How to use soil management to save water: Difference between revisions
From Audiopedia
Planting pits collect and hold rainwater to help plants grow even in very dry conditions. Planting several crops in the same pit makes the best use of water. Dig holes about 15 centimeters deep during the dry season. The distance between pits is 1½ times the width of the pits. The soil from each pit is piled downhill to create a small barrier. Compost or manure is added to these pits to fertilize the soil and help hold water. This practice not only helps conserve water but also improves the fertility of the soil over time. The crops that need the most water grow best at the downhill end. Crops that can live with less water grow well on the higher side of the slope. In the second year, plant in the same pits, or dig new pits between the old ones. If you dig new pits next to the old ones over the years, step by step the whole area will be fertilized.
Stone walls built across fields also slow down the flow of rainwater, allowing it to soak into the ground. This prevents soil erosion and keeps the land fertile. Farmers should also fill gullies-deep channels formed by water erosion-with stones or build stone walls across them. These barriers slow the water down and prevent further erosion, helping the soil stay in place and allowing the land to recover.
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