Agricultural Terraces Special Issue Preface

Agricultural terraces are a cultivation technique used, since ancient times, in many regions of the world. Terraces are built to reduce slope gradient and increase the infiltration of water; to mitigate soil erosion, collect rainwater run-off, and concentrate it on a cropped plot; and to support agriculture in difficult environmental conditions (e.g., high-steep slopes). Poorly designed and maintained terraces can lead to slope failures, often due to walls collapsing, and then large quantities of soil become vulnerable to run-off erosion. The purpose of this Special Issue is to review the main environmental problems and opportunities that occur in a terraced landscape, explore how to monitor and date a terrace system, and provide useful guidance for landowners and practitioners who deal with terraced landscapes.