Managing Agricultural Terrace Systems for Maintaining the Health and Productivity of Highland Agro-ecosystems

Abstract

Agro-ecosystems are most integrated with the existence of humankind, as they provide the latter with basic necessities such as food, energy, clothing and shelter. In many parts of the world, agricultural terrace systems form a considerable portion of the overall agro-ecosystem and prevail from historical times in areas predominated by a steep terrain, and offer sustenance to a large proportion of the population living in, around and even away from them. They are an efficient adoption of steep lands to render crop production possible, expand cropland, check soil erosion, conserve soil moisture and nutrients, improve groundwater storage, ease farm operations, increase crop yields and beautify the landscape. However, their productivity and sustainability depend on many other components of the overall human-dominated ecosystem. Just as the health of the ecosystem determines the prosperity of its inhabitants the inhabitants possess the capacity to maintain the ecosystem in a proper state only when they are reasonably prosperous. Functioning of a regeneration cycle in the ecosystem is thus highly essential. This paper attempts to address these issues in the universal context, but with a focus on the case of Nepal, in general, and an especially studied location in its far-western region, in particular.