Flurzwang
Description
Cultivated land in the Dreifelderwirtschaft was subdivided into many long, thin, fields. There were only few paths. Thus, fields had to be accessed from neighbouring farmers' fields. To avoid problems, the most important fieldwork (sowing, harvesting) were coordinated.
The Flurzwang regulated the timing of the fieldworks, the rights to cross fields and of using fields as pasture. In highly fragmented agricultural areas, where there was no good path network, the zelge-bound agricultural practices and Flurzwang were common into the 20th century.
In Valais, the system was omnipresent. The cultivated areas were called Zelg. Often it was a two-Zelg system with dry fallow (one year rye and another fallow)
Literature
Hans Frei (Hrsg.) (2002): Die Rieser Landwirtschaft im Wandel. Schriftenreige der Museen des Bezirks Schwaben Band 27
Gemeindekunde Riehen, Michael Raith, 1988
Erschmatt (Wallis): Beitrag zur Siedlungs- und Wirtschaftsgeographie der inneralpinen Zone/ Georg Budmiger, Lang Druck AG, Liebefeld 1970 (Dissertation)