Platforms

Terraces are technologies that, through human action, modify the topography of sloping lands, with the purpose of making better use of resources, soil, water and climate, to carry out agricultural tasks. They are made up of a platform (terrace), which is filled with transported and selected material (gravel, soil and organic matter), and supported by walls, usually made of stones. In areas where there is little supply of stones, the walls are built with earth, with more inclined embankments and these, in turn, are complemented, in some cases, with drainage ditches at the foot of the terraces to direct the water towards the ravines. The length of the terraces is limited by the presence of obstacles such as rock outcrops, the presence of gullies, sudden changes in the orientation of the slopes, the presence of natural channels or by excessive stoniness. They are usually between 4 and 100 m long and 1.5 to 20 m wide, and are used for growing crops. The terrace is usually supported by three stone walls, the longest of which follows the contour of the slope, while the other two are located at the ends of the platform. The walls are usually between 0.5 and 2 m high, but can sometimes reach 3 m, so large stones of 0.4 to 1 m in diameter must be used.