Scribd
Upload
83 views3 pages

Terrace Farming: Benefits & Challenges

Terrace farming involves constructing stepped platforms on hillsides to farm crops. It has been used for centuries in parts of Asia, including the Philippines where the rice terraces of Ifugao province are a UNESCO World Heritage site. Terrace farming provides benefits like increased food production and food security by making more land suitable for farming. It also prevents soil erosion, maximizes water usage, and has important cultural significance by preserving local traditions. While labor-intensive to construct and maintain, terrace farming allows agriculture on steep slopes that would otherwise be unusable.

Uploaded by

Katrina Cassandria Rillera
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
83 views3 pages

Terrace Farming: Benefits & Challenges

Terrace farming involves constructing stepped platforms on hillsides to farm crops. It has been used for centuries in parts of Asia, including the Philippines where the rice terraces of Ifugao province are a UNESCO World Heritage site. Terrace farming provides benefits like increased food production and food security by making more land suitable for farming. It also prevents soil erosion, maximizes water usage, and has important cultural significance by preserving local traditions. While labor-intensive to construct and maintain, terrace farming allows agriculture on steep slopes that would otherwise be unusable.

Uploaded by

Katrina Cassandria Rillera
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

Terrace Farming Systems

Hillarie Kaye Cargo


Analina Mae Padillo
Michelle Angela Suguitan
Terrace Farming Systems - the rice terraces in the Philippines is a world heritage
site. Terrace farming consists of different steps that are done on the slopes of hills.
The mountains of Ifugao province in the Philippines have been carefully cultivated
with a seemingly endless series of terraced fields that climbs thousand of feet

What is the Importance of Terrace Farming?

Terrace farming ensures larger food production and food security. In fact, many parts
of Asia depend solely on food produced through terrace farming. The benefits of
terrace farming can be seen in areas other than food production like cultural and
ecological aspects. Last but not the least, terraces carry a huge cultural significance,
so much so that terrace farming systems like the Banaue terrace farms are
recognized as cultural landscapes because of their close ties with the culture and
tradition of the region. Terrace farming ensures social cooperation and the
preservation of the cultural identity of a region.

Advantage of Terrace Farming Systems

1. Improved land productivity: Without terrace farming, much of a hillside would be


unusable as farmland. Terrace farming makes these areas fertile.

2. Increased food security: Terracing gives farmers more control over the land they
till and the water it receives. This increases food security by guaranteeing safer
growing conditions.

3. Maximized crop production: Runoff can go to the base of a mountain, but


terraces prevent the water from moving beyond a single layer. This puts the water to
better use and maximizes crop production.

4. Prevention of soil erosion: Rainfall takes soil with it, leading to erosion. Terrace
farming mitigates the effects of erosion by slowing water runoff and trapping it in
individual layers along the incline.
Disadvantage of Terrace Farming Systems

1. Intensive labor: Terraces are challenging to construct. They take a lot of time and
effort to create correctly, and often, because of the steep inclines involved, farmers
cannot rely on heavy machinery to ease the job.

2. Reliance on precision: When you’ve properly constructed them, terraces can


house the right amount of water, but if not, they can hold excess water.
Oversaturation can mar vegetation. If not entirely flat, sloped land areas might also
suffer water loss.

3. Upkeep requirements: Farmers must take good care to ensure their terraces’ soil
is healthy and fertile. Not doing so can lead to infertile land and dead crops.

You might also like