Which practice involves growing different crops in narrow bands across a field to reduce wind and water erosion?

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

Answer: (A)

Growing different crops in narrow bands across a field is about strip-cropping and intercropping. Placing crops in alternating, thin strips creates surface cover and roughness that slow wind and break up water flow, so soil is less easily blown or washed away. Different crops bring varied root systems and canopy heights, stabilizing soil at multiple depths and increasing infiltration, which further reduces erosion. This banded arrangement directly targets how erosion pathways form across a field, making it the most effective method for combining wind and water erosion control through crop placement. The other practices focus more on year-round soil cover (cover crops) or altering the field’s shape and slope (contour ploughing, terracing) rather than creating those protective crop bands.