Question

Explain the two methods adopted for conservation of slopes on hill slopes.
Which method of soil conservation is adopted when crops are grown in alternate rows and at different times ?

Answer 1

Solution:

Crop rotation and strip farming are two common ways of conserving the slopes on the hills.

In other words, the fertile wash of the soil does not get eroded by the action of wind, water and other natural calamities.

Contour farming is the plantation technique when crops are grown on alternate rows.

Answer 2

Ploughing along the contour lines can decelerate the flow of water down the slopes. This is called contour ploughing. Steps can be cut out on the slopes making terraces. Terrace cultivation restricts erosion. Western and central Himalayas have well developed terrace farming. Large fields can be divided into strips. Strips of grass are left to grow between the crops. This breaks up the force of the wind. This method is known as strip cropping. Planting lines of trees to create shelter also works in a similar way. Rows of such trees are called shelter belts. These shelter belts have contributed significantly to the stabilisation of sand dunes and in stabilising the desert in western India.