TERRACE

FARMING
 What is terrace farming ?
• Terrance farming also known as step farming is an ancient way of farming
on hills with steep slopes mountains and other elevated regions of the world
• Terrance farmers cut successive layers onto mountains or elevated
landscape to farm on them.
Crops are planted in furrows that run along the platform, the edges of the
vertical section can be planted with soil anchoring plants.
Bench terrancing
In other words, bench terracing
consists of construction of
series of platforms along
contours cut into hill slope in a
step like formation. These
platforms are separated at
regular intervals by vertical
drop or by steep sided and
protected by vegetation and
sometimes packed by stone
retaining walls
Parallel Terrancing
Parallel terraces are so named because they
are constructed parallel to each other and,
when possible, formed in the direction of
field operations. A more specialized form of
the parallel terrace is the parallel tile outlet
terrace, which is constructed in parallel and
discharges runoff through subsurface drains.
This method of
farming is proven to
be sustainable
because it minimizes
soil erosion by
reducing the velocity
of water run off,
thereby preserving
the topsoil and
avoiding the
nutrient loss
Reduced runoff and water conservation
Advantages of
The core problem of the comprehensive treatment of small watersheds is
the realization of scientific regulation and rational utilization of runoff.
terrace farming
There are three primary ways that terracing reduces runoff and sediment
loss. Firstly, terracing transforms steep slopes into an artificial sequence
of relatively flat surfaces thereby decreasing slope length and gradient,
which significantly reduces sediment yield and runoff. Reshaped slopes
change specific hydrological paths, decrease hydrological connectivity
and enlarged
catchment area, so they may intercept rainfall and mitigate flood peak
discharge efficiently.
• Erosion control and soil conservation
Advantage of
Soil erosion is closely related to runoff. When rain falls especially during terrace farming
intense storms, a portion of rain infiltrates into the soil and is absorbed by
the plants, while the remainder becomes runoff. As runoff increases, its
velocity, volume and erosivity also increase.
By farmers planting in these constructed step like platform, it helps to
prevent rainfall runoff on sloping land from accumulating and causing
major erosion because of the ridges and channels these slopes are built with.
 Benefits of terrace farming
•.
Healthier soil
Farmer tend to use less pesticides or
agrochemicals as Terrance farming helps
improves the quality of soil.
 DISADVANTAG
ES OF
While engaging in Terrance farming may have lot of advantages, there are TERRACE
also disadvantages of this type of farming.
FARMING

it also is a very labor-intensive and time-consuming process

since heavy equipment and machinery aren't available in most
cases. Another serious disadvantage of terrains is that if
improperly constructed, they can hold excess water leading to
rainwater saturation.
Construction of
Terracnes
The method is very time consuming
and costly as it takes a lot of time and
money to bring the necessary heavy
equipment needed to get the job
done.
Construction
Accuracy
If steps like platforms are not
constructed precisely, they can
hold excess water leading to
over saturation, which will
then be a lost of time and
money to the farmer
IN CLOSURE OF TERRANCE FARMING IS THE CULTIVATION
OF CROPS ON ELEVATED LAND ON STEP LIKE PLATFORMS.
IT CAN BE BENEFICIAL AND AS WELL AS THERE AN BE
SOME DISADVANTAGES TO ENDURE