Agriculture Uncovered: nature-based practices for farm and ecosystem resilience

Agriculture is a major industry in the Chesapeake Bay; consequently, increasing agricultural sustainability is a key component of the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay’s mission. Since the Alliance’s founding in 1971 , our work with farmers and rural landowners has expanded to include projects in every watershed state with teams based in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. In industry, the Alliance works to introduce relevant conservation practices that reduce pollution while making farmers’ jobs easier. All of this critical work is informed by the immense geographic, cultural, and historical diversity of the Chesapeake Watershed.

Nature-based practices leverage natural processes to improve water, soil, and air quality long-term. Using resources like native plant species helps rebuild resilient, biodiverse systems on farms. These systems work to restore ecosystem function and, when maintained, become more effective with time.

Nature-based practices give farmers low-cost, scaleable, and adaptable methods to achieve multiple ecosystem benefits. “Nature-based” is a broad concept and can include practices like cover crops and crop rotations, but this article focuses on some of the ways the Alliance’s agriculture team uses native trees, shrubs, grasses, and flowers to build healthier farms and waterways.

Riparian forest Buffers

A black locust peeks out on a farm in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.

Riparian forest buffers are corridors of trees and shrubs planted directly next to streambanks, filtering nutrients and sediment, stabilizing banks, and restoring a biodiverse habitat for fish, invertebrates, insects, and terrestrial wildlife. You may have been introduced to the Alliance through our Forests team’s tree plantings (thank you, volunteers!). Riparian forest buffers require a lot of up-front planning and labor, but are one of the most effective ways to restore stream health on farm and downstream.

The Alliance’s Forests and Agriculture teams collaborate to install native buffers on streams running through the farms we work with, supporting whole-farm conservation. The goal is to not only capture runoff, but restore healthy conditions that allow the stream habitat to thrive.

Hedgerows

A hedgerow in California consisting of native shrubs and forbs. Photo credit: Xerxes Society

A hedgerow is a densely-planted strip of native perennial plants and trees, which creates a natural “fence” to provide habitat for insects and wildlife, prevent wind erosion, and help retain soil. They can be planted on unproductive areas of a farm, or as borders along crop fields and pastures to make a strong impact on nitrogen and phosphorus runoff.

Hedgerows can take many different shapes, based on farmers’ needs; they can consist of trees, smaller woody plants, and/or pollinator-friendly grasses and flowers. Creating habitat to support healthy populations of predatory beetles, parasitic wasps, and hoverflies acts as a natural pest control against crop-eating insects.

Vegetative environmental buffers

A VEB planted alongside a PA poultry house

Vegetative Environmental Buffers (VEBs) can also take many forms, but most consist of three rows of native grasses, shrubs, and/or trees and are especially beneficial on poultry farms. The Alliance works with farmers to install VEBs adjacent to poultry houses, which provide many co-benefits for people, birds, and the environment.

They serve as windbreaks, mitigate dust and ammonia emissions, provide shade for animals, and create habitat for insects. In some cases, they can even be managed to produce bedding materials for chickens.

Grassed waterways

A grassed waterway following the contour of a field. Photo credit: Penn State Extension

Grassed waterways are wide, gently sloped channels planted with permanent vegetation that slow and guide water through a field to a stable outlet. Their main purpose is to reduce erosion and runoff, especially valuable in row-crop fields.

Gullies are a common challenge for both farmers and water quality. They form when rainfall concentrates and rushes through low spots in a field, eventually cutting deep channels and carrying soil and nutrients downslope. Farmers can prevent or repair gullies by improving soil health, and by installing intentional waterways planted with permanent grasses and legumes rather than crops. Grassed waterways are designed to follow the natural shape of the land to help capture soil, create habitat, and filter nutrients as water heads toward nearby streams.

Pollinator strips

An established pollinator habitat featuring native coneflower, bergamot, goldenrod, and more.

Pollinator strips are narrow plantings of diverse native flowering plants designed to bloom at different times of the year, providing food and habitat for beneficial insects year-round. These plantings support insects like lacewings, lady beetles, and native bees, which are important for pollination and biodiversity, and predate on pests. Lady Beetles, for example, attack aphids and can increase yields of vegetables, grain, legumes, and other crops. Pollinator strips also benefit the land by improving soil moisture retention, acting as a sponge to collect rainwater and nutrient runoff.

Pollinator habitat is valuable in many areas of a farm, including along waterways, field borders, marginal areas, and upland of riparian forest buffers. For organic farmers, pollinator strips can also serve as a buffer to reduce the risk of pesticide drift from neighboring fields.

Big Elk Creek, which flows into the Elk River before reaching the Chesapeake Bay

The principles behind nature-based practices extend beyond agriculture to all scales of land management. They recognize soil and streams are living systems that need to be fed, rooted, and diverse, whether in a backyard, garden bed, or across a 100-acre farm. The Alliance continues to work with farmers on a growing range of practices to restore the healthy, resilient ecosystems they want to build on their land and send cleaner water downstream.

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