Contour Farming with the help of the Sloping Agricultural Land Technology (SALT) is a very effective method in managing the heath of soil on slopes and hillside. It would also help farmers maximize the steep areas of land and become more productive.
_______
Hello here we are again in the farm with Jerld, and today we will layout a contour line as part of our application of Sloping Agricultural Land Technology or SALT.
First of all, we will need this instrument to find the contour line on the side of the hill, and this is what we call A-frame, because it looks like the capital letter A with a pendulum in the middle.
We only used bamboo and stone with pendulum, then we just tied it with nylon twine. And then its legs length should be the same.
To use it, we need to place one foot of the A-frame on the ground and mark it with a stick, then we move the other foot to find its level, then mark it also with a stick.
We will know if it is level when the pendulum is in the middle of the A-frame.
If you notice, we move only one foot of the A-frame to find the contour line.
The SALT or Sloping Agricultural Land Technology was developed by Harold Ray Watson here in Mindanao, Philippines in 1971 to help small-scale Filipino farmers, and its demo site that still exists until today is at the Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center, Kinuskusan, Bansalan, Davao del Sur or locally, this area is better known as Mount Carmel or Mt. Carmel Convention Center.
[Another technique in hillside farming is terracing which can be achieved after a long period on time of using the Sloping Agricultural Land Technology]
When the land area is rolling type like this, our contour line is curved, it is not straight, but there are also sloping areas with straight contour line like this area here.
The layouting is faster when them there are two people working together, one operates the A-frame and the other one puts a stick, so let's help Jerald.
We will just finish this layout and plant mulberry cuttings afterwards because we need to plant permanent crops here in the line.
That's all for now, thank you for watching and see next time.
________
Thank you for supporting Karay-a Ja! Here, we share our stories and life in the countryside with simple lifestyle that is rooted from the culture of Karay-a people.
Please like and follow us on Facebook and Subscribe on our KZread Channel.
Our FB Page: / karayajavlog
Our YT Channel: / karayaja