Project funded
by theEU–DGEnvironment
L
and
surfacerelevant
forapplication
Artificial surface
Agriculture land
Forest and semi-natural areas
Wetlands
F
inancialcosts
(C
apital
,
operation
&
maintenance
)
The measure relates to existing structures; however the construction cost for
new terracing using heavy machinery would be €893/ha/yr. Maintaining existing
terracing costs about €200/ha/yr.
D
esign
Traditional terracing can be applied across a
wide range of slopes
: terraced
based olive production in the Mediterranean occurs on moderate (>15%) to steep
(>25%) slopes. The measure can be used in conjunction with others measures that
reduce soil erosion risk such as reduced/zero tillage and cover crops.
S
cale
This measure is applied at field level,
over hillsides limiting the upstream drai-
nage area.
Traditional terraces consist of nearly
level platforms
built along contour lines of slopes, mostly sustained by stone walls, used for farming on hilly terrain. By
reducing the effective slope of land, terracing can reduce erosion and surface runoff by slowing rainwater to a non-erosive velocity. This helps to increase soil
depth and in turn also increases the degree of infiltration and improves soil moisture. This measure focuses on maintaining existing or traditional terracing, which
involve less disturbance of the terrain than modern terracing.
Casestudies:Traditional terracing inVeneto, Italy,Waterretentionspaces, reforestationandgrazingmanagement insouthernPortugal
AGRICULTURE
©
S
u
r
e
d
a
