TECHNICAL
NEW CODE OF PRACTICE FOR VEGETATED BUFFER STRIPS Words by Henry Stenning and Andrew Barber : Agrilink NZ
Left: The new vegetated buffer strips Code of Practice
Codes of Practice (COP) form a key component in the vegetable industries’ continuous improvement strategy, Joining the Dots. They incorporate industry and scientific research, and practical grower experience, into a condensed summary that acts as a guide for growers when implementing management practices. Guidelines and COP inform planning and effective implementation. Codes of Practice are also the foundation of Farm Environment Plans, and many practices listed in the NZGAP (Good Agricultural Practice) Export Marketing Strategy are linked to industry-developed COP. The latest COP released by the Vegetable Research & Innovation Board (VR&I) is on vegetated buffer strips. It includes the effect these buffer strips have on contaminant run-off, and the practices necessary to implement and maintain them correctly.
Vegetated buffer strips, also referred to as filter strips and riparian buffers (if next to a waterway), are a sediment mitigation measure for flatter cropping land. The use of these buffer strips is expected to increase as a result of the rollout of Farm Environment Plans (FEPs) throughout the industry. Buffer strips are one tool in the toolbox of measures to help control sediment loss from cropping land. However, they work at the end of the sediment control chain (along with Sediment Retention Ponds and decanting earth bunds) by reducing the volume of sediment that leaves the land in run-off water and ends up in drains and waterways. There are many practises before reaching this point, including erosion control measures like interception drains, cover crops and wheel track ripping. Sediment, particularly suspended sediment can have major, adverse effects on the freshwater ecosystem. The resultant increased turbidity of the water smothers
NZGROWER : NOVEMBER 2021 51
