Don’t watch the farm go down the drain! Planting up steep slopes, gullies and stream banks will reduce soil erosion off the farm and keep silt out of the water. Many native freshwater fish cannot tolerate water that has been muddied by excess sedimentation.
Steep areas on farms are often unproductive. There is ongoing work being done to investigate how to control erosion on these marginal sites while also increasing productivity, such as Mānuka plantation research for medical-grade honey.
Acknowledgement: Showdown Productions
