Live Fence - A Detailed Approach

In our Agriculture for Everybody blog series, we are going to see the detailed approach to Live / Natural Fence.


I am giving below some of the base designs and request the users to tweak the designs to suit their requirements.  I also request the users to provide the designs which are not part of the base design.

Model / Design 1

This model/design is a very simple one and it is best suited for traditional crops like Paddy, Sugarcane, Vegetable Farming etc or where the land holding is very small (< 3 acres) and hence cannot allocate more land to the fences.

The boundaries or bunds of this model is generally higher than the main crops in the middle and hence farmers should go for boundary trees which have single pole (stem) and not multi-branched.  Examples are Mahogany or any timber trees which have single pole.

Each of the timber trees should be placed at 6 feet apart (or more) and in between bushes need to be planted.  The bushes need to grow atleast 6 feet in height and the selection of the bushes should be such that they are not eatable by cattle.  The bushes should be atleast 1 - 1.5 feet in breadth.  It is preferred to have thorny bushes.

The trees in the north and south can be any timber tree or for that matter anything.  The trees in the east and west need to have coppice capability.  The simple reason being the crops in the middle need more sunlight and hence we may need to coppice the trees during the crop growing seasons.

Model / Design 2

This model/design is suited for medium size farms (>3 and <10  acres) and can cover both traditional crops like Paddy, Sugarcane etc as well as timber trees, fruit trees, vegetable farms etc.

The difference between 1st model and the 2nd model is the size of the land that is allocated to the fence.

The fence can be allocated 3 - 5 ft of land in all the borders and you can have different layers in that area.

The first layer can be bamboos (either thorny or non-thorny) depending on your future requirements like selling the bamboos after 4-5 years.  The bamboos need to be kept at 1 feet apart with more than one sapling covering atleast 1.5 - 2 ft breath.  Instead of bamboos, you can go for several small bushes which have flowers etc as well.

The second layer can be thorny bushes like lemon trees or any other bushes.  This will or should take up another 1.5 - 2 ft of the breath allocated.

The third layer will be similar to the Model/Design 1 or to the third layer in Model/Design 3.

Model / Design 3

This model/design is suited for large size farms (>10 acres).

The fence can be allocated anywhere between 10 - 12 ft of land in all the borders and you can have layers in that area.

The first and second layer can be similar to the 2nd model but only the size needs to be increased from 1 ft breath to 2.5 ft breath for the first and second layers.  We have covered 5 feet breath by this method.

The third layer should have multi-branch trees.  The trees that are selected should be placed at 10 ft apart.  Any type of bushes or flowering trees that can grow underneath the trees can be placed in between.

Between the third and fifth layer there will be 5 ft gap fourth and this will be taken by the fourth layer.

The fourth layer can be left or filled with multi-purpose shrubs, bushes etc.  The natural process of seed droppings from the birds will enable many plants to grow in this area.

The fifth layer should have multi-branch trees. The trees that are selected should be placed at 10 ft apart. Any type of bushes or flowering trees that can grow underneath the trees can be placed in between.  The trees need to be placed 5 ft apart (breath wise) from the third layer and also should be placed exactly in the centre of the third layer trees.  This will ensure the trees are placed in a V model and will act as a windbreaker.


Note: I am providing an approximate land required for fences as well as the formula to calculate for different sizes of lands, so users can understand how much land is kept aside for fencing and choose the appropriate model.

1 Acre (43560 Sq Ft) = 200 Sq Ft X 217.8 Sq Ft

(Length) 200 X 2 (Both Sides) X 1 (Fence Breadth) + (Breadth) 217.8 X 2 (Both Sides) X 1 (Fence Breadth) = 400 + 435.6 = 835.6 Sq Ft is required for 1 Acre
In percentage terms, we are allocating 1.92% of the land.

(Length) 200 X 2 (Both Sides) X 1.5 (Fence Breadth) + (Breadth) 217.8 X 2 (Both Sides) X 1.5 (Fence Breadth) = 600 + 653.4 = 1253.4 Sq Ft is required for 1 Acre
In percentage terms, we are allocating 2.88% of the land.

3 Acres (130680 Sq Ft) = 200 Sq Ft X 653.4 Sq Ft

(Length) 200 X 2 (Both Sides) X 1 (Fence Breadth) + (Breadth) 217.8 X 2 (Both Sides) X 1 (Fence Breadth) = 400 + 1306.8 = 1706.8 Sq Ft is required for 3 Acres
In percentage terms, we are allocating 1.31% of the land.

(Length) 200 X 2 (Both Sides) X 1.5 (Fence Breadth) + (Breadth) 217.8 X 2 (Both Sides) X 1.5 (Fence Breadth) = 600 + 1960.2 = 2560.2 Sq Ft is required for 1 Acre
In percentage terms, we are allocating 1.96% of the land.

Live / Natural Fence - Understanding the Benefits

In our Agriculture for Everybody blog series, we are going to see the understand the benefits of Live / Natural Fence.


We will delve deep into the reason why Live / Natural Fencing is a good option in the long run and will also look into some models / designs that can be applied to your farms in the next blog.

The following are some of the reasons to go for Live / Natural Fencing:-

1. Minimizes Monetary Loss due to stray cattle and humans
2. Increases Soil Fertility
3. Increases Water Retention
4. Acts as Windbreakers / Shelter Belts
5. Increases Bio-Diversity
6. Increases Monetary Benefit in the long run
7. Minimal Expenses

Minimizes Monetary Loss due to stray cattle and humans

• We have already discussed in our previous blog about this at length

Increases Soil Fertility

• The different parts of the crops like leaves, branches, fruits, flowers etc fall into the soil automatically due to the various climatic conditions and this increases the soil fertility.  We need to ensure that the crops are able to survive in the first few years and thereafter the crops can sustain and grow by itself

Increases Water Retention

• Even though it is true that every plant in our farm will help retain the water and improve the water table, the different crops in the Fence will further allow the roots deep into the soil and help the water to reach the bottom rather than leave the farm altogether

Acts as Windbreakers / Shelter Belts

• Plant the trees in a V Model to ensure the wind is not allowed to travel very fast in the same direction and hence scatter the wind and reduce the speed of the wind as well
• By planting different crops, we can ensure that different birds, bees, reptiles etc can take shelter in these areas

Increases Bio-Diversity

• Bio-Diversity here means both in terms of crops as well as animals, birds etc.  This will help us to maintain the pests at a reasonable level and as well reduce the need to go for pesticides
• My suggestion would be to keep only those crops in the fence areas which are not part of your core crops meaning from which you derive your sustenance
• Assuming we have snakes in the farm, this will help to maintain/reduce the rat population to a considerable extent
• Assuming birds build their home in this area, this will help to reduce the worms to a greater extent.  Also, birds bring seeds of different crops and this will further increase the bio-diversity in the farm. (It is our choice to remove the unwanted crops in the main area and only retain those in the fence area)
• Assuming bees build their colonies in trees, this will help increase the pollination and help us to get better production and increased monetary benefits
• Assuming Night Owls build their nests, this will help to keep the rats, small animals in control
• Assuming Bats have their home, this will again help to keep the small animals in control

Increases Monetary Benefit in the long run

• While we are having the fence for a different reason, it can also be used for different crops and also can benefit out of them
• By doing this, we can get rarely used food as a by-product and also monetize them
• Without our extra effort, our soil improves and this greatly benefits our main crops

Minimal Expenses

• Generally, the other fencing options need more money when compared to Live/Natural fence.
• By only going for seeds, cuttings, saplings etc we can greatly reduce the expenses incurred for this activity
• We have to be clear about the fact that the Live/Natural fence will take atleast 3 years to be able to provide the kind of stability we are expecting

What are the different options in FENCEing?

In our Agriculture for Everybody blog series, we are going to see the different options in Fences.


Before getting into the details of Fences, we need to consider and assess whether we need Fences at all.  While you travel in the rural areas, you can notice many of the Paddy fields, Sugarcane fields etc are not fenced at all.  So, only if there is a need for Fencing should we consider the below options.

The need for fencing is to keep the stray cattle and poultry as well as human beings from tresspassing into your farm and damaging the crops and thereby minimizing the monetary loss.

Let us take a look at the different Fencing Options generally used and their specific uses as well.

1. Wooden Fencing
2. Wire Fencing
3. Electric / Solar Fencing
4. Live Fencing

Wooden Fencing

A wooden pole is used every few feet and in between wooden planks are attached to the poles.  This has been used previously and this is used mainly for keeping big animals (like cows, horses) out.

The wooden pole and the wooden slabs gets worn out due to sun, rain and climatic conditions and hence needs to be replaced after few years.

Wire Fencing

A granite stone / cement / iron pole is used every few feet and a wire is used to secure the boundaries of the fence. In this type of fence, the initial cost is heavy but it lasts long.

Within Wire Fencing, there are many varieties and some of them are as follows:-

• Smooth Wire Fencing
• Barbed Wire Fencing
• Diamond / Chain Link Wire Fencing
• Square Wire Fencing

The most preferred fencing in the Wire Fencing is the Chain Link Fencing as it deters both big and small animals.

Electric / Solar Fencing


The Electric / Solar Fencing will have wires and through which small electric current gets passed and when the stray animals touches the fences, a mild shock is received and hence it avoid crossing into the farm.  This is generally used around the farms which is nearby forests so as to deter wild animals from entering the farm.

Live / Natural Fence

Live Fence does not mean electric fence but refers to the liveable growing plants and trees.  This fence will take atleast 3 years to be able to protect the crops but the least expensive of all the fences.

In terms of longevity, it is also the best and also provides useful monetary benefit in the long run to the farmers.