Secondly, it prevents the carrying away of plants by the heavy flowing rivers of water. Sometimes rain water carries away the crops leading to low crop yield. Thirdly, terraces help in reduction of soil erosion and water loss. The fourth benefit of terrace farming is that it has made the idle hillside land become productive. Lastly, terraces trap rainwater allowing the people to engage in cultivation of water-intensive crops such as rice.
Terrace farming is an important agricultural method that has made farming in mountainous parts of the world possible. Its absence would have led to most parts of Asia being unproductive.
Hence it needs to be explored in other parts of the world such as Africa, America and other parts of the Asia that are not yet using it. Terrace farming is able to turn the moist idle land into productive farms leading to high food security in the world. View all literary device worksheets. View all Women's History worksheets. View all American Revolution worksheets. View all US History worksheets. View all Ancient History worksheets.
View all World History worksheets. View all Famous War worksheets. View all famous figure worksheets. View all President worksheets. View all author worksheets. View all musician worksheets. View all inventor worksheets. View all athlete worksheets. View all civil rights worksheets. View all natural wonders worksheets. View all landmark worksheets. People around the world have discovered clever ways to farm in tough conditions. Their land could be too dry, too wet, too hot, or prone to insects or damaging storms.
If the land is too steep, people might try terrace farming. Conventional farming removes all trees and plants to replace them with a crop, such as wheat. This sort of farming fails on steep slopes because it creates erosion and landslides. Erosion is the process of s oil wearing away due to water or wind.
Without trees and other vegetation to slow down water, rain storms cause significant erosion on the land. The water has less resistance as it runs down the hill, so it can run faster and pick up more soil as it moves.
This erosion carries vital nutrients and productive soil downhill, away from the farmland. Over many years, this sort of erosion can cause a slope to become infertile. Additionally, a de-vegetated slope is more prone to mudslides if it becomes waterlogged from lots of rain.
A mudslide could ruin an entire years crop and make the land much harder to farm in the future. Terracing turns a slope into level, benched out steps by moving soil and creating retaining walls. This restructuring allows un-farmable hillsides to become stable, productive farmlands. Some typical crops grown in terraces include barley, wheat, potatoes, corn, tea, olive, grape vines, coffee, and rice. A terrace is typically about meters wide and meters long. Some terraces flood with rain water, such as those used to farm rice.
A terrace usually has one outlet for water to drain into the terrace below. This lower terrace stops the water and prevents it from gaining enough speed to cause erosion. The Lavaux region in Switzerland also makes use of terrace farming for vineyards that line the north side of Lake Geneva. The terraces can be traced all the way back to the 11th century. Meanwhile, civilizations in South America were also tapping into the potential of terrace farming long ago to feed large populations.
Machu Picchu and surrounding ruins, pictured here, provide evidence for how the Incas mastered the agricultural practice. Smithsonian Magazine writes , "The Andes are some of the tallest, starkest mountains in the world. Today, modern farmers are returning to the terrace farming practices used thousands of years ago as a more practical and productive way to raise the most food with the least water.
Tea farmers also take advantage of terrace farming. These beautiful green crops create incredible landscapes and can often be as much a tourist destination as they are a site for growing a sought-after consumer product. Terrace farming is an ancient practice, and one that we are continually finding new evidence of in long-gone civilizations. As recently as , researchers found that terrace farming was used near the desert city of Petra even earlier than previously thought — as long as 2, years ago.
This is at the heart of terrace farming: making use of otherwise un-farmable land to create bountiful crops to support humans. Without this practice coming of age so long ago, civilizations around the world may have had a very, very different future. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content.
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