Terrace Farming

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The principal advantage of terrace cultivation is that it can protect the terraced's area soil from rapid erosion. Erosion happens when moving water strips away soil from the area over which it is flowing. Terracing by reducing the length of the slope the water has to run over i.e. by creating a level terrace on an otherwise sloped face, slows the flow of water. This protects the soil in the area from being carried away in a deluge. 

Level terraces, found in parts of Bali and China, can not only reduce the rate of soil erosion but can also trap and hold rainwater. This allows the cultivation of water - intensive crops such as rice in these areas. Water collected in the terraces can be absorbed into the soil and sustain crops. 

Terracing requires huge labor to construct and maintain, and when not properly maintained, the effects can be catastrophic. Unmaintained terraces can lead to mudslides, the creation of deep gulleys and increased soil erosion, particularly in sandy soils or an extremely steep terrains.          

Terrace Farming is a method of farming whereby 'Steps' known as terraces are built on the slopes of mountains and hills. When it rains, instead of rain carrying away the soil nutrients and plants down the slope, they flow to the next terrace. Every step has an outlet which channels water to the next step. This helps in keeping some areas  dry and other wet. By this system, on very high altitudes, other crops apart from rice can be grown. This is because rice does not do well at high altitudes. 

There are two types of terracing known as Graded terracing and level terracing.  A graded terrace may have either constant or variable grades along its length. On the other, level terraces follow a contour line, best suited for permeable soil. Terrace farming is able to turn the most idle land into productive farms leading to high food security in the world. It helps in retaining the soil nutrients in the farms. This method of farming is labor intensive but has been employed effectively to maximize the growable land area, in variable terrains. It is mainly operated to reduce soil erosion and water loss.    

Most of the Asian countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines and some more are using this method of technique, terracing for producing Rice on mountains or hilly areas. Paddy, Cereals, Berries, Medicinal plants, Oilseeds, Millets, Buckwheat, Saffron, Black Cumin, Grain, Spices etc. are some crops grown using terrace farming. Terrace cultivation is one of the preventive measures against soil erosion.   



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