Best practices in sustainable land management

Use of prescribed fire to reduce the fuel load in the form of live and dead plant material and thus to prevent the likelihood of more damaging wildfire. The main purposes are the enhancement of grazing areas and the creation of a national network to limit the spread of wildfire. It involves strategically burning key sites to restrict the spread of the wildfire. The type of fire depends on the specific goals and on the weather conditions. The slope angle, the kind of fuels to be burned, the weather conditions, and the ability to control the speed of flame spread are all considered before carrying out the fire. Note: For this SLM technology case, the SPI report on Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change refers to: Stubbendieck, J., Volesky, J. and Ortmann, J. 2007. Grassland Management with prescribed fire. In: The board of Regents of the University of Nebraska.

Animal draft zero-till involves the use of an animal-drawn mechanical planter to plant directly in un-tilled soil to minimize soil disturbance and leave a cover of crop residues to conserve the soil and water. The protective soil cover reduces evaporation and enhances infiltration while the improved soil structure and organic matter content increases soil water storage making zero tillage an important drought mitigating strategy. Note: For this SLM technology case, the SPI report on Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change refers to: Kaoma-Sprenkels, C., Stevens, P.A. and Wanders, A.A. 1999. IMAG-DLO and conservation tillage: Activities and experiences. In: Kaumbutho P G and Simalenga T E (eds), 1999. Conservation tillage with animal traction. Animal Traction Network for Eastern and Southern Africa (ATNESA).

Home gardens, containing tree, shrub, herbs, vine, tuber layers as well as poultry, produce food for household consumption as well as an additional income. All seven production layers can be found, with a tree canopy, lower trees, shrubs, herbs, a soil cover, roots and tubers as well as a climbing layer, although the number of layers varies by garden. Note: For this SLM technology case, the SPI report on Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change refers to: Helen Keller International. 2003. Handbook for Home Gardening in Cambodia: The Complete Manual for Vegetable and Fruit Production. Phnom Penh: Helen Keller Worldwide.

This silvo-pastoral system serves multiple purposes: it increases land productivity with the establishment of fruit trees, supports land conservation by limiting livestock to certain areas, reduces water runoff, and improved soil moisture and water retention (especially in areas on high slopes. The integrated orchard with pastureland and fodder production is partially fenced to hinder livestock grazing.  Trees are regularly pruned, while the pasture serves as feed for the livestock, with any remaining grass used as cut-and-carry fodder. Note: For this SLM technology case, the SPI report on Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change refers to: Stephens, M.., Donaghy, P. and Griffiths, J. 2010. Silvopastoralism — an opportunity waiting, Farming Ahead January 2010 No. 216, and Montagnini, F., Muhammad, I. and Murgueitio, E. 2013 Silvopastoral systems and climate change mitigation in Latin America. Bois et forêts des Tropiques, 316 (2).

Agroforestry is a collective name for land-use systems and technologies where woody perennials (such as trees, shrubs, palms, or bamboos) are deliberately used on the same land-management unit as agricultural crops and/or animals, in some form of spatial arrangement or temporal sequence. The system has been proposed to farmers and re-introduced to the region with the aim of reducing environmental impacts and energy inputs as well as improving biodiversity and agricultural landscape.

A ditch made of soil and stones that protects fields from water runoff. Stones are placed on the lower side of the ditch to raise the soil wall and to stabilize the ditch, reducing the water flow. The technology can be used in several land uses types.

A stone bund is an embankment of stones constructed across the slope along a contour. The stone wall is stabilized with grasses and fodder plant species. Its main purpose is moisture harvesting and controlling soil erosion from cultivated fields so that the plants have sufficient soil depth to establish and grow.

An artificial drainage channel constructed along a steep slope to receive run-off from cut-off drains and graded structures and safely drain it towards a natural waterway. The waterway carries excess water to the river, reservoirs or gullies safely without creating erosion. Vegetative waterways can be used in place of stones and for gentler slopes. Paved waterways are suitable in steeper terrains and areas with large amount of stones.

A low cost and an easy activity for protecting agricultural lands, gardens and public infrastructure from the damages of flash flood. The plantation of long root trees in lower catchment areas is to hold the soil in place with their root structures, decreasing land degradation and soil erosion. Cuttings of willow and poplar also serve as wind breaks. Protection by fencing with barbed wire in two first years also prevents grazing of leaves and new branches by animals. Additional benefits of the technology are the increased availability of wood beams for 
construction, of fuel wood and of fodder. Increasing the number of indigenous trees helps to reduce the negative effects of climate change.

The stone bund is an embankment constructed along the contour to minimize soil erosion and prevent runoff damage from downstream fields. It is constructed from stone/soil, with a ditch at the upper side of the bund for stabilisation. The technology is suitable for areas with gentle to undulating slopes and in cultivated areas with moderate soil depth.