Final answer:
The Section System of Prairies was developed for efficient land distribution to westward-expanding settlers, dividing land into manageable plots. Today, the system affects agricultural practices and land ownership, with irrigation developments bolstering productivity and countering past issues like the Dust Bowl.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Section System of Prairies was put into place to organize the distribution of land to settlers as they expanded westward. The basic unit of this system is the township, which is a square parcel of land six miles wide and subdivided into 36 one-square-mile parcels called sections. The sections were then further divided into quarter sections and quarter-quarter sections to accommodate different needs for land based on the climatic conditions like rainfall and the viability of farming versus ranching.
In practice today, this system has significantly influenced the agricultural practices and land ownership patterns within the United States. While homesteaders initially acquired smaller lots, drier conditions required larger parcels for farming to be feasible, particularly for livestock grazing. However, the introduction of irrigation systems has since allowed developments that keep the soil fertile and productive, countering the problems faced in areas like the Southern Plains, where decades of farming led to the Dust Bowl disaster due to soil depletion and erosion.