Rehabilitation is a process of restoration to bring an area of land back to its past state after it has been degraded or damaged. The restored land is made safe for plants, wildlife and also humans.
Lai Chi Wo's unique scenery is the consequence of centuries of human settlement and long-term interactions with the surrounding environment.
On hilly terrain, sloping planes are cut into a sequence of regressing terrace steps with stone supports for farming.
On hilly terrain, sloping planes are cut into a sequence of regressing terrace steps with stone supports for farming.
Paddy fields created by agricultural activities
Waterway along the farmland and Lai Chi Wo Village
Unfortunately, because of villager migration, the farmlands have been unused since the 1950s.
As a result, shrubs encroach into paddy field-created freshwater wetlands and impair their functionality, for example, natural habitats for aquatic organisms.
The restoration of Lai Chi Wo's agri-ecosystem is the goal of farmland rehabilitation.
Cattle roam freely to search for food. They are now no longer kept by villagers.
Restored water source with management
Modern organic farming was developed in response to the damage that synthetic fertilizers and chemical pesticides in traditional agriculture were inflicting to the environment. It offers several ecological advantages.
Here are some organic farming practices being used in Lai Chi Wo:
Netting to protect crops from cattles
1. Barriers as pest control method
Crops are covered by fine mesh or netting to create physical barriers to eliminate pest invasion.
Intercropping with two different species of crops
2. Intercropping to avoid monoculture
The simultaneous cultivation of two or more crops on the same land is known as intercropping. Intercropping's most popular objective is to increase yield on a particular plot of land by utilizing resources or biological processes that would otherwise go unused by a single crop.
While enhancing the diversity of crop production, it also helps conserve soil and control disease.
Dark-colored plastic mulching
3. Weed controls
Mulching
Sun light blocking layer with thick mulches of straw or compost and dark-colored mulching can smother perennial weeds and prevent the germination of annual weeds. This method is also used to conserve moisture, lower surface temperature, fertilize the soil, protect the soil from rain and improve soil quality.
Cattle feeding on grasses
Use of animal
The feeding habits of animals can be used to aid weed control. For example, geese can help control grasses and sedges. While sheep only eat plants close to the ground and perennial weeds, they can be used in controlling weeds in areas that are planting off-ground crops.
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