Aloe Plants for Soil Erosion

Fence

• In Kenya and other parts of East Africa, farmers in arid landscapes have come up with a simple solution to soil erosion using aloe plants. For some time stones were used as barriers to hold topsoil that was being blown away, much as they are used along riverbanks everywhere. It was found, however, that aloe plants grown together in rows will effectively create their own barrier as the leaves of each plant begin crossing with one another, and in this way topsoil could be prevented from blowing away.

Deterrent

• Planting aloe as a fence to prevent the loss of loose topsoil has additional benefits that stone cannot offer. Goats and cattle avoid aloe plants as they are bitter and sometimes prickly. As a result, erosion caused by overgrazing is minimized. Around aloe plants, grass is given a chance to grow and establish itself, and the root structure of established grass helps keep important topsoil in place.

Root Structure

• Just as the grass that grows around aloe in an arid environment helps hold soil in place, so does the aloe itself below the soil. Aloe keeps loose topsoil from blowing away as it creates a fence, but the root structure below ground keeps the topsoil in place so that it doesn't blow away in the first place.

Self-Sustaining Benefits

• Aloe has medical and nutritional benefits that other means of soil erosion prevention cannot offer. It's a method of erosion mitigation that offers permanent and long-term solutions as well. Planted aloe provides seeds for more aloe to grow and further keep topsoil in place, cattle are discouraged from grazing and grass, which is especially important to erosion prevention, is allowed to grow unhindered.