Strip cropping
Topic: Soils of India: Types, Degradation and Conservation · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 1 "Resources and Development"
Meaning
Strip cropping means dividing a large field into long strips and growing grass in strips between the crop strips. The grass holds the soil firmly. It breaks the force of the wind blowing across the field, so less loose soil is carried away. On gentle slopes, the grass strips also slow running water. This makes strip cropping a useful defence against wind erosion, the loss of soil blown off by wind.
Example
Strip cropping suits flat, windy dryland areas such as western Rajasthan and Kachchh in Gujarat, where wind erosion is common.
Don't confuse with
- Shelter belt: this uses rows of trees as windbreaks, usually along field edges. Strip cropping uses grass strips inside the field.
- Mixed cropping: this grows two or more crops together on the same land. Strip cropping keeps crops and grass in separate strips.
Related concepts
- Soil conservation
- Contour ploughing
- Terrace farming
- Shelter belt
- Contour bunding
- Continuous contour trench