Conservation farming on steep lands - USAid

CONTROLLED-EROSION TERRACES IN VENEZUELA 185
do not notice becausc of the slow pace of change. Also. almost all terraced
land is irrigated.
Second, Venezuelan fzrmers use other conservation nicasurcs to reduce
erosion under normal weather conditions. These include contour plowing,
digging drainage canals arourld the tops cJf fieids to carry off excess water
during heiivy rain, heavy appiication of organic matter, and frequent tillage,
which increases the absorptive capacity of the soil and reduces runoff.
Farmers sometimes prefer steep slopes because they permit a more upright
position i~)r hand cultivation, planting, and harvesting.
It appears that the most damaging aspect of erosion on steep slopes is
the major slopc failure during extreme weather events that occur at intervals
of 10 to 50 years. Incremental erosion does not seem to affect yields
sufficiently to attract the farmer's attention. Although Venezuelan farmers
are aware of the danger of mass niovemznt during extreme weather events,
they may not realize that the current system, in which large area$ are permanent;~
stripped of perennial vegetation, represents a greater threat than
the previous system of shifiing cultivation. Those farmers interviewed
appeared to be unaware of (or unwilling to acknowledge) the connection
between their use of the land and major erosion disasters. The Venezuelan
Ministry of Agriculture had hoped to "eliminate the attitude on the part
of the farmer that he is sinlply a spectator of the forces: of erosion that
drain away his future income" (3). Clearly, this goal has not yet been
achieved.
Lessorbs learned
I
The terracing project in the Venezuelan highlands provides a number
of lessons. First. the project demonstrates that terraces can be constructed
without physically leveling the land. The method makes use of the natural
forces of erosion to the advantage of the farmer. Rock on the suhce becomes
a resource rather than an impediment to cultivation. Second, the method
requires little knowledge of terrace engineering, though the final result may
have a form and functional utility that suggests such technical knowledge
and skill. Third, the advantages result from the natural tendency of the
builder to reduce his work effort and use convenient, simple methods.
However, the achievement of long-term conservation objectives was
largely incidental; it wds a result of the method of constt-uction used rather
than purposeful actions on the part of the builders. Indeed, Venezuelan
farmers seem to have relatively little awareness of, or concern for, the conservation
objectives achieved by terrace construction. The possibility that
farmera elsewhere in the tropical highland may share that lack of concern