Vetiver System "Zero Risk Slope Farming"

I wonder how many of you who read this blog realize that unless we can slow down soil and fertility loss, rehabilitate unproductive land, and bring farm land back into high levels of production, the world will continue to need more land to feed its growing population resulting in more forest destruction - Cancun agreement or not!


This blog promotes the Vetiver System for many different applications including on farm soil and water conservation.  We have given many examples of its effectiveness.  Here is another one coming out of india.


Abdul Samad operates a tourist business and guest house at Blackberry Farm, near Munnar, Kerala, India.  He started using VS some years ago and has good results on his steep land.  Here is a note and photos from him.

"Here are the fruits of our efforts!  The soil on the slope you see in the pictures was spoiled by ruthless farming practices over several years.  My efforts to plant some vegetables there failed, and then I came in to contact with Mr. Haridas (India Vetiver Network Coordinator) 5 years back, ,who directed me to plant vetiver.  Now ultimately the soil has started "smiling"!  Thank you all.

We call the method, "Zero Risk Slope Farming" which is very relevant in the high ranges (hills) like Munnar in Kerala.  We cannot stop farming because we will have to feed people.  We cannot continue conventional practices because it will ruin the earth for ever.

Kindly share our happiness.  K.A.Abdul Samad"


The area referred to by Abdul used to be under tea.  You can see some of the old terraces.  He has used vetiver along the terrace edges as well as as "stand alone hedgerows" good results from both.  Notice also how the strawberries and cabbages are free of pests - I am pretty sure that Abdul does not use pesticides - pretty clean crops.  He also uses the cut vetiver leaves as mulch thus helping to improve soil organic matter and reduce weed growth. You can see more photos at Vetiver Galleries

If Abdul can be successful so can millions of other farmers if they can learn about and apply the Vetiver System.


Dick Grimshaw

Seasons Greetings

 I send you seasons greetings and wish you all a prosperous, productive and happy 2011.  There has been a huge amount of effort put in by thousands of vetiver users around the world, below are photos of a few of those who have made special effort over the past year.  From left to right starting at the top row:  Paul Truong who has done so much to support everyone, in particular Carolina Rivas (I don't have a photo of you Carolina!) for organizing a successful regional conference in Chile.  Criss Juliard whose work with WINNER in Haiti has resulted in a major vetiver initiative under the WINNER project in Haiti - latest news one grower there can produce 1 million vetiver plants a week!. Aloisio Pereira, owner of DEFLOR Brazil who is pioneering vetiver commercially in that country.  Shantanoo Bhattacharya, an engineer from Assam, India who is leading the way for slope stabilization of river banks in the Brahmaputra floodplain. Middle Row - Elise Pinners who works in Kenya and is promoting VS in that region with special focus on reducing pollution of the Rift Valley Lakes.  Gilbert of Haiti, a young man with a dream to protect his country using VS. Joachim (Joe) Boehnert who has done much this past year to moderate Vetiver Latina - the Latin America discussion group. Luis Lucena of DELFOR Brazil, who as IECA representative for Brazil has been introducing VS to the many students and others who attends his lectures on soil conservation. Bottom row - Don Miller from the tiny Island of Vanuatu feeds us information about vetiver from the Island and contributes much to Vetiver Network discussions.  Paulo Rogerio of Brazil, who started a lonely and successful quest for introducing VS for slope stabilization in southern Brazil, and who translated our technical manual into Portuguese and Marco Forti (no photo) in Italy who did the same in Italian. Liyu Xu, Coordinator of the China Vetiver Network, who has devoted the past 15 years to the Vetiver System and is currently introducing the technology to the poorest parts of China for soil conservation, forage, and handicrafts. Jack Bertel, a vetiver enthusiast in Louisiana who doggedly keeps demonstrating how vetiver might be used for levee and coastal bank stabilization.

We thank you and all the others for your support, enthusiasm and commitment.  We still have a long way to go, but there is little doubt about the world's growing interest in this unique plant and its place in the protection of Planet Earth's natural resources.

With best wishes

Dick Grimshaw

Vetiver System and Soil Erosion

These photos are from Cuba showing in the top image agricultural lands protected by vetiver, and the lower image comparing a hedge (left)and  after 10 years (right) the same hedge and the natural terrace formation behind it.


Erosion  continues unabated in tropical countries.  Where arable land is unprotected soil losses that often exceed 150 tons per ha are not uncommon. Erosion ultimately leads to land going out of production - often replaced by land through the deforestation process. Eroding lands and the subsequent sediment flows into the river systems result in degraded and polluted water supplies, and eventually sedimentation flows into coastal waters that impact coral reefs and fisheries. Untreated eroded wastelands result in changing hydro-graphs that result in increased and often extreme flows of water that can have large down stream environmental, social, and economic costs.

With all the evidence, little is done to prevent this damage.  Prevention is not given high priority, most times the technology applied is costly and not very effective; there are high costs in subsidies and much corruption.

The Vetiver System provides a very effective and low cost way of bringing erosion losses to very low levels and at the same time reduce water losses and increase crop yields.  At the recent (2010) Regional Vetiver Conference in Chile two very useful papers from Thailand and Cuba were presented that demonstrated the effectiveness of Vetiver.  The Thai paper (English) (Spanish) by Pitayakon Limtong brought together research data from experiments in Thailand. The results vary - depending on site - but generally soil losses were reduced by about 90% by the second or third year, and crop (maize) yields increased by 30%.  Interestingly there was very little yield difference between crops grown on man made terraces and vetiver hedgerows. The high cost of building terraces as against planting vetiver hedgerows would not merit, for an extra 0.17 tons of maize, the promotion of terrace building.

The other presentation by Claro A. Alfonso, Eduardo A. Cabrera and Pedro Porras of Cuba's Soils Institute  nicely demonstrates the use of vetiver to stop erosion and complements the Thai results.  Both countries are subject to extreme rainfall conditions, have high erosion rates, and need appropriate solutions.


2011 is to be International Forest Year - It should be complemented byan International Soils Year - The faster soils are lost so too will forest resources dwindle


Dick Grimshaw

Vetiver System and Steep Slope Protection - Disaster Mitigation in Brazil

TAKE NOTE: Vetiver System is on the move in Brazil and some very big engineering companies are getting involved. I am hoping that Brazil may be a world leader in applying the Vetiver System.  Be alert for more to come from that part of the world.

RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY SLOPE STABILIZATION - BRAZIL
Images - roughly in chronological order - shows some of Paulo Rogerio's work in Brazil for stabilizing steep slopes.


RECUPERACAO DE AÅLREAS DEGRADADAS
(Brazil - Portuguese) PowerPoint presentation of the rehabilitation of area devastated by major land slip at Itaipava/Petropolis, Rio de Janeiro State.  Interesting combination of engineering, matting, and Vetiver System.  Time Period January 2008 to April 2010. Work by João Henrique Eboli .

BIOINGENIERÍA DE SUELOS  (SOIL BIOENGINEERING)
(Brazil - Portuguese) An excellent PowerPoint presentation by Ing. Civil Luiz Lucena of DEFLOR covering a range of Bio-engineering techniques for slope stabilization


BIOINGENIERA DE SUELOS: HISTORIA Y CONCEPTOS
Soil Bioengineering: history and concepts - short paper in Spanish by Ing. Civil Luiz Lucena of DEFLOR


USO DO CAPIM VETIVER NA ESTABILIZAÇÃO DE TALUDES E ENCOSTAS. (USE OF VETIVER GRASS IN THE STABILIZATION OF SLOPES AND HILLSIDE)
A useful PowerPoint presentation by Aloisio Rodrigues Pereira - Bioengineering Director of Deflor Brazil - addressing the use of the Vetiver System for slope stabilization.

xxxxxx


It is interesting that highly professional companies such as DEFLOR do an excellent job in slope stabilization using VS in conjunction with other technologies.  Countries that are subject to extreme rainfall conditions that result in landslides -  particularly in areas close to concentrated population sites should take note of what has been done in Brazil.  Hello Haiwaii, California, Venezuela, India, Thailand and others that have to mitigate against such disasters!!


World Bank and other development agencies should pay more attention too.


Dick Grimshaw

Vetiver System and beach front protection in Brazil

When Paul Truong was in Brazil he was given a mass of photos of DEFLOR's beach front protection at Bertioga.  I have posted them all on TVNI's photo gallery

There are no photo captions, but it is not difficult to assess what is being done.

Please note that this work was carried out by a highly skilled company, with a lot of preparatory work before planting of vetiver. Apart from stabilizing the beach front the vetiver will stop a lot of rubbish and runoff (effluent?) entering the beach.
It is an impressive work.  I am sure that it could be repeated in many parts of the tropics where beach front erosion is a problem including Hawaii and the Caribbean.

this particular work was done at a high end resort area - so hoteliers and others might be very interested.

For more information contact: lucena@deflor.com.br

Dick Grimshaw