Evaluation of terrace design as soil and water conservation technique in Karangkobar catchment, Banjarnegara, Indonesia

Karangkobar catchment is upland of Serayu watershed, characterized as rough topography, thick soil, high rainfall, and the land use dominated by agriculture. Unfortunately, the agricultural system ignores the principles of soil and water conservation. The purpose of this study was to describe and to evaluate the terrace design as soil and water conservation. The tools used were GPS, roll meter, and abney level. The study was conducted using qualitative descriptive. The purposive sampling method was adopted to determine the terrace point. The indicator to evaluate terrace design were slope, solum, soil texture, and land management. Terrace suitability evaluation used arithmetic matching methods based on technical requirements and observations of soil terracing. This study revealed that the percentage of bench terrace in study area was 43.75%, 25% ridge terrace, 12.5% water drainage channel, and without conservation 18.75%. The suitability of design: 25% was the fit design, moderate 18.75%, and bad design 56.25%. Making and repairing terraces to fit design was costly. © 2019 IOP Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.