Field Borders#
Definition
Leaving a permanent planting of vegetation cover on the margins of your field.
How it works: When water is running across a field, it carries soil particles. If you put buffer strips around the edges of your field, it puts a permanent barrier perpendicular to the water’s path. This makes the water slow down, and drop its soil particles in the buffer strip. This intervention is conceptually similar to a filter strip, but is planted and maintained around the edge of a field, rather than at the end of furrow plantings or along contours.
Benefits |
Drawbacks |
|---|---|
Effective way to slow erosion |
Removes land from production indefinitely |
No new infrastructure required |
Requires mowing and maintenance |
Increases water infiltration |
|
Restores soil health |
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Field margins rarely as productive as center |