Ist International Webinar on Vetiver Grass Technology 2021

 Central Bicol State University of Agriculture of the Philippines  https://cbsua.edu.ph/ is holding a webinar on Vetiver Grass Technology on September 28th 2021. Dick Grimshaw, Paul Truong and Robinson Vanoh of TVNI  will be participating. See attached program:

Vetiver Grass Technology - some random observations

Without soil and water there will be no photosynthesis and no life on this planet. Both are becoming degraded and in short supply globally -- Vetiver Grass Technology (VGT) can improve both and deserves government focus and support."

 

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi: AMF have an important role in the growth of vetiver and we are seeing increased use of vetiver by permaculturists for all sorts of purposes including its planting within stands of other crops and sometimes very close to young plant seedlings such as papaya, mango, dragon fruit. etc with what appears to be positive growth benefits (linked possibly to moisture and AMF). This begs the question as to differentiating between vetiver cultivars on the basis of root architecture for this purpose and are some cultivars better at hosting AMF.

Leaf and stem density: Although the roots are important, particularly as a stand alone plant, the leaf and stem density as well as the total mass, play an important role when vetiver is used as a conservation barrier to trap sediment flow  to disperse concentrated water flows across and behind the vetiver barrier, and reduce flooding ... These same barriers have a use as a source of forage, thatch, mulch etc. High leaf density and mass in vetiver  generally is reflected in its tillering capacity and root mass. Deeper rooted plants also are better at recycling soil nutrients and better growth under dry conditions. We have noticed that once users understand the multiple benefits of vetiver they are more receptive to using the plant for soil conservation. Also deeper rooted plants can punch through soil pans and the impediments thus enabling ground water recharge (by as much as 4 times) from the spread out rainfall runoff temporarily trapped behind the barriers — reflecting a secondary but important benefit of vetiver barriers.

Root digging: We have in the past been concerned about the potential of vetiver hedgerows being dug for the oil.  In reality it is rarely a problem and we virtually never receive feedback that it occurs. Most vetiver that is planted for oil (VPO) is planted on lighter sandier deep soils that are easy to dig (often on flat land) - on the other hand most vetiver grown for soil conservation or slope stabilization is grown under conditions and soil types that make digging difficult and uneconomic. Where VPO is planted on sloping land and where the digging process can result in erosion, farmers need to incorporate permanent vetiver contour barriers to protect the VPO crop. This message needs to be passed on to these farmers (as is being done now in Haiti).  

Vetiver type for oil: My impression (and I stand to being corrected) is that from what I have seen in the field and from many photographs that have been posted on line is that the VPO types appear to be sturdier, bulkier, taller and more dense than some of the other types, and that the triploid/polyploids used for oil originating from south India would appear the sturdiest. Thus, as long as the plant is sterile why not use the VPO for environmental purposes. One big advantage of this would be that VPO producers  could become integrated with the "not for oil" vetiver users thus providing a secondary income for oil producers (very useful when there is an oversupply of oil and oil prices are low) and what should be a very low cost source of plant material for other users. (planting slips would be low cost as they would be a byproduct of VPO harvesting and the potential supply is very high).  Assuming we can discount the “digging” aspects as a problem then can we narrow the vetiver types to a few that are multipurpose includes quality oil, deep roots, good host to AMF, and sturdy and dense stems and leaves. 

Vetiver types generally:  Other aspects that are becoming important include (a) salt tolerance - especially for coastal stabilization (b) insect habitat and pest control - Chinese are now using vetiver as a dead end trap crop for rice stem borer control and as a habitat for beneficial insects such as parasitic wasps -- I wonder if there are any differences between vetiver types as to their attractiveness and “killing” of insects such as stem borers -- (c) fire tolerance - with increase in wild fires are there types of vetiver that are more resistant to fire, (d) decontamination of polluted soil and water, and (e) cold tolerance - increasing demand to use vetiver under very cold winter hot summer climatic regimes. The Chinese claim that have identified types that perform better and survive cold (freezing) conditions.

 

Barriers deterring the use of Vetiver Grass. (1) Some research shows that farmers need to be financially supported to undertake soil conservation works. - seems to work in the US in various forms but not in poor countries. Poor country conservation has generally come through World Food Program “food for work” programs and bilateral and multilateral aid agencies, or heavily subsidized  programs where there is no incentive for farmers to maintain their works and where there are huge opportunities for corruption by officials at all levels (2) engineered design based systems are generally preferred by “officials” - a bigger  budget line -  more room for corrupt practices and more control by involved officials. (3) biological systems are generally not preferred by engineers as most have not been trained in such aspects. They are also much lower costs and less opportunity for corrupt practices. (4) In most developing countries soil conservation is the responsibility of a “Soil Conservation Department” most of these are focused entirely on soil conservation and rarely consider the wider and secondary aspects that are derived from the primary work. Thus when introducing (perhaps reluctantly) a technology like Vetiver Grass the conservation agents  are either generally unaware of the many secondary benefits or do not tell the end user what those benefits may be. This all adds up to low adoption rates (5) In this age of "global environmental threat" primary and secondary schools should have a curricula that includes a compulsory class on basic environmental principles. — in other words some serious thought needs to be given to environmental education.

Research .  There are plenty of opportunities for vetiver research in many areas of application.  Vetiver research needs to be better coordinated. Such research should be multi-sector driven and not just the responsibility of the agricultural sector. Vetiver in its many applications could prove a very valuable a tool to mitigate many soil and water issues relating to climate change. A good case could be made to the World Bank and others to support such research

Policy: With 35 years of global research, development and experience to call on there is an opportunity for Government agencies to set out a clear policy directive on the use and development  of Vetiver Grass Technology (VGT) in all aspects. 

 

VGT is a proven success, is low cost, and applicable for a wide range of applications under a wide range of conditions. What more does one need!

Black Vetiver - Chrysopogon nigritanus

C. nigritanus on a flood plain in northern Ghana

More on Chrysopogon nigritanus.  I have continued investigations into this species of vetiver - common name ”Black vetiver”. It is found in nearly all sub-saharan African countries generally in association with river flood plain and seasonally flooded areas. For example the peripheral  areas of the Kafue River flats in Zambia, and the flooded areas of the Niger and Senegal rivers of West Africa. Its main uses include medicinal, freshening drinking water, thatch, handicrafts, forage (when young after burning), and farm boundary marking.

It appears only to propagate naturally from seed in these permanent/semi-permanent waterlogged areas.  Outside of such areas seeds either do not germinate or die after germination, and if used domestically the plant is propagated through slips.

The species appears to be retreating. Tony Cisse who farms near Dakar, Senegal only grows C.zizanioides descended from Chris Juliard’s importation (ex South Africa) initiative (1990s). He writes "Traditionally the most common use for C.nigritanus in Senegal has been for the roots that are added to drinking water. This is the common way people recognize the plant and its name in local languages. Whereas it would seem logical that it should be grown locally, there is now very little evidence of this. Vetiver roots are imported from neighboring Mali, and sold in small bundles. I have heard it was used in the past (possibly over 60 years ago or more) to demarcate fields, but I have never seen nor heard of it growing naturally, at least in the western areas of Senegal.  Reasons for this are likely to be associated with climate change and the drop in annual rainfall. There are very few areas that can be designated as flood plains, and standing water and ponds are generally very rare if they exist for more than a few weeks at most during the rains, and so this could account for this absence, although still present in Mali. The water table in much of Senegal is below the reach of vetiver roots. It is possible that there are parts of Eastern or northern Senegal along the river where the right conditions for C. nigritanus exist, but I have not been there to observe".  In Nigeria and other African countries, where new dams have been constructed, the downstream flood plains are no longer flooded and wild vetiver seems to be a diminishing component of the ecosystem.

C. nigritanus hedgerow for erosion control - Mambila Plateau Nigeria

Sterile non invasive C.zizanioides remains the preferred choice for all Vetiver System applications. Even though Nigerian research does support C. nigritanus for erosion control and phytoremediation applications note C. nigritanus has NOT been tested for steep slope stabilization and virtually no work has been carried out to identify many of its characteristics - depth, tensile strength, shear strength of its roots; pest control properties, forage value, and others) I would recommend its use for erosion control and phytoremedial applications where it is a native plant, and then only after exhausting all efforts at locating and propagating C. zizanioides. In either case propagation has to be by clump division, so it would be best to use the superior and well tested C. zizanioides particularly where country wide programs are developed and where many nurseries will be required.

C. nigritanus grown on the campus of Abuja University, Nigeria.

Further research on C. nigritanus should be encouraged. Trials might well identify many more characteristics similar to those of C. zizanioides and may also better delimit areas where it is most suitable for application. Both species are very closely related and appear to behave rather similarly. Determining those differences would reinforce future recommendations.

Land Rehabilitation in the Northern Mariana Islands of the Pacific

Mature vetiver on previously badly eroded slope

This lead photo is of the rehab work of the very heavily eroded Talakhaya Watershed located on Rota Island, Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific. Vetiver is the main plant used to rehab and reduce sediment flows to nearby coastal area. The vetiver work was initiated by Dr. Mohammad Golabi of the University of Guam and involved community participation.  This work is a very good example how the judicious use of vetiver can be used to rehab badly eroded public lands on tropical islands thus reducing sediment flows to adjacent coastal waters.

Philippines - Farmer Feedback on the use of Vetiver - what they thought of Vetiver in the 1990s

The following are observations by Vetiver) users given  during a 1996 community workshop at Matalom, Leyte, Philippines. Note in this part of the Philippines vetiver is known as “Mura” or “Mora”. (Prepared by , Program Field Coordinator, FARMI, ViSCA, Baybay, Leyte, Philippines). 

Leon Pen, Barangay Chairman, Templanza, Matalom, Leyte.....”I got my first Mura (Vetiver) planting materials from one of my barangay councilmen Jacinto Gerona. I planted Mura in my farm near my house. Mura is easy to plant with minimal maintenance. It grows very well and effectively controls the down flow of soil during the rainy season. At present, the contour plots of my farm have been leveled off. In addition, I am also using Mura to cure high blood pressure in my work as Tambalan (local medicine man). The only comment I have with Mura, is that my carabaos (water buffalo) do not like to eat it”. (If you cut your Mura regularly, say once a month, your carabaos will love it...Ed)

Vetiver System for Land Restoration

If you are interested in land restoration, this video from Ecuador, by a man who knows what he is talking about, is highly recommended

Vetiver System - Vetiver Grass Technology Applications

Vetiver Grass is an absolute unique plant for many reasons, but its most impressive characteristics are that it can be grown successfully in virtually every country with a warm to hot climate, and for a large range of different applications covering a number of critical sectors relating to the environment.  Here is a list of these applications with links to some short photo presentations which helps put this plant into perspective.  Note "high resolution images are also available - click on button near bottom of table.

THE VETIVER_ SYSTEM -- OVERVIEW
VETIVER_ SYSTEM AND CLIMATE CHANGE
ABOUT VETIVER - THE PLANT	PROPAGATION & PLANTING
AGRICULTURAL USES	FORAGE AND BIOMASS
ON FARM SOIL & WATER CONSERVATION	LANDSCAPING
LAND REHABILITATION	MINE REHABILITATION
MINE REHABILITATION LARGE SCALE APPLICATIONS	COASTLINE STABILIZATION
BRIDGE PROTECTION	HIGHWAY STABILIZATION
PUBLIC UTILITY STABILIZATION	STEEP SLOPE STABILIZATION
RURAL ROAD STABILIZATION	RAILROAD STABILIZATION
UPLAND FLOOD CONTROL	LOWLAND DIKES & LEVEE STABILIZATION
RIVER BANK STABILIZATION	DAM STABILIZATION
LANDFILL TREATMENT	EFFLUENT DISPOSAL
HANDICRAFTS	OTHER USES
HIGH RESOLUTION FILES OF ABOVE APPLICATIONS
TVNI - WEBSITE - NEWS - MENU - DOCUMENTS
FACEBOOK

Please share with others who might be interested.  Thank you

"The Father of Vetiver", John Greenfield died at his home in New Zealand on February 25 2017. John often reminded us that as agriculturists we had only 30 to 40 seasons to attempt to make significant change during our professional careers. He certainly succeeded in doing so, and today tens of thousands of people in the tropical world have benefited from his insights and actions on soil and moisture conservation and the application of the Vetiver System. He was a very practical hands on agronomist and conservationist whose work was always well based on science. He understood what he saw, and was able to create practical common sense solutions from those observations. We know him affectionately as "The Father of Vetiver" - and he is well known to many people through the simple hand book "Vetiver Grass - A Hedge Against Erosion" - a handbook that had to fit in the shirt pocket of a farmer! and one that has been translated into countless languages. 
I personally knew John since 1985 when he came to work with me in India. He became a good friend and colleague. We had many great times together in India, and after, from a distance promoting the Vetiver System around the globe. His was not a wasted life, but one of action, one that will continue to impact for a very, very, long time into the future on many thousands users of the Vetiver System in many different ways. John was always looking to help the world's small rainfed farmers. The best tribute to him would be for those people working with and advising this group of farmers, to make greater efforts to introduce the Vetiver System and the very unique plant that it is based on. Those who work with small farmers might like to read this: ALLEVIATING POVERTY IN THE THIRD WORLD -- THIS IS ALL IT TAKES!
Emerging from John's "Vetiver Grass Technology" based soil and water conservation focused work has been, in recent years, a series of bioengineering and phytoremediation applications that could have a profound impact on our environment at this time of climate change. 
Our thoughts are with Sandra (his long time partner) and his children.


Dick Grimshaw. February 25 2017

The Vetiver System supports Community Resilience at a time of uncertainty - Part I - The Farm

Figure 1:Hassan Ali and family from Ethiopia - a leading user of the
Vetiver System and who  is as a result much more resilient to uncertainty

I propose to write about how the Vetiver System can help build up community resilience in these uncertain times when many communities can expect little support from government or others to deal with increasing problems created by climate change, continuing poverty, and very limited financial resources. The review will be carried out over a number of post. Most rural people in the tropics and semi arid areas are poor, and even when out of poverty most are unable to manage the environmental crises that currently, and in the future, will confront them. Most communities worry about being able to make a decent living from their small farms or businesses, they want to educate their children at higher levels, they worry about the quality and availability of their water supply, they worry about potential disasters that may isolate them from neighboring communities and services, and they see continuing and unabated health challenges often caused by environmental mismanagement. These concerns are magnified because most communities lack access to low cost technologies that might help them overcome some of their problems.

The Vetiver System (VS) is one of a number of technologies that can help them. VS is low cost, relatively simple to understand, safe, and has over the past 30 years been well proven. The Vetiver Grass Technology, (VGT) used for decades by farmers in south India as a tool for soil conservation, was reintroduced and "institutionalized" by John Greenfield of New Zealand whilst he was working for the World Bank in India in the 1980s. At that time the objective was to establish VGT as a more appropriate erosion control technology than the traditional engineered contour bunds. Later VGT formed the basis of a number of other applications that collectively are known as the Vetiver System (VS), these will be reviewed in future blogs. The grass when planted as a hedgerow across the slope significantly reduces soil loss and rainfall runoff. As a result soil fertility is enhanced (increased organic matter, reduced nutrient loss, and nutrient enhancement through increased soil micro-organism activity), crop water availability is improved (enhanced permeability and rate of infiltration), ground water is better recharged is less polluted, and; and farmers can use other crop improvement technologies with less fear of "man" induced drought, flood damage, etc. that can lead to economic disaster. Additionally there are many bi-products that further enhance farm income including vetiver grass use as forage, mulch, thatch, fuel, medicine, crop protection (integrated pest management), and material for handicrafts. All these uses are quantified in the many research and "feed back" papers and documents found at the TVNI website - www.vetiver.org.

 One of the most successful and widespread on farm application of vetiver has been in the Mettu-Gore region of western Ethiopia, where it was introduced in the 1990's by the Austrian NGO, Menschen fur Menschen, with some financial support from TVNI. Today tens of thousands of small farmers are using vetiver in that region. Here are some examples from Ethiopia showing how VGT has been successfully used on farms at any scale.

Figure 2: Google Earth image (1/2014) of Hassan Ali's farm near Gore 

- western Ethiopia. 8°11'11.23"N, 35°21'2.58"E

 Hassan Ali and family A small farmer in Gore District, Hassan Ali, started using vetiver about 20 years ago and soil fertility and "rainfall security" he was able year after year to increase his income to enable him to educate his children through university. He also was a key person in the area to teaching other famers about the benefits of VGT that has resulted in the spread of the technology. "Seeing is Believing"- Figure 2 is  a 2014 Google Earth image of his farm with his vetiver hedgerows marked with a "V" in red, and some photos that I took in 2009 to match some of the locations on the GE image - marked as yellow numbers.

The Vetiver System and India - It takes a generation!

A recent quote from a senior official in West Bengal India:

"Soil erosion is one of the largest environmental issues facing the earth today; and the river banks region of India, with heavy rainfall, is particularly affected. Erosion devastates infrastructural activities- landslides, erosion by river and flood water take heavy toll of developed infrastructure. From an engineer’s perspective sustainable asset management has posed as a gargantuan task because of soil erosion. Traditional hard engineering is now found to be inconsistent with the three pillars of sustainability - economy, social and environmental. Hard engineering interventions to prevent erosion have been attempted over decades in the region, incurring large financial and environmental costs, and with limited success. This in combination with limited State budgets makes finding an alternative, low cost, environmentally sustainable solution imperative. One such method that shows considerable promise is Vetiver grass."

30 years ago (a generation ago) John Greenfield and I, when working for the World Bank in India, re-introduced the Vetiver Grass Technology (VGT) as an alternative to the engineering approach  - the latter did not work very well - too expensive, heavily subsidized, badly maintained, and mostly ineffective.  We were not very popular for promoting vetiver grass hedgerows as components of World Bank funded projects (Indian Watershed Projects in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh States) as an alternative and better technological and economic solution; questions were tabled in the Indian Parliament in New Delhi, some people even wanted to ban the technology!

Well, as you can see from the above quote, we have come a long way from those days, thanks to a new generation of professionals and the pressure created by climate change and social needs that demand alternative, effective and lower cost solutions.

WHY, WHY, WHY??

WHY, WHY, WHY, don't those responsible for public works protection and maintenance use the VETIVER SYTEM ?

Since 2000 the Vietnamese provincial governments have been testing and using the Vetiver System, at large scale, for highway (Ho Chi Minh Highway) - http://www.vetiver.org/ICV6_PROC/BIOENGINEERING%20/1%20Tran%20Tan%20Van%20Presentation.pdf - and for Sea Dyke Protection in the Mekong Delta http://www.vetiver.org/VNN_Estuary%20dikes.pdf - These are a very important applications and show the impact of vetiver over 8-15 years of use. When the Vietnamese under take trials, they don't mess around with a few meters, instead they think kilometers! I can see VS application for highway and sea dike protection in many countries, but specifically in south and East Asia (China, Philippines, Indonesia. Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh and India). VS protection is long lasting and a very low cost (as much as 90% over conventional practices). The Vietnamese experience is FACT not FICTION and is applicable most places in the tropics. Why is it not being used widely? Many answers - the most important being: lack of knowledge, "too good, too cheap" syndrome (in other words PROFITS), and entrenched traditional habits or ignorance by those responsible - and in the latter I include many of the international and bilateral agencies! Please CORRECT me if I am wrong. Thank you Vietnam for showing the way.
Dick Grimshaw

VETIVER SYSTEM. RAILWAYS, and CHINESE CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES

Side slope of road cutting (height: 15-20 m)
2 years after vetiver grass planting

The Vetiver System has been successfully applied to a number of important railroads in China since 2000. A paper presented at ICV6: "Application of Vetiver Grass for Protection of Railway Side Slopes"  by Xinmin Jiang, Tian Guan, Deyou Hu and Lehong Tang (email: tanglh@jstp.com) provides good evidence of the success and longevity of the applications over time by the Shanghai Railway Bureau.

Some Interesting Reading for the New Year (2015)

Central Arizona -
Where has all the soil
gone?

Greetings!  May all our readers have a useful year in 2015.  I hope that many of you will be able to join us for the 6th International Vetiver Conference to be held in Da Nang, Vietnam from May 5-8th. Details at:  http://www.icv6.org/eng/  I am now back in a very foggy and cool Pacific North West, having had a few weeks of sun in southern California and Arizona. The impact of drought in these two states is pretty dramatic and makes one realize that a lot more should be done to improve our soil and water conservation measures - whatever the methods might be, and wherever located.

I have been collecting a few links to some Vetiver items/news that some of you  might be interested in.  Here they are:

Indonesian environmental volunteers embrace the Vetiver System

President Jokowi's Head Advisor,
 Ret.Gen. Hendropriyono and Irma Hutabarat

Vetiver System has been used in Indonesia for at least 20 years, and in particular the East Bali Poverty Project used VS for a number of effective applications.  Other groups and companies have used VS applications ranging from soil conservation to waste water treatment.  Now there are some new players who could have a significant impact on the widespread promotion of VS.  President Jokowi is a keen environmentalist and intends to do something about the deteriorating environment.

Application of Vetiver System for Control of River Erosion

We are lucky to have dedicated and committed engineers like Shantanoo Bhattacharyya Executive Engineer, of Assam's (India) Public Works Department who has been working for the past eight years in applying vetiver for slope stabilization, particularly for stabilizing the banks of the mighty Brahmaputra River and its distributaries.  In his photo essay he describes diagramatically the various types of river bank erosion problems and how they can be solved by either the Vetiver System as a stand alone technology or when necessary with other technologies.  On average the Brahmaputra in India is causing the loss of 8,400 ha of land a year.  Shantanoo shows how this can be reduced by using VS when applied correctly.  In fact when using vetiver there appears to be a net gain in silt deposition!  This photo essay, along with his comments, should provide some confidence to others who have to tackle similar daunting tasks.  I would like to underscore the importance that stabilizing river bank slopes can be extremely complex, and a knowledge of engineering is essential if the job is to be successful.  This means good design work, good application and supervision, and adequate follow up maintenance. Shantanoo also confirms the need: for community involvement (both for labor, plant propagation, and maintenance); for policy makers to include VS into the design requirements; and adequate numbers of trained professional staff to assure proper application.  Thank you Shantanoo!
Dick Grimshaw

Stabilization of a 2000 km highway in Vietnam. The vital role of the Vetiver System.

Recently Paul Truong revisited sections of the Ho Chi Minh Highway, Vietnam, that have been stabilized with Vetiver System applications. He prepared this photo essay that shows the impact of VS over a fouteen year period. (2000 - 2014).  We are indebted to Van Tran and Van Man (former and current Vetiver Network coordinators in Vietnam for some of the photos and the incredible work that was performed on this highway that follows the alignment of Vietnam's famous Ho Chi Minh Trail.

The work and impact of these VS applications have to be considered, with the test of time, successful. There were some slips (1 meter and 10 meter deep) that VS could not prevent, even so the overall results were excellent. Contrary to views of some critics the Vetiver System: (a) protected slopes of over 60%, (b) protected slopes against very high rainfall, (2000 mm per year) including extreme events under typhoon conditions, (c) provided a microclimate that allowed native plant species to naturally establish and eventually shade out the vetiver to the extent that in 2014 there is little evidence of vetiver in the earlier plantings - NOTE where native species did not establish vetiver continued to grow and protect the slopes, (d) resulted in a much reduced investment cost (estimated at 90% of hard engineering solutions), and minimum annual maintenance costs, and (e) proper engineering design assures even better results of VS application as a stand alone technology or in combination with hard engineering technology.

The experience on this highway confirms that VS could be applied widely for slope stabilization in developing countries where climate permits and where labor is relatively cheap.  It also confirms the need for good engineering design.

Dick Grimshaw

CONSERVATION MARKETING

For a number of years we have seen an increasing number of small farmers selling vetiver planting as a commodity to other farmers, construction companies, local governments, and to landscapers.  As an example, Roley Noffke of Hydromulch, South Africa, has been a major leader in encouraging small farmers to produce quality plant material as a farm commodity for sale to construction companies. See: http://www.vetiver.org/ETH_WORKSHOP_09/ETH_CD2.pdf
There are many other examples that can be found on TVNI website.  One very interesting fact is that even illiterate farmers, if initially trained and supported, can produce large numbers of high quality vetiver plants (slips) for use on complex engineering works, and as a result can significantly increase their incomes and welfare.

Vetiver Bioengineering in Venezuela

Reviewing the papers and presentations delivered at the October 2013 Vetiver Conference in Colombia there is one on Bioengineering in tropical Venezuela that should be read. (Non Spanish readers should use Google translate or just look at the presentation). The paper and presentation were made by Rafael Luque whose company "Vetiver AntiErosion" has been in operation for more than 10 years now and has applied vetiver for a wide range of engineering and phytoremedial uses including, road stabilization, gully control, bridge abutment protection, river bank stabilization, protection of electricity pylons, and rehabilitation of mine land.  Some of the applications can be considered "extreme".  In all cases the quality of application, the quality plants and the results have been very good.  Rafael will be the main resource person at an up coming Vetiver workshop in Brazil from April 24-25, 2014.  Brazilians should take the opportunity to attend.

Dick Grimshaw

Vetiver System Videos in Spanish - an old but useful collection

Jim Smyle sent me the links to some very useful short videos about vetiver that he made following Hurricane MITCH (1998).  Please use them as and when you need them:
Vetiver Para La Bioingenieria - #1 El Problema (1999) 
Vetiver Para La Bioingenieria - #2 Planta (1999)
Vetiver Para La Bioingenieria - #3 Historia (1999)
Vetiver Para La Bioingenieria - #4 Bioingenieria (1999)
Vetiver Para La Bioingenieria - #5 Taller de Reconstruccion Post-Mitch (1999)

Dick Grimshaw

Establishing Native Vegetation for Soil Stabilization in Semi-Arid Areas in South Africa, Ethiopia and Madagascar.

An excellent presentation by Roley Noffke of Hydromulch - Africa's leading land restoration company. 

"As a pioneer species, vetiver grass, enables native species to establish on degraded sites where under normal circumstances it is impossible for the latter to develop. Vetiver grass provides habitat, shelter and forage to fauna".  

This presentation is about some high quality land restoration work in Africa, particularly it shows: (1) that vetiver is effective in extreme conditions and (2) for the native plant folks, vetiver acts as a great pioneer plant for native plants (growing where nothing else will) and eventually will all but disappear when the native plants are fully established (often within 5 years).  TVNI has been writing about this for years, but has been often met with skepticism from the purists. We all love native plants, but often they need a lot of help to get started. Vetiver is a great nurse!!

While I am on the topic those readers who are in drought stricken parts of the world including the US, might want to give serious thought to using vetiver to slow down rainfall runoff when it occurs (see my recent blog) and to help recharge fast receding groundwater.
Dick Grimshaw