<P> The Inca cultivated food crops on dry Pacific coastlines, high on the slopes of the Andes, and in the lowland Amazon rainforest . In mountainous Andean environments, they made extensive use of terraced fields which not only allowed them to put to use the mineral - rich mountain soil which other peoples left fallow, but also took advantage of micro-climates conducive to a variety of crops being cultivated throughout the year . A contributing factor for the ability of the Inca to expand their population and agriculture as quick as they did, was because of a small climate shift that allowed for slightly warmer temperatures and a small increase in annual precipitation . This contributed to the Inca's ability to use terraced and irrigated fields in higher elevations, opening up vast amount of the Andes Mountains for Inca agriculture . Agricultural tools consisted mostly of simple digging sticks . </P> <P> The Inca developed Qollqas, a building made of "adobe, field stone, clay mortar, plaster and pirca" used for food storage . These granaries stored "maize, quinoa, potatoes, potatoes, chica (maize beer), fruit, salt, fish, tubers, and grain". Qollqas allowed for the survival of food supplies in the cold climate of the Andes . </P> <P> The Inca also raised llamas and alpacas for their wool, meat, and to use them as pack animals and captured wild vicuñas for their fine hair . </P> <P> The Inca road system was key to farming success as it allowed distribution of foods over long distances . The Inca also constructed vast storehouses, which allowed them to live through El Niño years while some neighboring civilizations suffered . </P>

Contribution of inca civilization to the rest of the world