Agricultural Practices that Promote Biodiversity

Polyculture: growing a range of crops at one time in the same place

• Provides a wider range of food sources and habitats for wildlife
• Polyculture includes crop rotation (planting different crops in the same field over a period of years)
• Crop rotation helps to conserve soil fertility as different crops have different demands for nutrients
• Can be particularly effective if nitrogen-fixing crops are used
• Also reduces the likelihood of pests specific to one crop

• Increased use of organic fertiliser instead of artificial fertiliser promotes soil fertility and preserves soil crumb structure
• Organic fertiliser also releases nutrients at a slower rate with less mineral leaching
• Organic fertiliser is harder to store and spread but its nutrient content is more variable

• Hedgerows can grow to maturity
• Trimming on a 2-3 year rotation allows berries to develop in winter
• Trimming in late winter avoids the destruction of bird nests and allows berries to develop in the autumn, providing a food source
• Maintaining different sized/shaped hedgerows maintains a wide range of habitats

Planting the hedgerow between a double fence protects it from grazing and froms an effective boundary

• Broad-spectrum pesticides

Kill target pests and natural predators of the pest. They also kill soil organisms important for decomposition of organic matter and maintenance of soil fertility.

• Narrow-spectrum pesticides

Only kill the target pest species. This is a more integrated pest management approach.

• Involves deliberately introducing a predator/parasite/pathogen species to target a specific pest.
• Reduces the need for chemical pesticides
• The predator may naturally integrate into the ecosystem to help build a sustainable population

Advantages:

• There is no chemical damage to the environment (risk of bioaccumulation)
• Only the target pest species is targeted
• Resistance development is unlikely
• Pest resurgence is unlikely
• Needs little action and saves money

Limitations:

• Pest is not always completely eliminated
• Will only work if the species can adapt and thrive

Predator strips (rough grass left undisturbed) encourage an increase in crop pests natural predators on farmland.