The study is aimed at predicting soil erosion and investigate its spatial distribution in Souss basin area used EPM (erosion potential model), also known as Gavrilovic method, incorporating into GIS (geographic information system) software. The spatial distribution of soil erosion shows three main zones in the studied area (very slight, slight to moderate). The main factors in the EPM (soil erodibility, soil protection, slope, temperature and rainfall) were evaluated using GIS software. Data layers used in this study were created from digital elevation model (DEM), lithology maps, landsat 8 oli digital images, the highest amount of erosion occurred in the northeast regions, Results showed that about 87.84% of the study area is classified in low and very low to destructive erosion intensify, 12.15% of the study area was moderate potential soil losses.

Pothohar region of the Punjab, Pakistan is rain-fed with undulating topography. Soils of the area are predominantly loose with low water retention capacity and are vulnerable to erosion. Erratic and high intensity rainfall causes land erosion in the area producing gullies and gorges. Therefore, agriculture in the area faces twin menace of soil erosion and moisture stress. On-farm water control structures are among the important measures to control soil erosion and conserve moisture to enhance agriculture productivity. Present study was designed to evaluate the impact of these structures on soil moisture conservation and physio-chemical characteristics of soil in wheat growing fields. Wheat was sown in the fields, with and without structures during 2009 to 2013. It has been found that construction cost of such structures is about one-fourth that of conventionally used structures in the area whereas reduction in soil erosion has been observed up to 10% with 21% soil moisture conservation as compared to control. Soil fertility level improved significantly as a result of reduced run off and nutrient loss. A substantial improvement in wheat yield up to 15% due to increased fertility and moisture content was also recorded. These structures facilitated a safe disposal of surplus rain water which minimized the gully development, improved the soil structure, checked fertility loss and improved soil moisture retention.

Land use management requires controlling natural resources for sustainability. Soil erosion related to improper land use is a major issue around the world. Land degradation may harm the health of ecosystems. Defining the soil loss in a basin is the starting point in the restoration of soil quality for crop production. Reducing soil losses to a tolerable rate is one of the primary objectives for sustainability and soil conservation. Central Anatolia is under considerable risk due to an increase in the cultivation of marginal lands for food production. Cultivated lands have already been reached the final limits throughout the last 50 years. Moreover, forests and considerable areas of pasture have recently been converted to ploughed fields due to agricultural expansion. This study was conducted in the Sarısu basin to evaluate soil losses and land use management for sustainability. The Universal Soil Loss Equation model and Geographic Information System techniques were used to estimate the soil losses. The mean potential soil loss of the basin was calculated to be 1.88 t ha-1 per year with the Universal Soil Loss Equation model. These results are comparatively small when compared to the average value for Turkey of 13 t ha-1 yearly. Our calculated results are closer to the value for the Sakarya river basin, which is approximately 2.77 t ha-1 y-1. In this study, land usages in the Sarısu basin were evaluated in terms of soil losses, tolerable soil loss rates and soil conservation precautions.