Question

Why is step farming common in hills?

Answer 1

HintAgriculture is the backbone of India. Many people practice agriculture. The type of crops grown depends upon the type of soil and its fertility, weather conditions of that place, and the elevation of the land.

Complete step by step answerStep farming is also known as terrace farming. It is an ancient way of farming on the hills with steep slopes, mountains, and other elevated regions of the world. Here the farmers cut steps on the mountains, which look like massive stairs, to farm on them. The people of Inca invented the technique of step farming. They lived in the mountains of South America and were the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. Today, terrace farming or step farming is primarily used in Asian countries like Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia for growing rice, potato, maize, wheat, barley, coffee, tea, olive, etc. One of the biggest downsides of farming on the slope is when it rains; the water takes away all the soil, its nutrients, and the plants with it. Heavy rains just ruin the entire effort. Soil erosion is immense and the entire surface runs off. Heavy rain causes mudslides which make the land harder to farm for the future. But with step farming, the steps slow down the massive rush of water and as crops are planted on each level, they have aqueducts that converge the water from one step to the other. Even if the water carries the soil nutrients with it, it just flows to the next step instead of rushing down the hill. This approach has the potential to cut down soil erosion by over $70\% $ and enhances soil quality. The moisture from the rainfall is retained by the steps. This behavior makes terrace farming much more productive than regular farming techniques in the arid regions of the world. The only demand for this farming approach is it’s labor-intensive since heavy machinery cannot be deployed on hilly slopes; it is more of a manual farming technique. Also, it is immune to deforestation by the industries.

NoteFarming on the hill plays a significant role in supporting the surrounding flora and fauna in the uplands. A variety of tall grasses and short vegetation is also maintained through the grazing of the sheep and the cattle. In India, step farming is mainly practiced in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, some parts of north-eastern states, and in some parts of South India like Andhra Pradesh.