Terrace farming in the Andes.
The Peruvian Andes
are steep and harsh ecosystems—without careful management they are essentially deserts.
The Incas and their ancestors wrested arable land from the cliffs by carving terraces across vast tracts of land, a legacy their descendants steward now.
In the era of climate change, careful land and water use has never been more critical.
The Cusichaca Trust was formed over thirty years ago to work in the highlands of Peru to promote effective agricultural practices for people using ancient systems of canals and terraces (known as andenes). These terraces and canals were constructed in Inca and pre-Inca times and continue to be used in the present day.
