Which farming practice involves creating stepped levels on a hillside to reduce erosion and runoff?

• A. Terrace Farming
• B. Contour Farming
• C. Strip Cropping
• D. No-Till Farming

Answer: (A)

Slowing and trapping water on a hillside is the goal. Terrace farming builds a series of flat, level steps cut into the slope. Each step acts like a small catchment, spreading and slowing runoff so the water has more time to infiltrate the soil. That helps keep soil in place, reduces erosion, and stabilizes the hillside, making farming possible on steep terrain. The walls of earth or stone between the levels also help hold the soil, providing practical planting platforms.

Other approaches don’t create those stepped levels. Contour farming guides furrows along the natural slope to slow water, but it doesn’t form the horizontal platforms. Strip cropping intersperses different crops to interrupt flow and trap sediment, yet it still doesn’t establish terrace-like steps. No-till farming protects the soil primarily by leaving surface residue and minimizing disturbance rather than altering the terrain’s shape.