Terrace research In agriculture, a terrace is a piece of sloped land that has been landscaped into a series of successively receding flat surfaces or platforms, which resemble steps, for the purposes of more effective farming. This type of landscaping, therefore, is called terracing. The bench terrace is essentially a steep-land terrace and consists of an almost vertical retaining wall, called a riser, or a steep vegetative slope to hold the nearly level surface of the soil for cultivation, orchards, vineyards, or landscaping. Bench terracing consists of transforming relatively steep land into a series of level or nearly level strips or steps running across the slope .the strips are separated by almost vertical risers. The risers if sloping may be of earth construction .steep risers are supported by masonry [stones ].bench terracing is adopted only on slopes steeper then 15%[for more then 8%]and where soil condition are .the use of bench traces retards erosion losses and makes cropping operations on these slopes possible and safe.
The advantages of terrace cultivation Runoff Velocity One of the principal advantages of terrace cultivation is that it can protect the terraced area’s soil from overly 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. Rainwater Collection Level terraces, like those 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 for the cultivation of water-intensive crops, such as rice, in these areas. Terracing creates flat spaces for crops and canals for water to flow between these areas. Water collected in the terraces can then be absorbed into the soil (if the soil is suitably permeable) and sustain crops.
Natural hill
Bench Terrace
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