A spoon drain is used to collect and carry stormwater at ground level before it soaks into the ground.
At Cornell Engineers, we specify a spoon drain to protect a house from slab heave. When surface water is able to soak into the ground it could be a problem so we use a spoon drain to take the surface water away and discharge downstream of the house we are trying to protect.
A spoon drain is different from an agricultural drain because agricultural drains are used to collect water that has already soaked into the ground.
This is a Cornell Engineers - Structural Why Files video. Check out our other videos on why structural engineers do what they do.
Also, you might like this page about improving drainage on sloping blocks:
https://cornellengineers.com.au/house...

What is a spoon drain?
How do you make a spoon drain?
What is surface drainage?