What is the difference between terracing and contour farming?

What is the difference between terracing and contour farming?

Contour farming is the farming practice that involves the ridge making across the slope of the land but Terracing is an engineering aspect of erosion control that involves the construction of short steps along the contours of the land with a view to preventing the rapid flow of water down the slope.

Why do farmers do contour farming and terracing?

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. Strip cropping on different levels (terracing) held water and stopped soil from washing away in heavy rain.

What are the important features of contour farming and terrace farming How are they helpful in soil conservation?

Terraces reduce both the amount and velocity of water moving across the soil surface, which greatly reduces soil erosion. Terracing thus permits more intensive cropping than would otherwise be possible.

Contour farming can reduce soil erosion by as much as 50 percent compared to up and down hill farming. By reducing sediment and runoff and increasing water infiltration, contouring promotes better water quality.

What is the difference between contour ploughing and terrace farming?

Terrace Farming. Contour plowing or contour farming or Contour ploughing is the farming practice of plowing and or planting across a slope following its elevation c ontour lines. These contour lines create a water break which reduces the formation of rills and gullies during times of heavy water run-off; which is a major cause of soil erosion.

How is Contour ploughing used to prevent soil erosion?

Tilling the field at right angles to the natural slope after drawing up the elevation contour lines is called contour ploughing in soil, prevents and reduces soil erosion. In terracing, wide steps are cut around the slopes of hills to prevent soil erosion.

What was contour plowing and terraces during the depression?

Contour Plowing & Terraces during the 1930s Depression Contour Plowing & Terraces The Soil Erosion Service was one of the federal programs started in the 1930s to save the land that had been destroyed by years of wind erosion, over plowing, and over grazing.

Which is better strip cropping or contour plowing?

Fairly flat strips of land develop between barriers where crops are grown. In contour plowing, the land is plowed across the slopes and along the contour lines. This will also reduce soil erosion and make rainwater infiltrate into the soil more than on land plowed along the slope.

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