Which farming approach involves a series of practices such as stopping ploughing and leaving land fallow to conserve moisture?

Which farming approach involves a series of practices such as stopping ploughing and leaving land fallow to conserve moisture?

• A. Dry Farming
• B. Irrigation
• C. Hydroponics
• D. Green manuring

Answer: (A)

Conserving soil moisture is the key idea here. In dry regions, farming relies on the limited rainfall, so practices are used to minimize water loss and store what water falls as rain. Stopping ploughing and leaving land fallow helps achieve that. When the land is not tilled, there’s less disturbance of the soil surface, which reduces evaporation, and the soil can absorb and hold more moisture from rainfall. A fallow period also allows more rainwater to infiltrate and recharge the soil moisture so that crops planted later have access to that stored water during dry spells. This approach is distinct from irrigation (adding water artificially), hydroponics (growing plants in nutrient solutions without soil), or green manuring (using or plowing under cover crops to improve fertility, not specifically to conserve moisture during a fallow period). So the described practices fit dry farming.

Conserving soil moisture is the key idea here. In dry regions, farming relies on the limited rainfall, so practices are used to minimize water loss and store what water falls as rain. Stopping ploughing and leaving land fallow helps achieve that. When the land is not tilled, there’s less disturbance of the soil surface, which reduces evaporation, and the soil can absorb and hold more moisture from rainfall. A fallow period also allows more rainwater to infiltrate and recharge the soil moisture so that crops planted later have access to that stored water during dry spells. This approach is distinct from irrigation (adding water artificially), hydroponics (growing plants in nutrient solutions without soil), or green manuring (using or plowing under cover crops to improve fertility, not specifically to conserve moisture during a fallow period). So the described practices fit dry farming.