Trees that protect the countryside: a strategy that recovers soil and improves production
In the southwest of Chaco, integrating trees and shrubs into the countryside improves the soil and opens new productive opportunities for local producers
Sometimes, recovering the productivity of a field does not involve adding more inputs, but rather giving back elements that it lost over time. In the southwest of Chaco, an experience with forest curtains shows that incorporating strips of trees and bushes can reduce erosion, better conserve humidity and create more favorable conditions for agriculture and livestock. A barrier that changes the environment The experience takes place in a field in the El Palmar area, where specialists work with agroforestry systems to recover functions affected by the intensive use of the soil and the loss of vegetation cover. Forest curtains act on central factors for production. By reducing wind speed, they reduce wind erosion and mechanical stress on crops and animals. At the same time, they help retain moisture in the soil and in the air, improve water conditions and increase efficiency in water use. Forest curtains allow direct intervention on key variables of the system, such as wind, humidity and soil stability, with an impact on production, explained Verónica Sauer, INTA researcher. The proposal does not aim to add trees in isolation. It seeks to integrate the forestry component with agriculture and livestock to recompose structures that the landscape lost and that are necessary for its functioning. Design to produce and protect At the experimental site, the curtain is made up of three rows of hybrid eucalyptus trees, planted every two meters and separated by five meters between lines. Added to this scheme is a row of white carob, located five meters from the last row of eucalyptus. The arrangement responds to a specific objective: to maximize the wind barrier effect and, at the same time, incorporate a native species that provides stability to the system in the long term. The benefits are not limited to the environment. According to experience, better availability of water can favor yields and the curtains also represent a medium and long-term investment, with the possibility of obtaining products such as wood, firewood or charcoal. An experience designed to multiply The work is carried out by specialists from INTA Las Breñas and the Institute of Forestry and Agricultural Research of Chaco. In addition to protecting the soil and improving water regulation, the proposal seeks to recover biodiversity and promote the regeneration of biological corridors within the rural landscape. As the trial progresses, researchers will evaluate the growth of the species, the interaction between the different components and their effects on production. This information will allow us to adjust the designs and facilitate their application in other establishments. What we are looking for is for this to be replicable, for the producer to be able to take this experience and adapt it to their reality, said Sauer. The experience is based on a simple idea: adding trees back to where they were disappearing can help the productive system recover functions, gain stability and generate new economic alternatives.
