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Facing soil erosion at ancient times
The document discusses various ancient agricultural practices in the Americas designed to combat soil erosion, including strategies like increasing plant coverage, reducing runoff through terraces, and utilizing fertile sediments with raised fields. Notable examples are drawn from Mayan agriculture, the Andes, and cultures around Lake Titicaca, showcasing successful land use and crop management systems. The text emphasizes the relevance of these historical practices in addressing modern agricultural challenges related to soil erosion.
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Facing soil erosion at ancient times
- 1. 1 Fernando Delgado CIDIAT, Universityof Los Andes Mérida, Venezuela
- 2. water erosion winderosion geologic erosion: a natural process soil erosion induced by man
- 4. intensive agriculture intensiva incipient agriculture,hunting and collecting hunting, fishing and collecting North South basic human activities in the American continent at ancient times Facing soil erosion at ancient times Central America
- 5. soil detachment soil transport deposition Strategies to facesoil erosion three processes three strategies strategy 1 strategy 2 strategy 3
- 6. soil detachment strategy 1: increase plant coverage strategiesto face soil erosion in ancient agriculture
- 7. the Maya culture(2000 b.C. - 900 AD)
- 8. main crop managementsystem in Mayan agriculture cut & burning: shifting cultivation a “milpa” landscape into the Maya forest maize beanssquash The “milpa” system: (short-cycle crop association) leading technology: crop associations
- 9. common Mayan cropmanagement systems to enhance soil productivity and to face soil erosion cut and cover systems: (“covered beans”) week 1 week 2week 0 improved fallow systems: maize fallow (legume) fallow (legume)cropping multi-strata polycultures: cocoa
- 10. cut and coversystem: “covered beans” (“frijol tapado”)
- 11. soil transport strategy 2: reduce runoff strategies toface soil erosion in ancient agriculture
- 12. terraces in theColca river valley, Arequipa, Peru. (Collahua culture, X century AD). leading technology: terraces or “andenes”
- 13. terraces reached apeak with the Inca Empire (1450-1530 AD)
- 14. typical section ofan Andean terrace 0.5 – 0.6 m topsoil (organic substrate) sand gravel small stones big stones original terrain level stone wall 2 m ground penetrating radar (GPR) composition of a Machu Picchu farming terrace
- 15. transforming sloping landsinto horizontal terrains: to increase infiltration and reduce runoff & soil erosion F. Delgado - CIDIAT runoff & soil erosion infiltration infiltration
- 16. 24/05/2019 night less heat loss storedduring the day F. Delgado - CIDIAT Steeplands with terraces day Increased uptake and storage of solar energy Steeplands without terraces increasing exposed surface to the sun: terraces modify micro-climatic conditions by improving the uptake of radiant energy during the day and reducing radiative losses at night
- 17. deposition strategy 3: take advantage offertile sediments strategies to face soil erosion in ancient agriculture
- 18. leading technology: raisedfields (wetland farming) the Highplain (El Altiplano) Tiawanacota culture (1400 b.C. – 1000 AD) raised field waru – waru (Qechua language) suka kollus (Aymara language)
- 19. F.Delgado - CIDIAT Raisedfield (waru-waru system)
- 20. raised beds terraces raised field integratedancient systems facing soil erosion terraces raised field
- 21. raised fields insome tropical American floodplains Titicaca lake (highplain) “El Beni” floodplains, Bolivian Amazon (Baure culture; 1000 b.C.-300 AD) Amazon river “Momposina” depression, Colombia (Zenú culture; 200 b.C. to 1000 AD)
- 22. Xochimilca culture (1150-1350AD) Chinampas (“floating gardens”) in ancient lakes of Mexico valley Aztec (Mexica) culture (1325 - 1521 AD)
- 23. 23 Conclusions These exampleshighlight the fact that there were, and still persist from ancient times, many successful land use & crop management systems, as well as infrastructure works, to face soil erosion processes. These are promising models that promote ecological stability in a context of sustained productivity, offering alternatives to be studied and promoted as an important contribution to the challenges of modern agriculture to face soil erosion threats. strategy 1 strategy 2 strategy 3 Thank you very much…! Fernando Delgado delgado.cidiat@gmail.com