What farming practice involves ploughing parallel to the contours of a slope to minimize erosion?

• A. Contour Ploughing
• B. Terracing
• C. Strip Cultivation
• D. Cover Cropping

Answer: (A)

The main idea is protecting soil on slopes by slowing and reducing runoff. Ploughing parallel to the slopes' contours creates furrows that run along lines of equal elevation. These contour lines act as barriers to fast water flow, giving more time for water to infiltrate the soil and reducing the amount of soil that's carried away by erosion. This targeted method is contour ploughing (contour farming), and it specifically uses the land’s shape to conserve soil. Other methods involve different approaches—terracing adds flat steps to break a slope, strip cultivation alternates cropped and fallow strips, and cover cropping protects the soil year-round with vegetation—but they don’t describe ploughing along the contours to minimize erosion.