Soil conservation poster 23Oct13

Our Committment to Sustainable Agricuture

Soil Conservation
How can we coserve the soil?

What happens to a “clean” farm?

Regular herbicide application to keep the farm “clean”

Very “clean” farm with no weed

Soil surface peeling off, which will be
carried away by rains and winds

Uprooting of hard weeds or
spot-spraying of hard weeds

Sickling of soft weeds

Mechanical weeding

Repeated application of herbicide destroys the organic matter and microorganisms
in the soil, and the soil becomes inert. The soil surface gets washed away, and the
drain walls collapse overtime.

When the tea bushes are young, you can intercrop
with beans, such as lentils and soya, to keep the
soil surface covered.

Soft weeds can be used as mulch to add
organic matter to the soil.

All weeds can be composted and
used as organic fertilizer.

When you reduce or
stop the use of
herbicide, the weeds
can be used to enrich
your soil. The
microorganisms in the

soil increase. You will
not lose your tea
bushes with landslides
or collapse of drain
sides.

Where the soil level was before

Where the soil level is today

Drain sides collapsing into the drain

Contour planting helps to prevent soil erosion.

Let us stop or
reduce
herbicide, and
bring life back
to the soil.

Roots of tea bushes getting exposed due to soil erosion

If you do not control the soil erosion, you will continue to
lose your soil. It will eventually start to affect your tea
production.

Drain sides are protected with natural vegetation

Tea bushes lost with a landslide

Banks are protected with natural vegetation

Grasses are planted to prevent soil erosion.