Terracing can reduce cropland water erosion in China by over 50% at present and under future climate change

Water erosion poses a serious challenge to agricultural sustainability at present and under future climate change. Terracing is a key cropland erosion control and climate adaptation strategy. However, the large-scale effects of terracing on cropland erosion remain unclear due to the lack of reliable terrace maps. Here, using the China terrace map we produced and field experiment data, we quantified national water erosion reduction by terraces for the 21st century with our improved erosion evaluation model. We find that terraces reduce cropland water erosion in China by 52% at present, and the total erosion reduction amount achieved by terraces increases by 15% (SSP1-RCP2.6) to 63% (SSP5-RCP8.5) during 2010–2100 under future climate scenarios. Appropriate terrace maintenance and distribution planning can further increase the total amount of erosion reduced by terraces by up to 45%. This research, with a globally applicable approach, advances knowledge of terrace effects, refines cropland erosion estimates, and guides terrace management strategies to address erosion and ensure agricultural sustainability.

CAO Bowen;  YU Le;  LI Wei;  CIAIS Philippe;  PANAGOS Panagiotis;  BORRELLI Pasquale;  NAIPAL Victoria;  WEI Wei;  JIAO Yuanmei;  XIE Yun;  FU Bojie;  GONG Peng; 

2025-11-21

ELSEVIER

JRC130943

2590-3322 (online),   

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590332225003161,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC130943,   

10.1016/j.oneear.2025.101490 (online),