The Andean region of Puno, known as thealtiplano, is located at 3,830 meters above sea level. Theterrain is prone to flooding, and thus difficult tocultivate. In order to deal with this situation, Andeanindigenous populations displaced huge amounts of soil inorder to create raised fields that were better adapted toagricultural use. Raised fields resolved many of theproblems that affect agriculture at high altitude. Thetechnology combines the rehabilitation of marginal soils,drainage improvement, increased water storage, moreefficient use of radiant energy, and attenuation of theeffects of frosts. The raised platform allows farmers todouble the depth of topsoil for crops, and provides drysurfaces in the wet and often flooded lake and river terrain.
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