How does contour farming help?

How does contour farming help?

Farming on the contour reduces sheet and rill erosion and the resulting sediment deposition at the foot of the slope or off-site. It can increase water infiltration, thereby reducing the transport of nutrients and organics to surface water and increasing water storage in the soil profile.

How does Contour Ploughing prevent soil erosion?

Contour plowing/ploughing conserves soil by following the lay of the land and creating ridges that form a water break to prevent soil erosion. Furrows that do not follow the lay of the land cause rapid runoff during rainfall by forming a convenient channel for the water to flow downhill.

How do you do contour farming?

The following are the 10 steps of SALT.

1. Step 1: MAKE AN A-FRAME.
2. Step 2: LOCATE THE CONTOUR LINES.
3. Step 3: PREPARE THE CONTOUR LINES.
4. Step 4: PLANT SEEDS OF NITROGEN FIXING TREES.
5. Step 5: CULTIVATE ALTERNATE STRIPS.
6. Step 6: PLANT PERMANENT CROPS.
7. Step 7: PLANT SHORT AND MEDIUM-TERM CROPS.

What are the benefits of Contour ploughing?

Main advantages Contour ploughing prevents and mitigates the impacts of floods, storms and landslides in the cropping sub sector by reducing soil erosion up to 50%, controlling runoff water, and increasing moisture infiltration and retention thus enhancing soil quality and resilience.

What do you mean by Contour ploughing?

Contour bunding or contour farming or Contour ploughing is the farming practice of plowing and/or planting across a slope following its elevation contour lines. Contour ploughing helps to reduce soil erosion.

What are the advantages of Contour ploughing?

What are advantages of contour plowing?

Contour plowing was a method of plowing furrows that follow the curves of the land rather than straight up and down slopes. Furrows that run up and down a slope form a channel that can quickly carry away seeds and topsoil. Contour plowing forms ridges, slows the water flow and helps save precious topsoil.

What are the disadvantages of Contour ploughing?

Drawbacks to contour plowing have caused it to be less widely used than conventional tillage methods. Some farmers may not have been fully aware of erosion damage and prevention. Lack of access to equipment, funding, or training sometimes take their toll.

Why is Contour ploughing the best method to conserve soil in hilly areas?

(iv) Contour Ploughing: Ploughing is done at right angles to the hill slope, following the natural contours of the hill. It makes the ridges and furrows break the flow of water down the hill. As gullies are less, this prevents excessive soil loss.

What does contour farming do to the soil?

This allows you to do all the land preparation, planting, and harvesting across the slope. Farming across the slope helps to shorten slope lengths, slowing down runoff water so it can soak into the soil. Contour farming slows water down and lets it soak into the soil. 2

How are Pacific Island farmers benefit from contour farming?

Pacific Island farmers can benefit from contour farming on their farm. Using this practice can: keep valuable topsoil in place on sloping fields. slow water down and let it soak into the soil. improve irrigation systems and conserve water. reduce labor and make harvesting easier. improve the appearance of the farm.

Why is it important to farm across the slope?

This allows you to do all the land preparation, planting, and harvesting across the slope. Farming across the slope helps to shorten slope lengths, slowing down runoff water so it can soak into the soil.

What can I do to shorten the slope of my farm?

Place slash or plant residue (such as banana stalks and tree trimmings) in strips across the slope to help trap and retain water. With some basic earth shaping, you can install hillside ditches across the slope. This will shorten the slope length and divert water to a stable area on the farm.

What was the purpose of contour farming in ancient times?

Used since ancient times to slow the flow of water across the land to make it soak into the soil, contour farming is a method of planting crops across the slope of the land or perpendicular to the flow of water.

Pacific Island farmers can benefit from contour farming on their farm. Using this practice can: keep valuable topsoil in place on sloping fields. slow water down and let it soak into the soil. improve irrigation systems and conserve water. reduce labor and make harvesting easier. improve the appearance of the farm.

How much rain was captured by contour farming?

The field that was planted on the contour captured 6.7 inches of the rain compared to only 2.1 inches from the non-contoured field. In a letter to William A. Burwell in 1810, Thomas Jefferson wrote, “…we have had the most devastating rain which has ever fallen within my knowledge.