How do you terrace a hill for tea plantation?

[canuckamuck]

We have lots of tea, but the family just does it the mountain way. The trees are randomly distributed about and they grow about 2 meters tall. Occasionally someone will get the urge and go pick tea leaves, for a small return.

We have a new piece of land, a small valley, that would look beautiful if it were terraced with tea trees. I have seen tea plantations in Thailand, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, and they look great, but I do not know the rules for creating the actual terraces. How is it done to avoid erosion and to create the moisture level, while at the same time providing a path for the harvester to access the trees? I assume it is a different idea that terracing rice paddies.

[canuckamuck]

bump!

[teletiger]

Sounds interesting. You need to google SALT - Sloping Agricultural Land Technology.
Regards.

Edit: http://www.infonet-biovision.org/default/ct/265/soilManagement

Edited July 25, 2013 by teletiger

[mo99]

Sepp Holtzer's Permaculture a good book in which he talks a bit about how he does his terraces. A lot of videos about his farm on Youtube, here is one on Terraces:

[Riley'sLife]

Use a tracked Bobcat with a backhoe and dozer blade attached. http://www.bobcat.eu/bobcat/products/Excavator/E25.page? Good fun too, but don't let Immigration see you!

[teletiger]

Don't know if Watersedge is still around? He did a real nice one (triple terrace) up in Mae Sot that I got to see.

Regards.

[canuckamuck]

Thanks for some of the tips guys. I am still looking for some specific details, but I guess much will be decided by the slope; which currently is too overgrown to analyze.

As a follow up question to my OP: is there anyone in this forum growing tea? I don't recall reading any threads on that topic.

[Pacificperson]

https://qt.wocat.net/qt_summary1.php?lang=english&qt_id=252

[canuckamuck]

Well thank you for that, I am actually about 25% into the terracing right now, it seems I am doing it close to what they show. except I did not make drainage channels. I will have to work that out now.