Contour bunding
Also called: Bunding · Topic: Soils of India: Types, Degradation and Conservation · NCERT: Class 9, Ch 2 "Shaping of the Earth's Surface"
Meaning
Contour bunding means building low earthen walls, called bunds, along the contour lines of a sloping field. A contour line joins points at the same height. Each bund sits across the slope and stops rainwater from rushing downhill. The water is held back and soaks into the ground. This cuts soil erosion and keeps more moisture in the soil, which matters most where rain is scarce.
Example
Contour bunding is common on the dry, sloping farmland of the Deccan plateau, for example in Maharashtra. There, rain-fed crops depend on every bit of moisture the soil can hold.
Don't confuse with
- Contour ploughing: this only turns the soil into furrows along the contour. Contour bunding builds raised earthen walls that hold water back.
- Terrace farming: this cuts a steep slope into flat, step-like fields. Bunding leaves the field sloping and just adds walls across it.
Related concepts
- Soil conservation
- Contour ploughing
- Terrace farming
- Strip cropping
- Shelter belt
- Continuous contour trench