Contour Strip Cropping

Contour Strip Cropping. IntroductionCausesIndustryBenefitsEarly historyResultsAdvantagesPreventionDesignFarming is one of the oldest and sustainable human activities As societies evolved from simple to sophisticated lifestyles human beings began to till land and farm in order to produce their own food As time passed man discovered different ways of tilling and farming on different landscapes including slopes that are notorious for soil erosion Some of the methods used to date include windbreaks planting cover crops planting grass on waterways and contour cultivation among others 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 This arrangement of plants breaks up the flow of water and makes it harder for soil erosion to occur Plowing and planting across slope contours create manmade 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 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 nonfertile land up the slope Contour farming also creates water breaks that reduce the formation of gullies and rills when a place experiences heavy rains and water runoff which is the leading cause of soil erosion For contour farming to be effective the resulting curved furrows around the slope ought to be on equal levels Contour farming can have one crop on the farm or a mixture of several crops through strip cropping Strip cropping is a type of contour farming where farmers plant different crops in alternating strips of different levels This method equally prevents soil erosion and can improve soil fertility through crop rotation 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 First contour farming maintains soil fertility by preventing downwash of the fertile topsoil of a farm and consequently enabling betters yields When done right this method reduces erosion by more than 50% With the reduced loss of fertility comes the reduced use of fertilizer and a reduced cost of purchasing fertilizers In most cases rainwater washes farming fertilizers downstream and consequently contaminating freshwater systems Secondly contour plowing increases the soils water retention ability to ensure that enough water soaks into the soil for good health of the plants Furthermore water retention improves soil quality irrigation and water conservation thus reducing labor that would have gone into physical fetching of water Other benefits are and time efficiency and reduced use of machines which in turn reduce the wear and tear 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 During 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 The farmers in Phoenicia (land of the palm trees) helped spread contour farming throughout the Mediterranean region and eventually many farmers in presentday Israel Lebanon Syria Gaza and parts of Turkey adopted the method however the Romans at the time preferred straight furrows Over a period societies who embraced irrigation farming adopted this method of plowing and planting This practice eventually spread to different parts of Europe who also introduced contour farming to some of their colonies 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 During the time of Thomas Jeffersons 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 Randolphs invention amazed Jefferson because of improved water retention capability This method did not really take off during this time because farmers had little knowledge on erosion To roll out a massive campaign for contour farming the Soil Conservation Service partnered with federal institutions state governments universities and communities in order to promote the method to both smallscale and largescale farmers as well as to research more on how to achieve the best results with the method Institutions such as the University of Nebraska rolled out innovative campaigns that challenged farmer perceptions and encouraged them to do contour farming Within the next four years the new agricultural techniques reduced soil erosion by approximately 65% although drought prevailed Most farmers reported between 5% and 10% increase in yields although demonstrations under ideal conditions indicated that the yield can increase by wider margins of up to 50% As the campaign had anticipated farmers reported using less fertilizer reduced erosion and less energy and resource use The practice of contour farming though good is not ideal in all slope and climate conditions Contour farming is effective on slopes that have gradients between 2% and 10% Secondly the area must be receiving a given amount of rainfall in a given period When the slopes are steeper and rainfall is greater strip cropping becomes ideal in contour farming because this provides an extra layer of protection Experts encourage contour farmers to use additional soil and water conservation techniques to supplement the former in order to yield the best results Such supplements include strip cropping use of cover crops use of windbreaks grassing waterways and building terraces among others Strip cropping is good for long and steeper slopes while irregular slopes need more than a single key contour line In getting the key line farmers should use a contour gauge or a hand level and thereafter plant parallel to the key line Grassed waterways are also important especially where there is a high concentration of runoff water while grassed strips come in handy where the contour lines are too sharp for farming equipment to plow Other techniques to include are growing bush or tree borders across the slopes (vegetative barriers) residue management and mulching to protect the soil The Keyline Design looks at how specific topographies link to water flow for an optimum use of water on a farm In the design contours ought to be made in specific ways to control rainfall runoff and maximize irrigation of undulating land during fast floods without building terraces This system also observes that at the end of a contour the land is always steeper on one side than the other leading to furrows deviating from the true contour when plowing parallel to a contour thus making rainwater flow to the steeper side and increase erosion To control this movement of rainwater Keyline Design uses off contour drift when tilling furrows Author Mark Owuor Otieno.

Strips planted on the contour of slopes (contour strip cropping) are especially effective in controlling runoff and erosion Companion crops cover crops green manures and crop residues With companion crops such as small grain/forage crops the small grain starts first and provides quick plant cover for the soil.

Contour Farming Advantages What It Is And Why We Use It

Strip cropping is a method of farming used when a slope is too steep or too long or otherwise when one does not have an alternative method of preventing soil erosion It alternates strips of closely sown crops such as hay wheat or other small grains with strips of row crops such as corn soybeans cotton or sugar beets BenefitsLevelBP2 Slow runoffHighBP10 Reduce erosion and/or sediment HighES8 Erosion/sediment controlHighPO9 Take adequate and coordinated High.

Strip Cropping Agriculture: Purpose And Implementation Tips

Contour Strip cropping uses the beneficial effects of contouring and crop rotation Generally farmers also implement terraces to provide even more erosion control with better stormwater management Alternating your crops with growing legume types (such as alfalfa or clover) getting planted in the meadows can help you provide the needed nitrogen to your soil.