Contour tilling, also known as contour farming or contour ploughing, is a farming practice where plowing and/or planting is done across a slope following its elevation contour lines. These contour lines create a water break which reduces the formation of rills and gullies during times of heavy precipitation, allowing more time for the water to settle into the soil.
This method is known for preventing tillage erosion. Tillage erosion is the soil movement and erosion caused by tilling a given plot of land. A similar practice is contour bunding where stones are placed around the contours of slopes.
Compared with straight-line planting, contour farming reduces fertilizer loss and increases crop yields on uneven terrain. It also reduces soil erosion, which can drastically decrease negative effects associated with soil erosion such as reduced crop productivity, worsened water quality, lower effective reservoir water levels, flooding, and habitat destruction.
Contour farming is considered an active form of sustainable agriculture.
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Contour tilling, also known as contour farming or contour ploughing, is a farming practice where plowing and/or planting is done across a slope following its elevation contour lines. These contour lines create a water break which reduces the formation of rills and gullies during times of heavy precipitation, allowing more time for the water to settle into the soil.
This method is known for preventing tillage erosion. Tillage erosion is the soil movement and erosion caused by tilling a given plot of land. A similar practice is contour bunding where stones are placed around the contours of slopes.
Compared with straight-line planting, contour farming reduces fertilizer loss and increases crop yields on uneven terrain. It also reduces soil erosion, which can drastically decrease negative effects associated with soil erosion such as reduced crop productivity, worsened water quality, lower effective reservoir water levels, flooding, and habitat destruction.
Contour farming is considered an active form of sustainable agriculture.