Skip to main content

Vegetative riparian buffers

Submitted by Philippe Lanceleur on
Vegetative riparian buffers are strips of trees, bushes and grass alongside surface water bodies such as streams or ponds. Their main function is to provide a natural buffer strip to filter out nutrient and sediment transported from agricultural fields and prevent it reaching the water bodies - as well as maintaining undisturbed green corridors.

Intercropping of grain legumes with cereals

Submitted by Philippe Lanceleur on
Intercropping of grain legumes with cereals is a sustainable agricultural practice in Swiss farming. This involves growing grain legumes (such as peas or beans) alongside cereal crops (like barley or wheat) in the same field, reducing crop failure or yield risk, stabilising the grain legumes, promoting biodiversity and enhancing overall crop yield.

Subsoiling

Submitted by Philippe Lanceleur on
Subsoiling is defined as tillage below a depth of about 35-40 cm which doesn't invert the soil. It breaks up compacted layers to improve rooting and infiltration. Subsoiling is not needed on light soils, because these are rarely at risk of compaction.

Drainage Biofilter

Submitted by Philippe Lanceleur on
Biofilters or “bioreactors” connected to agricultural tile drains are relatively inexpensive and space-saving measures with considerable potential to improve the quality of drainage water.