Terracing of cropland in low rainfall areas of Machakos District, Kenya

Thomas, D. B.; Barber, R. G.; Moore, Tim R.

doi:10.1016/0021-8634(80)90047-5

Cited by 12 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 9 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Agricultural terraces likewise required labor to produce and maintain, but provided a larger quantity of food per unit area as compared to swidden agriculture. Research on agricultural terracing identifies several key improvements that terraced fields provide compared to similar non-terraced terrain, although not all aspects may be present within a single field or field system: (1) reducing the amount of soil erosion, (2) reducing run-off, (3) enhancing the infiltration of water into fields, (4) increasing the soil's water reservoir, (5) increasing overall arable land, or (6) increasing the depth of soil (Donkin 1979;Spencer and Hale 1961;Thomas et al 1980;Treacy and Denevan 1997). The dependence on rainwater for agriculture at Caracol may have been a factor in the extensive terracing present at the city.…”

Section: Using Lidar and Gis To Investigate Water And Soil Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Lidar and GIS to Investigate Water and Soil Management in the Agricultural Terracing at Caracol, Belize

Chase¹,

Weishampel

2016

Adv. archaeol. pract.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In April 2009, a lidar survey flown by the National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping recorded 200 square kilometers of terrain that comprised the Classic Period Maya city of Caracol, Belize. The data revealed a highly manipulated landscape of dense settlement, agricultural terraces, and residential reservoirs. Literature on Maya agriculture has discussed the benefits of terraces in controlling soil erosion, retaining water, and managing the gravitational flow of water; however, until now these benefits have not been quantified or demonstrated on the ground at scale. This research utilizes these lidar data and data derivatives in order to test the degree to which the ancient Maya manipulated their environment and were able to support large-scale populations through their landscape management practices. As such, the research provides evidence supporting the significance of agricultural terraces and their impact on limiting soil erosion, increasing water retention, and permitting flow control over rainfall runoff. This research also highlights the conscious effort by the ancient Maya to manage the hydrology of their terraced landscape.

show abstract

Section: Using Lidar and Gis To Investigate Water And Soil Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Lidar and GIS to Investigate Water and Soil Management in the Agricultural Terracing at Caracol, Belize

Chase¹,

Weishampel

2016

Adv. archaeol. pract.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In Kenya, Dunne (1979) observed maximum sediment yields from those catchments with heavy grazing pressure. In the steeplands of Machakos, Kenya, Thomas et al (1980) observed that well-maintained pasture had slight or tolerable levels of erosion. With uncontrolled grazing on degraded lands, however, erosion increased by 50 times (Table 3).…”

Section: Grazingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Roose & Asseline (1978) observed that burning the crop residue increased soil erosion several fold when compared with an unburnt control. Thomas et al (1980).…”

Section: Firementioning

confidence: 99%

Soil erosion and sediment transport research in tropical Africa

Lal

1985

Hydrological Sciences Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper reviews the magnitude of soil erosion in tropical Africa and relates it to erodibility, erosivity and landform in different ecological regions There are few direct measurements of erosivity and erodibility in tropical Africa and the relevance of using the Universal Soil Loss Equation in estimating these parameters is reviewed. Soil erodibility is not a fixed parameter and changes with time. Although localized rates of soil erosion can be high, the erosion rates derived from sediment loads in rivers are often low. Most of the available data on sediment loads of African rivers are 10-20 years old, and little research information is available on the delivery ratios associated with different catchments. Rapidly changing land use is one of the major factors responsible for accelerated soil erosion, and the effects of deforestation, grazing, fire, and of cultural practices are discussed. The economics of soil erosion is reviewed in terms of loss in productivity and siltation of reservoirs. Research and development needs are listed.

show abstract

“…They concluded that the average potential damage exceeded € 2.4/m 2 . Thomas et al (1980) highlighted the regulation of water by terraces. The higher carbon sequestration in terraced soils and its relevance to climate mitigation was highlighted by Antle et al (2007).…”

Section: Regulating Ecosystem Servicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hass et al, 1966;Hammad et al, 2004;Hammad & Børresen, 2006;Wei et al, 2016;Rashid et al, 2016Water Hass et al, 1966Thomas et al, 1980;Chow et al, 1999;Beach et al, 2002;Liu et al, 2004Liu et al, , 2011Schiettecatte et al, 2005;Rashid et al, 2016;Reynes Trias, 2006;Wei et al, 2016 REGULATING Erosion Thomas et al, 1980;Wheaton & Monke, 1981;Chow et al, 1999;Beach et al, 2002;Sharda et al, 2002;Dorren & Rey 2004;Hammad et al, 2004;Gebrernichael et al, 2005;Reynes Trias et al, 2006;Romero Díaz et al, 2007;Chen et al, 2012;Pietsch & Mabit, 2012;Kagabo et al, 2013;Dumbrovsky et al, 2014;zhang & Li, 2014;Arnaez et al, 2015;Mekonnen et al, 2015;Kovár et al, 2016;Rashid et al, 2016;Wei et al, 2016;Arévalo et al, 2017;Chen et al, 2017 Water Thomas et al, 1980;Sandor & Eash, 1995;Chow et al, 1999;Beach et al, 2002;Liu et al, 2004…”

Section: Foodunclassified

Evaluación de los servicios ecosistémicos proporcionados por las terrazas agrícolas

2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Agricultural terraces have been widely used, throughout the world, since ancient times. Their scenic interest is undeniable and some are part of the UNESCO World Heritage. They are a very effective practice for soil and water conservation through the control of runoff and erosion, and provide farmers and society with important Ecosystem Services (ES). Here, we present a study based on 36 examples of terraces documented in detail in the WOCAT (World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies) database, complemented with a review of the scientific literature on the impacts of terraces, the objective being to assess the multiple ES they provide. The results show that the most important ES provided by terrace construction relate to regulating services, like control of erosion, runoff, and other off-site natural risks. In addition, terraces contribute to provisioning services like the supply of food, fiber, and water (quantity and quality), and to cultural services through the maintenance of cultural landscapes. Here, we verify the environmental, geomorphological, and hydrological functions of the terraces, as well as the improvement in the quality of life for the local inhabitants. However, technological advances in agriculture have led to the abandonment of this type of construction, with significant risks of erosion and loss of ES. Our assessment highlights the importance of preserving and restoring terraces as part of regenerative agriculture, with multiple benefits for the functioning of cultural landscapes and for society.KEY WORDS: Agricultural terraces; ecosystem services; WOCAT; sustainable land management. RESUMEN:Las terrazas agrícolas son ampliamente utilizadas en todo el mundo desde la antigüedad. Su interés paisajístico es innegable y algunas de ellas forman parte del Patrimonio Mundial de la UNESCO. Son prácticas muy

show abstract

Terracing of cropland in low rainfall areas of Machakos District, Kenya

Cited by 12 publications

References 9 publications

Using Lidar and GIS to Investigate Water and Soil Management in the Agricultural Terracing at Caracol, Belize

Using Lidar and GIS to Investigate Water and Soil Management in the Agricultural Terracing at Caracol, Belize

Soil erosion and sediment transport research in tropical Africa

Evaluación de los servicios ecosistémicos proporcionados por las terrazas agrícolas

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About