Skip to main content
Enhanced Farm Scale Habitat Diversity

Soil Health Framework
Enhanced Farm Scale Habitat Diversity

What does this look like?

Natural and semi-natural areas are maintained as part of the farm. Natural areas include undeveloped wild areas, and semi-natural areas include buffer strips, pollinator habitats, woodlots, windbreaks, wooded riparian zones, and wetlands. During the growing season, the landscape is abundant with plant life of various shapes, statures, and hues. Decision support tools or technical assistance providers are utilized to identify ideal areas for implementing water management practices such as grassed or cascading waterways, as well as water and sediment control basins (WASCOBs).

Why is this helpful? 

Studies show that increasing non-crop biodiversity improves crop soil health in several indirect ways. Establishing or protecting semi-natural habitat areas is a core element of integrated pest management (IPM), as it diversifies local populations of insects and attracts natural predators of pests such as wasps and spiders, reducing the need for pesticide applications. Natural and semi-natural habitat areas like buffer strips, wetlands, and riparian zones can mitigate and hold excess water, reducing on-field flooding and improving soil health. 

 

Engaged Advanced Leading
Natural or semi-natural habitats are identified and actively managed on the farm, including buffer strips, woodlots, windbreaks, etc. In addition to Engaged, a field-level conservation plan or decision support tool is used to identify potential areas for habitat conversion. At least one area of low yielding, unstable, or marginal land has been transitioned to semi-natural habitat. Consideration is given to the formation of wildlife cooridors.

Co-benefits on the farm:

  • Growers can save money by identifying regions with low or unstable yields, taking them out of production, and establishing semi-natural habitat that will help improve performance in the remaining cultivated areas.
  • Natural and semi-natural areas adjacent to farm fields reduce runoff and erosion, improving local water quality.
  • Addresses NRCS water and plant resource concerns such as pesticides to surface or ground water, sediment to surface water, and plant pest pressure. 
 

 

 
Previous PageNext Page