Read the passage below carefully and answer the question that follows:
For decades, agricultural experts in East Africa advocated for modern engineering solutions to halt hillside soil erosion in highland farming regions. However, recent studies in the Kigezi highlands of southwestern Uganda demonstrate that traditional stone-terracing systems, built by indigenous farmers generations ago, outperform concrete embankments in long-term soil retention. These stone terraces slow down surface runoff, allow rainwater to infiltrate deep into the subsoil, and trap nutrient-rich sediments without altering the natural topography. Furthermore, maintaining stone terraces requires minimal capital expenditure compared to imported construction materials, enabling low-income smallholders to preserve arable land independently. While modern agronomic interventions often collapse under extreme rainfall due to rigid structural designs, stone terraces possess flexible gaps that release excess hydraulic pressure safely. Consequently, regional conservation programs are now shifting focus from industrial civil works to scaling up community-led restoration of indigenous stone terracing as the primary strategy for sustainable highland agriculture.
Statement: The central thesis of the passage is that traditional stone terracing provides a more effective and sustainable solution for highland soil conservation than modern engineering methods.
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