Bunds have many benefits, including marking the boundaries of farm-holdings, slowing the movement of soil and water, and providing a place for integrating trees into agricultural systems. Here are some tips for using bunds within farmland:
- Cattle should be kept away from the area while establishing saplings, by using livehedge fencing. Cactus, Euphorbia spp, and Agave are useful for a livehedge fence.
- Larger trees can be planted on boundary bunds, and smaller trees which will be harvested more frequently can be planted on internal bunds, which divide one holding into separate sections.
- Internal bunds can be spaced every 20 to 30 meters apart to promote soil and water conservation. These bunds should follow the contours of the landscape.
- Trees on internal bunds can be pruned to a height of 5 feet to avoid shading crops, and the harvested biomass can be introduced to the soil to increase organic content.
- A ½ foot trench should be maintained ½ meter from the trees on the bunds to encourage the roots to grow downwards, rather than into the fields.
- Fodder grasses, such as Stylo hamata can also be planted on the bunds to increase stability, and provide fodder for harvesting.
- In sloping lands experiencing heavy rainfall, bunds should not follow the exact contour, but should be slightly sloping to allow for drainage along the bunds.
- Grass species for bunds include: vetiver grass, Sachcharum munja, and Stylo hammata
Trees for boundary bund
Trees that can be considered for boundary bunds are:
- Eucalyptus spp (Niligiri)
- Tectona grandis (Teak)
- Thespesia populnea (Huvarsi);Albezia lebbek (Bage)
- Leucaena leucocephala (Subabul)
- Annona squamosa (Seetaphal)
Trees for internal bunds
- Glyricidia sepium
- Leucaena leucocephala
- Cassia siamea (Seme thangadi)
- Sesbania sesban (Chogache)
- Erythrina indica (Halvana)
- Moringa petrigosperma (Nugge)
- Pongamia pinnata (Honge)
Horticultural species to be planted in the field
- Mango, 30 to 50 plants per hectare
- Tamarind (grafted), 10 to 20 per hectare
- Papaya, 20 per hectare
- Pomegranate, 10 to 15 per hectare
- Curry leaves
- Emblica