Extreme agriculture: Terrace cultivation on Madeira Island, Portugal

Agriculture can take place under extreme conditions, such as here on these terraced fields on the island of Madeira. Step-like ledges have been cut into the mountain site to form distinct levels. The field gardens are held up by supporting walls that require constant renewal.

Terrace agriculture means lots of work in any case. Machines can't be used on the small fields, so everything has to be done by hand. Agriculture in mountainous areas is a battle against nature. Farmers here even plant terraced fields on cliffs in order to use every available piece of land. Workers can't afford a fear of heights in this place. This is extreme agriculture. Other fields can only be reached by boat. Terrace cultivation demands a very time-consuming planting and harvesting procedure that is not exactly competitive in today's world.

Another frequent problem is irrigation. While the clouds gather here in the mountains generating moisture, the further away the fields are from the mountains, the drier they become. This makes farming very difficult. Sophisticated irrigation systems provide relief, bringing water from the mountains into the drier areas. The irrigation canals traverse the landscape like arteries. The technology is remarkably simple: If a main canal is blocked, then the water flows into adjacent canals. Once the fields have received enough water, other canals are blocked and the water is diverted once again, constantly seeking its path through the canal system. On the Portuguese island of Madeira, the canals are also used today as tourist attractions, as the paths laid to facilitate maintenance work on the canals have been transformed into sign-posted hiking trails.