How did the Inca adapt their environment to improve farming?

Question

Responses

The Inca cut strips of level land called terraces into hillsides.

The Inca built artificial islands called chinampas to increase farmland.

The Inca used dikes to capture rain water to irrigate crops.

The Inca used aqueducts to carry fresh water into the city.

Answer 1

The Inca adapted their environment to improve farming primarily by cutting strips of level land called terraces into hillsides. This method allowed them to create flat areas for agriculture in the mountainous terrain of the Andes, which helped prevent soil erosion and maximized the amount of usable land.

While they did use irrigation systems, including aqueducts to carry fresh water, and other techniques to manage water, the most notable and significant adaptation for farming was the terracing technique. Dikes for rainwater capture and chinampas (which are more commonly associated with the Aztecs) were not key features of Inca agricultural practices.