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Contour Farming

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Contouring farming refers to the practice of tilling lands along lines of consistent elevation in order to conserve rainwater and also for the reduction of soil loss through the process of soil erosion. With the help of furrows, crop rows, and also wheel tracks certain of the objectives of increasing production and decreasing the rate of soil erosion can be reduced. Contour farming is produced in areas where irrigation agriculture is a must.

Agriculture is the premise of the nation, where 60% of the populace relies upon it to run their lives and homes. With regard to the development of harvests, there are two techniques for cultivating; are thought about Contour farming and porch cultivating. 

Contour Farming

Contour Farming

Contour Farming

Contour farming is a kind of cultivating that preserves the dirt by following the lay of the land and making edges that structure a water break which further forestalls soil disintegration. At the point when it downpours, quick spillover is brought about by wrinkles that don’t follow the regular contours of the dirt since they make a simple way for the water to stream descending. Molding is the act of cultivating in column designs that are practically level around slopes as opposed to all over. Various little dams are made by the columns, which advance penetration and diminishing water stream to decrease disintegration.

The demonstration of furrowing on a level plane along a real estate parcel’s contour is known as forming. By getting the water stream, this sort of furrowing diminishes soil disintegration in sloping and molded areas. Furthermore, the Contour lines produce a water break that diminishes the improvement of crevasses and rivulets during times of weighty precipitation, permitting water to permeate into the dirt. In uneven and slanted landscapes, Contour farming is a maintainable sort of agriculture.

During the 1930s, the US Soil Conservation Service (presently the Natural Resources Conservation Service) vigorously pushed this training. In 1935, during the Dust Bowl, the US Department of Agriculture established the Soil Conservation Service in the wake of understanding that desertification and soil disintegration were both significant issues.

Interaction of Contour Farming 

Contour districts or slopes are first evened out by ranchers who use form furrowing. Subsequently, the slope where harvests are delivered has a bunch of steps. To prevent the water from streaming lower, water breaks -little edges or raised stages – are developed around the edges of these means. These water breaks help with keeping the water contained in unmistakable step levels, giving the earth the additional opportunity to assimilate the water.

Contour farming process

  • The furrow is directed by the land’s Contour.
  • This makes the earth be lifted, making a wrinkle on the incline.
  • The length of the land and the incline’s inclination decide the size of the wrinkle.
  • On the contrary side of the slope, an edge is then constructed utilizing the dirt from the wrinkle.
  • Rehash this methodology until the whole field has been furrowed.

Contour farming help in the counteraction of soil disintegration

  • Contour furrowing further develops soil quality and organization while limiting soil disintegration by up to half, controlling spillover water, supporting dampness penetration and maintenance, and diminishing harvest harm from floods, tempests, and avalanches.
  • Soil preservation is achieved through Contour furrowing. Soil conservation includes keeping away from the deficiency of the dirt attributable to disintegration to keep away from diminished fruitfulness welcomed by over-the-top use, salinization, fermentation, and other substance soil pollutants.

Advantages of Contour Farming

The advantages of contour farming are as follows:

  • The actual advantage of Contour farming is that it forestalls soil disintegration When it downpours, conventional cultivating strategies that develop along straight, long, and level slants lined up with the progression of water accelerate disintegration since all the water heads downhill in a solitary path. Subsequently, the harvest is as often as possible “washed away” alongside the dirt. Conflictingly, cultivating across inclines — opposite to the progression of water — goes about as an obstruction, assisting with dialing back spillover water and empowering it to immerse the dirt completely.
  • Offers all the more even water appropriation for water system. The water is all the more equitably appropriated between the wrinkles when they stream across the slant in almost level wrinkles.
  • Less water is lost underneath the root zone at the top of the runs when the full length of the wrinkle is given water not long after the water system begins. Furthermore, you have better water control and can decrease squander spillover at the lower end of the wrinkles by utilizing natter water system grades.
  • Brings down energy costs. More often than not, your hardware will be utilized across the incline. Contrasted to using the incline to go all over, this utilizations less power.
  • Brings about more uniform harvest stands, better returns, and greater yields.

Drawbacks of Contour Farming

Scarcely any significant inconveniences are referenced as under:

  1. On the off chance that the trees are not pruned consistently, then, at that point, there is the improvement of concealing impact over the entomb crops developed.
  2. Tree roots can make an issue in furrowing activity.
  3. The trees might foster the issue of bugs and irritations for the developed crops.

Restrictions of Contour Farming

Contour farming makes improved bring about the field of moderately uniform incline. It is unreasonable for the fields to have unpredictable geographical highlights. Additionally, the utilization of grassed streams related to the Contour farming framework is fundamental to diminishing the chance of crevasse advancement in form developed land. Contour development is generally productive for diminishing the spillover and soil disintegration from delicate land inclines. Extraordinary downpour storms on more extreme inclines makes water aggregate behind the edges until it breaks over, ruskes downhill, and disintegrates the rivulets and crevasses.

The disintegration turns out to be continuously serious on longer inclines. There is a breaking point of land incline and its length on which Contour development is effective for controlling the dirt disintegration. The scope of incline length fluctuates with the dirt attributes, the kind of harvests developed, and the precipitation of the area. A more noteworthy length of slant is utilized on additional penetrable soils; if there should be an occurrence of additional defensive covers harvests, for example, little grain crops, and less extraordinary precipitation conditions.

Aside from the experience additionally uncovered that with no-till and other diminished culturing rehearses that make the dirt surface all around safeguarded with crop buildups, can be utilized securely for Contour development, given that the dirt should be satisfactorily safeguarded with the harvest deposits, consistently.

Related Links

  1. Terrace Farming
  2. Types of Agriculture in India
  3. Agriculture and Food Security

FAQs on Contour Farming

Q 1. What is terrace and contour farming?

Answer-

Contour farming refers to the process of cutting furrows into that a slope of the land for the control of the flow of water. This is usually done in a straight line perpendicular to the slope of the land.

Q 2. What is the difference between terrace farming and contour farming?

Answer-

Terrace farming refers to the process of prevention of soil erosion through the creation of flat platforms on the sides of hills, which helps in the reduction of the speed of water runoff and also allows soil to absorption of more water. 

Contour farming on other hand helps in slowing down of water run off and also allows soil in absorption of more water and also prevention of soil erosion.

Q 3. Where is contour farming used in India?

Answer-

Assam is considered to be ideal for contour farming in the case of India, as it receives heavy rainfall and also has a system of plantation cultivation.



Last Updated : 17 Jul, 2023
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