind erosion (shelterbelts)
Soil remediation
Uncontrolled use of the land may damage the soil, requiring measures for combatting soil degradation, such as:
- Combating desertification;
- Decontamination of polluted land;
- Land rehabilitation after industrial or mining usage;
Urban Land Improvement
In an urban context, land improvements include:
- Clearing, terracing or levelling of the land;
- Access roads, walkways and parking lots;
- Fences and hedges;
- Landscaping;
- Service connections to municipal services and public utilities;
- Drainage and irrigation systems;
- External lighting;
Ecological problems
Massive land amelioration without proper consideration of ecological and geological consequences may lead to disastrous results, such as:
- Catastrophical buildup of soil salts and solonchak formation, e.g., in Central Asia, as a consequence of irrigation by saline groundwater.
- Desertification, soil erosion and ecological shifts due to drainage.
See also
External links
- Improvement of waterlogged and saline soils, provides free downloads of software and articles on land drainage.
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