Rakin Feroz, Monica Portillo, and Gaby Reed

Terracing: method of growing crops on sides of hills or mountains by planting on graduated terraces built into the slope. The method has been used to maximize arable land area in variable terrains and to reduce soil erosion and water loss. Contour Plowing: the practice of tilling sloped land along lines of consistent elevation in order to conserve rainwater and to reduce soil losses from surface erosion. It’s achieved by furrows, crop rows, and wheel tracks across slopes, all of which act as reservoirs to catch and retain rainwater, thus permitting increased infiltration and more uniform distribution of the water. No-till Agriculture: is a way of growing crops or pasture from year to year without disturbing the soil through tillage. Farmer use a chisel plow to prepare the field for seeding. These plows create a narrow furrow, large enough for the crop's seeds to be injected. Tractor attachments inject a band of fertilizer in with the seeds, thus negating the need to fertilize the whole field, and close up the furrow after the seed and fertilizer have been planted. Now the farm field can be seeded with minimal disturbance of the soil.

Terracing Contour Plowing No-till agriculture

In the South American Andes, farmers have used terraces for over a thousand years to farm potatoes, maize, and other native crops Drier-climate terrace farming is common throughout the Mediterranean Basin, like in Cadaqués, Catalonia, where they were used for vineyards, olive trees, cork oak, etc., on Mallorca, or in Cinque Terre, Italy.

Terraced fields both decrease erosion and surface runoff, and may be used to support growing crops that require irrigation, such as rice. Terracing is common in dry mountainous areas because it increases fertility and growth. Irrigated rice terraces, Bali, Indonesia.

Contour plowing- If contour lines are incorrectly established, then they can actually increase the risk of erosion. No till-farming- Greater management skills, not suitable for all crops, special equipment are needed to plant seeds directly in crop residues. Terracing requires huge inputs of labor to construct and maintain, and when not properly maintained, it can be bad. Can lead to mudslides, the creation of deep gulley’s and increased soil erosion, particularly in sandy soils or on extremely steep terrains. Terracing also has been shown to reduce soil quality via the leaching of important nutrients from the soil in some areas.

Terracing- The cost of terracing varies widely with the slope, extent of gullying, and equipment. The cost per unit of length is more dependable than acreage as a basis for estimating No-till agriculture- Specialized seeding equipment, including a “no-till drill,” can cost more than $100,000. Even if this cost is eventually absorbed into day-to-day operational savings, it’s a significant expense.

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