Check Dams (gully rehabilitation and reclamation)

Soil erosion is a challenge throughout the world. Soil erosion results in the loss of soil and loss of usable land. If left unmanaged erosion will result in gullies. It is important to manage erosion in order to prevent the loss of valuable soil and to maintain the area of usable land. One technique for managing soil erosion and gullies is the construction of check dams. The check dams trap the sediment behind the check dam and slowly reclaim the land. This also helps to prevent downstream impacts. Eventually the land can be reused. There are different types of check dams depending on the severity of the gully and the rate of flow of the water e.g. simple vegetation barriers, to more hardy stone based check dams. This video demonstrates how to construct check dams in erosion channels or for gully reclamation.

[@brooksanderson2599]

Thank you for giving such detailed instructions! I wish that more videos would do that. This could be done here in Mexico. Much of our land has been degraded by overgrazing, slash and burn agriculture, deep plowing, erosion, climate change and other causes leading to desertification.

[@hanifissa5436]

Hearing that song again brought tears to my eyes. Ah!! schooldays in Malawi.

[@kembe7704]

hello, can u give me the name of the song?

[@ethanpetrea6164]

Free knowledge of complex systems and simple solutions should never be undervalued. Thank you.

[@IncogNito-xx7to]

Greetings from Texas, USA! Wow what a great video production! You were very effective in use of time & teaching. You explained all the benefits, even long term. Thank you so much! I heard of vetiver grass before but didn’t know cows don’t eat it. Can you explain the word panga please? Again THANK YOU!!!

[@sambraid987]

Thank you. A panga is also called a machete. It is a broad-blade tool like an axe used for cutting grass or cutting thin trees.

[@TheVigilantStewards]

Also from Texas here, this was great video

[@ernesto99111]

I like your videos so much.....regards from colombian citizen living in London...god BLESS you

[@snipper1ie]

You must armour the banks of the whole dam, upstream and downstream. Otherwise there will be erosion above and below your dam. Construct your dams in a V configuration. If you do, the force is directed towards the middle. If you don't, the force will wash away the sides and destroy your dam

[@bacilluscereus1299]

Vetiver grass hedgerows can be employed for this armouring I understand.

[@LureThosePixels]

They also mentioned creating a lip in the centre which would act like the V in regards to directing it to the middle

[@janelightning73]

Brilliant! I love using materials you have to solve problems. Literally " bloom where you are planted!"

[@tonydoggett7627]

Very good informative video, from Australia

[@crpth1]

Very good video. Simple, basic and straight to the point. Well done! ;-)

[@estadoanarquista]

Congratulações: excelente vídeo!

[@jayschubert1281]

A really great idea, so simple.

[@shrachi91d]

Very simple and effective.

[@luigicristiani7709]

v Great and simple idea.

[@networkbike543]

Good instructional vid and granddaughter.

[@johne7123]

very good

[@ralphaaron1]

Very good and cheapest method to fight erosion. you are the best like it thanks for sharing it.

[@LureThosePixels]

Cheapest method would be leaving trees along water ways to begin with :^)

[@MrGigi-dz9cv]

@@LureThosePixels Yes. People cut down trees for wood. Probably they should adress this issue first

[@MrGigi-dz9cv]

@@inharmonywithearth9982 În a region where growing any plant is a problem, 'invasive' species, will not be a problem.

[@xyzsame4081]

@@inharmonywithearth9982 Bamboo is not NATIVE, so it is not adapted to the semi-arid conditions, and likely does not work well in the local ECO SYSTEM. It needs way too much water anyway to grow in arid areas. (if one would get to lengths to water it would be Leucaenia that is a nitrogen fixer and can be cut back drastically every season - it just regrows. And nothing grows in the shade of bambo, the drop off (leaves etc.) seem to be detrimental. That can be useful if one wants to clear an area for instance of weeds or wants to turn a meadow into a garden (then the bamboo has to be removed at some point, but it is not a long lived plant anyway). Or nearby a hen pasture, where the hens scratch around and leave no grass anyway. Geoff Lawton has it on his farm in Australia - depending on what job he wants get done and what he wants to harvest. (bamboo to eat, the wood, or clearing the area around a bamboo). So one _can_ use foreign species - with knowledge of the traits and requirements of bamboo, and what you want from it. that plant. Bamboo is a good carbon fixer - but many plants can do that. Nitrogen fixers and plants that are draught resistant and have very deep roots is what you want. and they for sure need to be friendly to any vegetation that _might_ come up under their shadow. One could have a vegetable garden under the protective shade of an acazia or Leucaenia (which is a nitrogen fixer) so it is a fertilizer). But one cannot have that under a bamboo - not even IF water would be easy to come by. As for that area - they should rather look what Geoff planted in the beginning of the Jordan project (greening the desert). Hardy draught resistant thorny trees that are able to go into draught hibernation for 1 - 2 years if need be and spring back to life the moment they get some good rain. As theydevelop deep roots they secure the soil. Goats often like to eat thorny shrubs and trees. Branches and dead wood and wood from cut backs can be used as firewood or as chop and drop plants (to harvest annually material for compost or mulch or firewood). The problems is of course harvesting the thorny branches (w/o modern equipment to protect yourself). There is a reason many bushes and trees in arid regions have thorns and spikes, where young growht is rare wildlife would decimate all plants without those defenses. Cactus has spikes for the same reason. But as pioneer plants they are good.

[@xyzsame4081]

@@inharmonywithearth9982 You are right regarding _one_ thing - in that arid area bamboo has no chance to become invasive - it would be just pointless trying to use it there. I am astonished how you confidently make claims when you obviously have not even superficial (corrrect) knowledge about ecology. And your critical thinking skills also failed you in regards to your claims about herbices and invasive species being a scam. On which click baiting site did you hear that ?? These farmers would not be able to afford herbicides. And no one promotes herbicides to get rid of invasive species (certainly no government or agency. Farmers that practice big ag, but that is an utter failure and in the end also way too costly). Invasive plants, and animals exist in many parts of the world. Leucaenia trees have become invasive in parts of Africa - no wonder they are hard to kill if they have a modest amount of rain, and can fix their own fertilizer from the air. So they outcompete plants that are native - but those plants may be very important for other functions and participants in the system. Leucaenia is a valuable tree in many contexts BUT outside of its natural ecosystem it must be carefully managed. Same for bamboo and many other plants.

[@SanketGhadgePatil]

Noicly explained

[@ananthapandi4845]

Super

[@guttormurthorfinnsson8758]

Gogo is a big man .

[@bacilluscereus1299]

That vetiver grass at 2:30, it's hedgerows can be used in conjunction with these check dams to control soil erosion. At 3:20, why not plant the vetiver grass at the interface of the soil and the ends of the dam, to forestall any breakthrough by the water there.

[@downbntout]

Why won't YT let me do more than a like? It's a ❤

[@gissie391]

Herbs like parsley which has vitamin A in it and chives etc.soil you removed can be used can it not what about potting plants up like avocado's putting pots in ground?

[@forcesightknight]

I have a creek that runs through my place almost yearly. The water shed can be very extreme. I have willows growing to help with erosion. I also recycled used carpet. It makes great erosion control padding.

[@johnrowland2867]

still, short term thoughts planting in the gaps better to put trees either side of the gully water will seep into water table and feed cropland next to the gully plus give you clean water for longer in the gully

[@brettknoss486]

Is the check dams combined with erosion crops?

[@sambraid987]

Once the erosion has been stabilised, suitable crops can be grown behind the check dams, especially crops that do not require regular tillage.

[@wrightgregson9761]

woould that there had been videos of the check dams doing their jobs.

[@swarajyalakshmi7747]

Check dam between one kilometre to another one kilometres beside dom two sides built nearly twenty feet hight tank and pumping to the dam to. The

[@swarajyalakshmi7747]

To the tank

[@luigicristiani7709]

The vetiver is not in free sale in Italy; it is sold only by very few gardening and consolidation companies. Provided that they do the necessary work. This is what is called a monopoly "

[@xyzsame4081]

it is easily multiplied with propagation. yxou can buy one plant, share with friends and family (backup if yours would die off). It can be quite invasive that is why it is only sold in that form.

[@luigicristiani7709]

@@xyzsame4081 v Thanks but I'm aware of it. The problem is that to the private individual who wants to buy, if and only if ... they sell it to you, they sell them in blocks of 50 or 100 plants ... To avoid any risk of competition.

[@18booma]

In Malawi they should use Vetiver, but elsewhere in the world you should look for something similar, but that's indigenous. And with grasses and similar plant matter, you usually buy in bulk, because just one plant isn't going to serve the purpose. Also, you should consider whether the climate calls for check dams. These kind of projects are best suited to combat desertification.

[@elfootman]

where's the follow-up??

[@BabyBoomersDoomer]

#california

[@BabyBoomersDoomer]

It’s been 10 months since I did this and it works! Grass grows where water flows through

[@cezmikaloie]

You should had left Africa with us during great migration lol :)))

[@paulmaydaynight9925]

planting coppicing trees around gullies is a good way to provide and sustain the raw materials, provide the stabising root system for healthy compost soil bacteria, and one man Bodger Works kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYbZZIKtjpp4qsk A Bodger at Work 507,603 views•Jul 17, 2013 ,WoodlandsTV The Amberley Bodger shows how to use a traditional pole lathe to create garden dibbers, chair legs, spindles and spurtles using green wood in his workshop at Amberley Museum and Heritage Centre, West Sussex. living Hedge Laying wind brakes, Make a Gate Hurdles etc kzbin.info/www/bejne/e4WTnGyGoK6ZsJo

[@MrGigi-dz9cv]

They need beavers .....

[@dustinkrejci6142]

Would beavers properly thrive in Africa?

[@MrGigi-dz9cv]

I have a feeling, desertification in Africa, is a man made problem, since they probably cut down trees for wood or farming fields.

[@MrGigi-dz9cv]

@@inharmonywithearth9982 Well ... In this case, nothing will stop the desert.

[@dustinkrejci6142]

I took a screenshot so in the future I have an idea of what to do when I go to dominate the world. Because I would change the world 🗺. That would also include Africa too. I must have first a plan and and beliefs the second the power to change the world.

[@MrGigi-dz9cv]

@@dustinkrejci6142 It was just a little joke. First, beavers live most of the time în the water. So, they need water first. Second, they would become pray of predators like crocodiles or hunters.

[@MUBARIZALIYIV]

/Belaya Kaza naxapala virus/G⚫/ ot zhadnosti i skuposti.

[@cleric7788]

Good advise for stone age people.

[@edouardomaindargent7685]

Go fuck yourself !

[@Antesdelfinadmin]

Idiot!

[@Barskor1]

When you have stones and stones do the job just fine why would you use anything else?

[@timmills3823]

Remember the so called "stone age" people have not caused the problems of today, rather they are finding the ways to fix them. the technique is used in the desert southwest of the United States... about 20 washes in my area that were created by modern cattle farming techniques that both destroyed grass land marshes and created a 1000 square mile desert where Zane Gray wrote about grasses higher than a man on horseback 120 years ago.

[@forcesightknight]

So many "stone age" technologies that are still in use today. The wheel comes to mind. I'm assuming your ignorance comes from being simple minded. So easy to be happy, when your stupid.

[@d.e303-anewlowcosthomebuil7]

better to teach them scientific pasture rotation