How does soil erosion affect individuals?

Soil erosion often causes the destruction of croplands, which in turn makes the prices of food soar and is the reason many individuals go hungry. According to a study by Cornell University, soil erodes away at 10 to 40 times faster than it is replenished each year.

Over 99 percent of human food comes from croplands throughout the world, and over the past 40 years, 30 percent of croplands have become unusable due to erosion. Over half of that soil ends up in rivers, streams and other waterways. This makes the waterways more prone to flooding and susceptible to contamination from fertilizer and pesticides.