Developing soil erosion indices in Nepal using distributed modeling

This research is an attempt to develop soil erosion index maps of Nepal by integrating biophysical and socioeconomic-demographic information. Areas exhibiting high erosion caused by biophysical and socioeconomic-demographic factors are identified for all the three ecological regions of Nepal – mountains, mid hills, and Tarai – covering 147,181 square kilometers. The terrain attributes derived from 30 x 30 m2, 60 x 60 m2 and 90 x 90 m2 grids resolutions are used to compare soil erodibility in different places. A soil erosion index map helps to differentiate productive areas from non-productive ones, and such a map becomes instrumental to examine food security.