Through our site visits, interviews, and relative articles and documents, we learned of many techniques and ideas about making farms more ecologically conscience. Many farms have come up with inventive and specific ways to balance farm production and profit with sustainable practices. After research and interviews, here are some of the many ecologically conscience practices that farms everywhere are beginning to adopt.
Riparian Zone: A riparian zone is the boundary between land and water. It serves various roles in an ecosystem including the filtration of nutrient-full runoff and reduced erosion. Riparian zones also provide many advantages to wildlife. The buffer creates an aesthetically pleasing corridor for wildlife moving between habitats as well as a biologically diverse food source for birds, insects, and mammals.
Perennial Crops: Perennial crops such as a perennial rice or wheatgrass, are long lived plants usually with extended root systems. By planting these, farmers may be able to increase an economic yield while reaping in the environmental benefits. The root systems absorb nitrogen and prevent erosion while the competitive nature of these crops results in less weeds and less herbicide usage.
Biodiversity: While biodiversity is a broad statement, it is important in any sustainable system. In our case, we would defined biodiversity as the amount of heterogeneity in a given landscape (or farm). There are many ways to increase biodiversity like adding hedgerows of different crops and avoiding monoculture farms. Planting different tree stands can provide habitat for bird species. Increasing the diversity in an area creates an all-over more stable environment.
Rotational Crops/Grazing: In crop rotation, different crops are planted each season in order to benefit the nutrients in the soil. By changing what is growing, a farmer has great control over the health of the soil. By increasing the diversity of life planted in it by using crop rotations, the soil will be richer and more fertile than a non-rotation system. Rotational grazing has the same basic idea, but instead moves cows to various grazing sites in order to allow grasses to regrow and stabilize.
Integrated Wildlife: There are many examples of using wildlife in order to benefit agricultural production. In order to increase productivity, local bee farms have been used to pollinate the plants. Another example is duck-rice farming. It is an integrated method of farming rice in duck habitat (seen primarily in easter countries) to reduce the need for fertilization while increasing yield.
Rotational Crops/Grazing: In crop rotation, different crops are planted each season in order to benefit the nutrients in the soil. By changing what is growing, a farmer has great control over the health of the soil. By increasing the diversity of life planted in it by using crop rotations, the soil will be richer and more fertile than a non-rotation system. Rotational grazing has the same basic idea, but instead moves cows to various grazing sites in order to allow grasses to regrow and stabilize.
Integrated Wildlife: There are many examples of using wildlife in order to benefit agricultural production. In order to increase productivity, local bee farms have been used to pollinate the plants. Another example is duck-rice farming. It is an integrated method of farming rice in duck habitat (seen primarily in easter countries) to reduce the need for fertilization while increasing yield.
Other Suggestions:
-Retain overstory trees when harvesting
-Retain deadwood
-Soften edges between habitats
-Maximize forest interior
-Retain early successional forest habitat