Terrace (earthworks)

Farmers make flat steps on steep hills.

These steps look like a big staircase. They help plants grow in the mountains.

These steps stop soil from washing away. They also help water move to the crops. This is great for growing rice.

In the Andes, people use these steps. They call them andenes. They use them to grow corn and potatoes.

In Japan, people grow rice on these steps. Some of these fields are very old. People work hard to keep them.

Terraces are a smart way to farm. They turn hills into useful land.

Imagine a giant staircase built into a mountain.

These are called terraces. Farmers cut flat steps into steep hills to grow food. This way of farming helps stop soil from washing away. It also helps water reach the plants.

Many people have used terraces for a long time. In the Andes mountains, farmers use steps called andenes. They use them to grow corn and potatoes. The Inca people used these steps to feed their big cities. In the Canary Islands, terraces are called cadenas, or chains. These use stone walls and small stairs.

In Asia, terraces are very common for growing rice. In Myanmar, people call them ladder farming. In Japan, some rice fields are very old. Volunteers help farmers keep these special fields alive.

Today, farmers use new tools on these steps. In the mountains of Nepal, they use small machines. These tools help them work the narrow land more easily. Terraces turn steep mountains into places where life can grow.

Imagine a giant staircase carved into the side of a mountain.

These flat steps are called terraces, and they are a special way to farm on steep land. By creating these levels, farmers can grow many different types of food. Terraces help stop soil from washing away during rain. They also help control water so it flows where it is needed. This is very important for crops like rice that need a lot of water.

Because they are so important, the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Building a terrace involves changing the shape of the land. Farmers create broad, flat steps that go down the terrain. This pattern looks just like the steps of a staircase. In some places, like the Canary Islands, these are called cadenas, or chains.

These terraces use stone walls built with skillful designs. They often include small stairs and channels for water. In the Andes mountains, these steps are known as andenes. These allow water to flow through outlets to reach the crops. This system helps farmers use shallow soil very effectively.

People have been building terraces for thousands of years. In the Yemen Highlands, people built terrace systems during the Bronze Age. This was around the 3rd millennium BC. In the Levant, people used terraces as early as the 4th millennium BCE. In South America, the Wari culture used andenes before 1000 AD. Later, the Inca people used these same steps to feed their large cities. They even built places like Machu Picchu on these mountain levels.

Even in the Mediterranean, people built many terraces during the Middle Ages.

There are many different kinds of terraces around the world. In Myanmar, people call this ladder farming.

In Japan, there are 100 selected rice fields that are very special. In the Jerusalem Mountains, terraces cover about 56% of the open ground. These old terraces are often found near stone winepresses or water holes.

In the UK, people used to call a terrace a "lynch." This helped them move water from rivers to their fields. These different names show how many cultures value this way of life.

Today, technology is helping farmers work on these narrow steps. In the past, it was hard to use big machines on steep hills. Now, farmers in the European Alps use special small tractors. These machines can work on slopes even steeper than 20%. In Asia, farmers use small, low-priced machines that are easy to lift.

In Nepal, these machines are helping farmers in the Himalaya Mountains. They use small tools to prepare the soil for rice or potatoes. These new tools help people keep farming on the beautiful, steep mountains.

A terrace is a flat surface cut into hills or mountains to allow for effective farming. This method of landscaping, known as terracing, creates a series of broad, flat steps that resemble a staircase.

These platforms are essential for cultivating crops on steep terrain. They serve two main purposes: reducing soil erosion and controlling surface runoff. By managing how water moves across the land, terraces can support crops that require constant irrigation, such as rice. Because of their cultural and agricultural importance, sites like the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras are designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The mechanism of terracing involves significant modification of the natural landscape. Farmers create successive platforms that descend the terrain in a patterned way. In some regions, such as the Canary Islands, these are called cadenas, or chains.

These systems use skillfully designed stone walls that often include attached stairs and water channels. In the Andes, known as andenes, the steps are engineered to make the most efficient use of shallow soil. These terraces allow runoff to flow through specific outlets, which helps manage water for the plants. This controlled flow is vital for maintaining fertility and ensuring crops receive enough moisture.

Terrace agriculture varies significantly depending on the climate and the specific crops being grown. In the Mediterranean Basin, drier-climate terraces are common. Farmers there use these levels for vineyards, olive trees, and cork oak.

In contrast, wet and sub-tropical regions often use terraced paddy fields for rice, wheat, or barley. These are widely found across East, South, Southwest, and Southeast Asia. In Myanmar, this technique is locally called ladder farming, or mm:‌လှေခါးထစ်‌တောင်ယာ. Each type of terrace is a specific response to the local environment and the needs of the plants.

Humans have used terracing for thousands of years across many different continents. In the Yemen Highlands, terrace systems were constructed during the Bronze Age in the 3rd millennium BC.

Similar systems appear in the Levant as early as the 4th millennium BCE. In the Caucasus, the Koban culture used terrace agriculture starting in the first millennium BC. In West Africa, intensive terrace farming likely existed before the early 15th century AD, practiced by groups like the Dogon and Mafa. Even in the Mediterranean, studies using Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) show a major intensification of construction during the Middle Ages, between AD 1100 and 1600.

The significance of these structures is visible in the way they support large populations. In the South American Andes, the Wari culture developed andenes before 1000 AD. The Inca later adopted these terraces to grow potatoes and maize. These systems provided the food necessary to sustain massive Inca cities and religious centers like Machu Picchu.

In the Jerusalem Mountains, the impact of terracing is immense. Estimates suggest that terraces encompass approximately 56% of the open ground in that area. These ancient structures are often found alongside other historical features like winepresses and olive oil presses.

Modern technology is changing how farmers interact with these steep landscapes. Historically, steep mountains were thought to be impossible to farm using mechanization. However, in the 1970s, farmers in the European Alps began using small, two-wheel tractors to manage alpine pastures.

By the 2000s, new wheel designs and electronics allowed machines to operate on slopes greater than 20%. In Asia, smaller and more affordable 4-9 horsepower tractors are being introduced. These machines are light enough to be lifted from one terrace to the next. In Nepal, these low-cost machines are spreading across the Himalaya Mountains to increase productivity.

Terracing connects agriculture to broader themes of engineering, history, and environmental management. It represents a long-standing human effort to adapt the earth to meet food needs. From the ancient stone walls of the Canary Islands to the high-tech small tractors in the Himalayas, terracing remains a vital tool. It shows how people can modify a landscape to prevent erosion while maximizing the use of water and soil. Whether used for rice in Japan or olives in the Mediterranean, these "staircases" remain a fundamental part of human civilization.