![]() In a bid to control soil erosion, the US Department of Agriculture established the US Soil Conservation Service, currently the Natural Resource Conservation Service, and started promoting contouring in the 1930s. ![]() Modern History of Contour Farming in the US This method did not really take off during this time because farmers had little knowledge on erosion. Randolph’s invention amazed Jefferson because of improved water retention capability. During the time of Thomas Jefferson’s term, farmers called this system “horizontal plowing” and his relative, Randolph, developed a plowing technique that caught water in ridges of upturned land unlike plowing down like roof shingles. The first ever recorded contour farming in the US came at the turn of the nineteenth century but the country did not fully embrace this method until during the twentieth century. This practice eventually spread to different parts of Europe who also introduced contour farming to some of their colonies. Over a period, societies who embraced irrigation farming adopted this method of plowing and planting. The farmers in Phoenicia (land of the palm trees) helped spread contour farming throughout the Mediterranean region and eventually many farmers in present-day Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Gaza, and parts of Turkey adopted the method, however, the Romans at the time preferred straight furrows. In summary, the method tends to promote sustainable agriculture and reduce most of the ills associated with soil erosion on slopes such as habitat destruction.ĭuring the period of Ancient Greek, a thalassocratic ancient Semitic civilization, the Phoenicians, who originated from the Eastern Mediterranean, practiced some of the earliest forms of contour farming. Other benefits are and time efficiency and reduced use of machines which in turn reduce the wear and tear. Furthermore, water retention improves soil quality, irrigation, and water conservation thus reducing labor that would have gone into physical fetching of water. Secondly, contour plowing increases the soil’s water retention ability to ensure that enough water soaks into the soil for good health of the plants. In most cases, rainwater washes farming fertilizers downstream and consequently contaminating freshwater systems. With the reduced loss of fertility comes the reduced use of fertilizer and a reduced cost of purchasing fertilizers. ![]() When done right, this method reduces erosion by more than 50%. Benefits of Contour Plowingįirst, contour farming maintains soil fertility by preventing downwash of the fertile topsoil of a farm and consequently enabling betters yields. For example, a farmer may plant different crops on different strips of land during alternating farming seasons, such as rotating strips of legumes and corn enables the corn to use nitrogen that the legumes left in the soil. This method equally prevents soil erosion and can improve soil fertility through crop rotation. Strip cropping is a type of contour farming where farmers plant different crops in alternating strips of different levels. Contour farming can have one crop on the farm or a mixture of several crops through strip cropping. For contour farming to be effective, the resulting curved furrows around the slope ought to be on equal levels. Contour farming also creates water breaks that reduce the formation of gullies and rills when a place experiences heavy rains and water run-off which is the leading cause of soil erosion. On slopes with no contours, water runoff quickly without the soil properly absorbing it and carrying the top fertile soil with it, therefore, leaving a non-fertile land up the slope. Plowing and planting across slope contours create man-made water breaks that not only allows enough time for the water to enter the soil, but also to settles the topsoil without washing it down the slope. This arrangement of plants breaks up the flow of water and makes it harder for soil erosion to occur. ![]() Contour cultivation (contour farming, contour plowing, or contour bunding) is a sustainable way of farming where farmers plant crops across or perpendicular to slopes to follow the contours of a slope of a field. Some of the methods used to date include windbreaks, planting cover crops, planting grass on waterways, and contour cultivation among others. As time passed, man discovered different ways of tilling and farming on different landscapes, including slopes that are notorious for soil erosion. As societies evolved from simple to sophisticated lifestyles, human beings began to till land and farm in order to produce their own food. Farming is one of the oldest and sustainable human activities.
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