USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Terrace farming is a common practice in many mountainous regions across the world. The Incas and numerous other cultures have depended on terraces to make use of otherwise unsuitable land for farming. Read on to learn more facts about how humans alter mountain landscapes for agriculture with terrace farming.

Detailed explanation-2: -The Incas had to create flat land to farm, since they lived in the mountains. They did this by creating terraces. Terraces were carved steps of land in the mountainside. Not only did this genius way of farming help them grow crops, it was also great for irrigation and preventing drought.

Detailed explanation-3: -They developed resilient breeds of crops such as potatoes, quinoa and corn. They built cisterns and irrigation canals that snaked and angled down and around the mountains. And they cut terraces into the hillsides, progressively steeper, from the valleys up the slopes.

Detailed explanation-4: -Terraces at Pisac. At higher elevations, Incas farmers utilized tiers of agricultural terraces to better irrigate their fields.

Detailed explanation-5: -Because the Incas lived in the mountains, they had no flat land for farming. They had to build wide step-like areas called terraces for farming. Through terrace farming, the Incas were able to provide for all people in the empire.