Non-sustainable agricultural practices can alter the quality of soil and water. A sustainable soil management requires detailed understanding of how tillage affects soil quality, erosion, and leaching processes. Agricultural soils in the Haean catchment (South Korea) are susceptible to erosion by water during the monsoon. For years, erosion-induced losses have been compensated by spreading allochthonous sandy material on the fields. These anthropogenically modified soils are used for vegetable production, and crops are cultivated in ridges using plastic mulches. To evaluate whether the current practice of ridge cultivation is sustainable with regard to soil quality and soil and water conservation, we (i) analysed soil properties of topsoils and (ii) carried out dye tracer experiments. Our results show that the sandy topsoils have a very low soil organic matter content and a poor structure and lack soil burrowers. The artificial layering induced by spreading sandy material supported lateral downhill water flow. Ridge tillage and plastic mulching strongly increased surface runoff and soil erosion. We conclude that for this region a comprehensive management plan, which aims at long-term sustainable agriculture by protecting topsoils, increasing soil organic matter, and minimizing runoff and soil erosion, is mandatory for the future. 1. Introduction Ecosystem services and agriculture are closely related and affect each other. On the one hand, ecosystems used for agriculture produce food, reduce hunger, and improve public health—services that become more and more important in view of a growing world population. On the other hand, agricultural mismanagement can reduce the ability of ecosystems to provide these goods and services [1, 2]. Soils play a key role in providing supporting and regulating services such as soil fertility, soil retention, nutrient cycling, and carbon sequestration [3]. Appropriately managed soils in agricultural ecosystems can contribute to soil and water conservation [4], while poorly managed systems may deteriorate ecosystem services by high nutrient and sediment losses from agricultural fields. Possible consequences are soil degradation, declining water quality, water pollution, and increasing costs for water purification [5, 6]. The major goal in agriculture is therefore a sustainable management that minimizes the risk of soil and environmental degradation [7] and at the same time ensures improved yields and ecosystem services [2]. Agricultural production in South Korea faces an enormous pressure due to its limited arable land of
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