John Greenfield, the author of the groundbreaking Green Book, Vetiver: The Thin Green Line Against Erosion, and the "Father of Vetiver," just posted his views about well-intentioned but misguided efforts to help developing countries conserve soil and water. They're well worth considering:
Misguided Aid to the Third World: the ‘Poverty’ Gap
“The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” It most certainly is.
Eighty percent of Third World poverty occurs among rainfed farmers and their extended families in the tropics. More than 40 years spent on the ground in these countries exposed me to a huge variety of well-intentioned aid agencies, donor countries and myriad alphabet agencies from the United Nations. Their researchers, engineers and theoretical economists have battled for decades, and battle today, to develop a workable solution to the poverty and hunger in these areas. I've met many outstanding individuals over the years, but these brilliant minds are no match for the lack of coordination and different demands and agendas of the many and varied donor agencies involved in every developing country.
Donor countries with no experience in the tropics send their "experts" into the field and make multi-million dollar investment in schemes that are doomed to failure right from the start. Government heads and UN departments listen to economists who lack field experience and allocate aid according to textbook assumptions.
A major reason for near universal failure is the myth perpetrated by successions of aid experts from developed countries that the poverty of subsistence farmers resulted from a complex historical process that does not lend itself to simple or quick solutions. Economists are injected to explain the situation, anthropologists to analyse farmers’ needs, and then engineers to construct interventions developed for temperate climes, all without seeming to reach an understanding of the basic problem. However, an interesting historical fact is that very advanced agricultural civilizations developed and flourished in some of the most arid zones of the world – in the Near East, North Africa and Central America – and then disappeared, either because they failed to conserve precious soil, water, and fuel wood, or because they employed irrigation schemes that lacked a drainage component, and ultimately salinized the most fertile alluvial areas.
The world’s population is growing at a rate close to two percent annually, and by as much as four percent in parts of Africa. Typically there are two methods of farming – irrigated and rainfed. Irrigated land accounts for about 20% of worldwide cultivation and 40% of global crop production. However, the cost of irrigation and drainage in the 1990s averaged around $10,000/hectare but could be as high as $25,000/hectare in the drier parts of Africa. Can developing countries really be expected to establish and maintain irrigated agriculture?
No.
It's quite obvious that the additional food production needed in future years must come from the 80% of cultivated land that is rainfed. The only way to address the hunger and poverty situation on a sustainable basis for subsistence farmers in the tropics is through moisture conservation, specifically by controlling runoff and making the best use of the rainfall in an area. Because of increased pressure on the land, the average subsistence rainfed farmer today, loses as much as 60% of his rainfall as runoff to the drainage network, which also causes major flooding in delta areas (Bangladesh, for instance). The runoff also carries off his soil and any remaining nutrients. Annual rainfall of 1000mm is thus reduced to an effective rainfall of only 400mm, which, if it arrives at sporadic intervals, cannot sustain a good crop, and another “drought” is declared.
Over the years, many organizations have recognized the need to control runoff and resulting soil erosion and loss and have invested a lot of effort and money in rainfed regions to address the problem mechanically, employing a battery of engineering "solutions." Contour banks, diversion banks, absorption banks, waterways, retainer walls, gabions, low dams and water harvesting schemes have proven to be unsustainable in the long term. The subsistence farmer lacks the equipment and labour required to maintain such interventions, and also takes issue with the amount of productive land taken out of production by such schemes.
The upshot is that all of this aid into rainfed areas has increased erosion, compromised production which reduces food and water, and increases poverty. The increased runoff doesn't recharge the underground aquifers that supplied fresh water to village wells or sustained perennial streams, and the resulting floods are becoming horrendous.
Lesotho, a little country in Southern Africa, is a classic example of a well-intentioned but totally inappropriate constructed soil and water conservation system that virtually destroyed it. Diversion banks and waterways have eroded into gullies and canyons, making it impossible for farmers to cross from one side of their fields to the other. Erosion is unchecked. Aid agencies have abandoned the country to its fate, never admitting their constructed conservation system was a tragic mistake.
Man’s efforts to intervene in nature have failed miserably. We are too impatient. We demand an immediate fix. Companies bring in the bulldozers, get paid and get out. The results are worldwide engineering disasters. Levees (stop banks) that are expected to control rivers in a meander plain, end with the river 30 feet above the town. Diversion systems that deprive an area of its natural runoff concentrate it in drainage networks that were never meant to handle it. All of these systems requirie massive construction and maintenance costs before ultimately failing completely and disastrously. Hurricane Katrina, for example, burst through unprotected levees in Louisiana.
What subsistent rainfed farmers need throughout the tropical world is in situ moisture conservation to produce their crops on a sustainable basis; in situ moisture conservation to produce their fuel wood; in situ moisture conservation to replenish their aquifers and once perennial streams; in situ conservation systems that farmers can install themselves and maintain without assistance.
Decades of field trials and research by dedicated scientists, extension workers and organizations across the globe have proved there is an alternative, cheaper, biological solution to resolve our erosion and pollution problems that doesn't include complicated, expensive engineering and structural designs, and contrived bureaucratic accounting and bidding procedures. It's a grass – a quite remarkable and astonishing plant known as Vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides).
High intensity rain storms in the tropics that cause runoff severe enough to cause erosion, landslides and mudslides, is a dynamic system that can't be controlled by static measures such as gabions, retainer walls, contour banks or even trees.
Use nature to control nature!
When planted as a single line, Vetiver forms a stiff, dense hedge that prevents erosion, forms natural terraces, increases soil moisture, and doesn't compete with companion crops. Once established, Vetiver can withstand droughts, fire and floods, and will grow on highly acid or alkaline soils. It can reclaim mine dumps, stabilize road cuttings, embankments and river banks, is economical to propagate and install, and requires only labor and hand tools.
Vetiver roots can absorb surplus nitrates and phosphates, can tolerate high levels of toxic elements such as arsenic, mercury, aluminium, and manganese, and can protect dams and harbours from siltation. This plant increases crop yields through moisture and nutrient conservation, grows only where planted, and is not a weed. Vetiver hedges will grow anywhere on any soil in the tropics (and subtropics), and, once established, will last for more than 100 years.
Over the past 20 years, The Vetiver Network International has had a major impact in the private sector and through worldwide NGOs (Non-Government Organisations), promoting Vetiver contour hedges to subsistence farmers in rainfed areas. Vetiver Systems are breathtakingly simple, and they work.
Vetiver.org provides a wealth of information, evidence, case studies and extensive references from field people who have successfully installed the Vetiver System, for those willing to open their minds and tackle sustainable development in a truly sustainable manner.
Showing posts with label hedges. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hedges. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Vetiver! Now there's a plant you can take to the (em)Bank!
During the last couple of months, I've met many people on Oahu who were affected by the December flooding. Mother Nature's handiwork is pretty remarkable. She quickly carved out huge hunks of earth, displaying none of her typical finesse. Owners of property adjacent to waterways lost as many as 15 feet of land. Dwellers in the affected areas cleaned up silt and debris for weeks. I don't need to tell Hawaii residents that the dirt ultimately landed in the ocean. The governor declared a disaster and a flood of federal money was finally released. Now's the perfect time to take a measured approach to stabilizing our banks--not only the multinational institutions that profited mightily while ruining our economy, but the embankments that protect our waterways and ensure that our homes remain "flood-free" areas.
Not surprisingly, Dick Grimshaw has wise perspective on the subject. Refreshed after his recent trip to Africa, where farmers still sing praises to the World Bank agronomists, like Dick, who introduced them to the Vetiver System more than 20 years ago, he shares some prescient observations:
We face major economic and environmental problems from river bank erosion and the collapse of dikes and levees. Climate change accelerates these changes by bringing extreme wind and rainfall events. Although many people are familiar with the Vetiver System and have carefully studied the supporting research data and results of actual site applications and promote its use to stabilize water-related structures, others find it difficult to accept the fact that Vetiver is uniquely suited for such purposes. The latter normally cite three main reasons for not using Vetiver: (1) a preference for native plants; (2) fear that Vetiver will escape and invade the environment, and; (3) other species are better suited to slope stabilization.
Let me address these concerns.
1. Native plant preference. If native plants can solve the problem at reasonable cost and for the long term, we certainly support their use. Remember, though, that native plants typically are very site specific, and perform well under some conditions. They generally cannot withstand the wide range of challenges posed by a particular site, including prolonged flooding, wave action, erosion, changes in soil composition, human activity and misuse.
2. Vetiver might become invasive. All evidence suggests otherwise for cultivars of Chrysopogon zizanioides that have been derived from the south Indian non-fertile Vetiver. These cultivars are named "Sunshine," "Monto," "Karnataka," "Silent Valley," and others. DNA research performed by Adams and Dafforn clearly link these cultivars as a single clone that is widely used throughout the tropics, and are all non-fertile.
The USDA Forest Service maintains a risk assessment data base called Pacific Island Eco-system at Risk (PIER). Applying 50 criteria, this data base classifies all potentially risky plants based on their potential for invasiveness. Plants with ratings of 1 or less are acceptable. Vetiver's rating is -8, the lowest risk of invasiveness. Compare Vetiver's rating with some other plants commonly used for soil conservation and bank stabilization:
Bahia grass (Paspalum notatum) Rating 18
Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylum) Rating 5
Elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) Rating 18
Guinea grass (Panicum maximum) Rating 17
Kikuyu grass (Pennisetum clandastinum) Rating 18
Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) Rating 18
Switch grass (Panicum virgatum ) Rating 11
Vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides) Rating -8
You can review these ratings and those of other species at: http://www.hear.org/pier/index.html
3. Choice of species for river and levee stabilization. River banks collapse because of current damage, wave action, the wetting and slumping of non-cohesive soils and/or by piping caused by the rotting of dead lateral tree roots. A cardinal engineering rule is not to allow trees to grow on embankments next to water. Past designs for bank protection have included rock and rip rap or a combination of rip rap and turf grasses such as Bahia grass. However, under extreme flooding and storm conditions, these measures have failed quite dramatically and expensively. On the other hand, the Vetiver System is an effective alternative. Forty provinces in Vietnam now use VS to stabilize sea dikes and levees, with a high degree of success and at great cost savings. Research underlying this work has been completed by the Vietnamese and by Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, one of the world's leading centers for hydraulic research.
Let me quote some concluding remarks of the study entitled "Vetiver Grass for River Bank Stabilisation" by D.J. Jaspers-Focks and A. Algera, Delft University of Technology, C.B. van Bossestraat 11, 5612 SC Eindhoven, The Netherlands (d.j.jasperfocks@gmail.com)
Vetiver grass is a sustainable and innovative solution to protect river banks and dikes. It thrives under a wide variety of conditions. Although growth rates are lower with a high groundwater level, it still thrives around the SWL, in contrast to sod-forming grasses. This clearly shows that Vetiver can be used at SWL as well as on dikes where the phreatic level can be low.
Vetiver is able to establish a full-stop of bank erosion caused by rapid drawdown. Therefore it provides us with strong indications that it is highly suitable as an anti-erosion measure. A combination of cohesive soil and Vetiver provides the best protection against erosion, which implies that it is highly suitable for banks in delta areas, which consist predominantly of cohesive soil.
A single hedge of Vetiver planted on the outer slope of a dike can reduce the wave runup volume by 55%, in contrast to sod grasses that provide no reduction. Planting multiple hedges along the contour of the outer slope might result in even more reduction. Installing Vetiver on existing dikes may substantially reinforce them.
The advantages of Vetiver over conventional methods with the use of stone are many:
Vetiver is not invasive and no significant diseases are known. Vetiver will, in contrast to traditional methods, increase in strength over time. Vetiver is an economically attractive solution. In most Southeast Asian countries countries Vetiver can be planted cheaply, while solutions consisting of stone and concrete are expensive in delta areas.
Vetiver allows people to protect their own property. Since its cost is low and it is easy to use, local initiatives can be easily achieved.
Vetiver can be an aesthetically good solution and is a socially-acceptable solution for bank protection.
This research study also found:
Influence of soil type and phreatic level on Vetiver:
* Cohesive soil reduced the growth rate of Vetiver by approximately 50% compared to a noncohesive soil, which is significant. Further, a decrease in phreatic level of 0,17 m resulted in significantly higher growth rates, in the order of 10-20%.
Vetiver as bank protection against vessel-induced loads:
* The influence of Vetiver on small scale mass failure was tested using a physical model test. The drawdown caused by passing ships was reproduced using a wave flume. The amount of eroded material of cohesive soil (clay) was approximately 8-10 times smaller using Vetiver. The erosion of non-cohesive soil was also reduced dramatically. A combination of cohesive soil and Vetiver had the lowest amount of erosion and, after approximately 800-1000 cycles,the erosion fully stopped.
Given its high evaporation rates, Vetiver in hot climates can act as a pump to remove excess water in embankments and thus reduce hydraulic pore pressure in the soil. The likelihood of slope collapse increases significantly when hydraulic pore pressure increases. Add to this Vetiver roots' high tensile strength (4-6 times greater than Bahia and other grasses), and we have a very formidable and useful plant for slope stabilization.
Although other nations are using VS applications, I remain very concerned that Vetiver's potential is not being exploited here in the United States. We certainly recognize that people have different agendas. However, although the profitability of using hard engineering techniques is much higher and undoubtedly more attractive to the designer and vendor, it's not to the taxpayer who ultimately shoulders the cost of porkbarrel or ill-conceived Federal and state projects, as well as the cost of their damage and failure.
The greatest block to wider use in this country is the unfounded fear that Vetiver might become an invasive plant--which it most definitely is NOT--and an often deliberate neglect and even scorn of good science (of which there is A LOT) by people who should know better and who fail to properly investigate the true value of this remarkable plant and its applications.
Not surprisingly, Dick Grimshaw has wise perspective on the subject. Refreshed after his recent trip to Africa, where farmers still sing praises to the World Bank agronomists, like Dick, who introduced them to the Vetiver System more than 20 years ago, he shares some prescient observations:
We face major economic and environmental problems from river bank erosion and the collapse of dikes and levees. Climate change accelerates these changes by bringing extreme wind and rainfall events. Although many people are familiar with the Vetiver System and have carefully studied the supporting research data and results of actual site applications and promote its use to stabilize water-related structures, others find it difficult to accept the fact that Vetiver is uniquely suited for such purposes. The latter normally cite three main reasons for not using Vetiver: (1) a preference for native plants; (2) fear that Vetiver will escape and invade the environment, and; (3) other species are better suited to slope stabilization.
Let me address these concerns.
1. Native plant preference. If native plants can solve the problem at reasonable cost and for the long term, we certainly support their use. Remember, though, that native plants typically are very site specific, and perform well under some conditions. They generally cannot withstand the wide range of challenges posed by a particular site, including prolonged flooding, wave action, erosion, changes in soil composition, human activity and misuse.
2. Vetiver might become invasive. All evidence suggests otherwise for cultivars of Chrysopogon zizanioides that have been derived from the south Indian non-fertile Vetiver. These cultivars are named "Sunshine," "Monto," "Karnataka," "Silent Valley," and others. DNA research performed by Adams and Dafforn clearly link these cultivars as a single clone that is widely used throughout the tropics, and are all non-fertile.
The USDA Forest Service maintains a risk assessment data base called Pacific Island Eco-system at Risk (PIER). Applying 50 criteria, this data base classifies all potentially risky plants based on their potential for invasiveness. Plants with ratings of 1 or less are acceptable. Vetiver's rating is -8, the lowest risk of invasiveness. Compare Vetiver's rating with some other plants commonly used for soil conservation and bank stabilization:
Bahia grass (Paspalum notatum) Rating 18
Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylum) Rating 5
Elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) Rating 18
Guinea grass (Panicum maximum) Rating 17
Kikuyu grass (Pennisetum clandastinum) Rating 18
Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) Rating 18
Switch grass (Panicum virgatum ) Rating 11
Vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides) Rating -8
You can review these ratings and those of other species at: http://www.hear.org/pier/index.html
3. Choice of species for river and levee stabilization. River banks collapse because of current damage, wave action, the wetting and slumping of non-cohesive soils and/or by piping caused by the rotting of dead lateral tree roots. A cardinal engineering rule is not to allow trees to grow on embankments next to water. Past designs for bank protection have included rock and rip rap or a combination of rip rap and turf grasses such as Bahia grass. However, under extreme flooding and storm conditions, these measures have failed quite dramatically and expensively. On the other hand, the Vetiver System is an effective alternative. Forty provinces in Vietnam now use VS to stabilize sea dikes and levees, with a high degree of success and at great cost savings. Research underlying this work has been completed by the Vietnamese and by Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, one of the world's leading centers for hydraulic research.
Let me quote some concluding remarks of the study entitled "Vetiver Grass for River Bank Stabilisation" by D.J. Jaspers-Focks and A. Algera, Delft University of Technology, C.B. van Bossestraat 11, 5612 SC Eindhoven, The Netherlands (d.j.jasperfocks@gmail.com)
Vetiver grass is a sustainable and innovative solution to protect river banks and dikes. It thrives under a wide variety of conditions. Although growth rates are lower with a high groundwater level, it still thrives around the SWL, in contrast to sod-forming grasses. This clearly shows that Vetiver can be used at SWL as well as on dikes where the phreatic level can be low.
Vetiver is able to establish a full-stop of bank erosion caused by rapid drawdown. Therefore it provides us with strong indications that it is highly suitable as an anti-erosion measure. A combination of cohesive soil and Vetiver provides the best protection against erosion, which implies that it is highly suitable for banks in delta areas, which consist predominantly of cohesive soil.
A single hedge of Vetiver planted on the outer slope of a dike can reduce the wave runup volume by 55%, in contrast to sod grasses that provide no reduction. Planting multiple hedges along the contour of the outer slope might result in even more reduction. Installing Vetiver on existing dikes may substantially reinforce them.
The advantages of Vetiver over conventional methods with the use of stone are many:
Vetiver is not invasive and no significant diseases are known. Vetiver will, in contrast to traditional methods, increase in strength over time. Vetiver is an economically attractive solution. In most Southeast Asian countries countries Vetiver can be planted cheaply, while solutions consisting of stone and concrete are expensive in delta areas.
Vetiver allows people to protect their own property. Since its cost is low and it is easy to use, local initiatives can be easily achieved.
Vetiver can be an aesthetically good solution and is a socially-acceptable solution for bank protection.
This research study also found:
Influence of soil type and phreatic level on Vetiver:
* Cohesive soil reduced the growth rate of Vetiver by approximately 50% compared to a noncohesive soil, which is significant. Further, a decrease in phreatic level of 0,17 m resulted in significantly higher growth rates, in the order of 10-20%.
Vetiver as bank protection against vessel-induced loads:
* The influence of Vetiver on small scale mass failure was tested using a physical model test. The drawdown caused by passing ships was reproduced using a wave flume. The amount of eroded material of cohesive soil (clay) was approximately 8-10 times smaller using Vetiver. The erosion of non-cohesive soil was also reduced dramatically. A combination of cohesive soil and Vetiver had the lowest amount of erosion and, after approximately 800-1000 cycles,the erosion fully stopped.
Given its high evaporation rates, Vetiver in hot climates can act as a pump to remove excess water in embankments and thus reduce hydraulic pore pressure in the soil. The likelihood of slope collapse increases significantly when hydraulic pore pressure increases. Add to this Vetiver roots' high tensile strength (4-6 times greater than Bahia and other grasses), and we have a very formidable and useful plant for slope stabilization.
Although other nations are using VS applications, I remain very concerned that Vetiver's potential is not being exploited here in the United States. We certainly recognize that people have different agendas. However, although the profitability of using hard engineering techniques is much higher and undoubtedly more attractive to the designer and vendor, it's not to the taxpayer who ultimately shoulders the cost of porkbarrel or ill-conceived Federal and state projects, as well as the cost of their damage and failure.
The greatest block to wider use in this country is the unfounded fear that Vetiver might become an invasive plant--which it most definitely is NOT--and an often deliberate neglect and even scorn of good science (of which there is A LOT) by people who should know better and who fail to properly investigate the true value of this remarkable plant and its applications.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
The Vetiver Solution, or, why we do what we do
Sometimes people wonder at the passion we Vetiverites display when discussing Vetiver and its applications. Friday I found our zeal matched by that of Ray Anderson, Time Magazine's "green CEO" and featured luminary in the movie, The Corporation. I attended his address at the University of Hawaii and learned the reasons that, 14 years ago, he totally revised the business-as-usual focus of his successful carpet company.
Quietly compelling, Anderson, 74, speaks in a warm Georgia drawl with persuasive authority and unmistakable commitment. His personal epiphany occurred in 1994, when he considered how he would answer a journalist's question, "What is your company doing for the environment?" The query led him to Hawkins' Ecology of Commerce, specifically the chapter entitled "The Death of Birth." He resolved then to become part of the solution and to lead his company to sustainability, "one mind at a time." Since then, he's presided over a dramatic shift in the way carpet companies manufacture and reclaim their products, so-called "life after life," dispelling the arguments of contrarians along the way.
Anderson believes this culture shift is the second in American life. The first was the industrial revolution. He calls the second "Rachel Carson's revolution. Stakeholders have to decide their relationship to the Earth. The choice is to hurt it or help it." He's watched the green building movement develop momentum and tremendous clout in the marketplace. He witnessed attendance at the annual Green Building Conference grow from 134 in 1997 to more than 25,000 in 2008, and credits the rising levels of public awareness. "How many of you know an ex-environmentalist?" he queried. When no one raised a hand, he remarked that the response mirrors that of the approximately 150 audiences he addresses each year. He's convinced that, given the opportunity to change "global climate disruption" and improve our environment, the vast majority will change their lifestyles. The others will ultimately die.
So, why do we Vetiver pioneers buck the status quo? Because we believe that businesses and individuals, given the opportunity, will choose to use a proven, green technology to improve the environment.
My credo?
I believe that people, given a viable, economical solution, want to eliminate the runoff that creates a deadly brown lei around our coastline and chokes our reefs.
I believe that our municipal entities want to stabilize and green the slashes and gaping red holes in the hillsides that line our highways and roads.
I believe that the military wants to restore and heal the earth that it regularly ravages during its training exercises.
I believe that homeowners would rather establish small Vetiver leachfields than suffer inevitable blankets of sh*t created by overflowing cesspools and septic tanks following heavy rains.
I believe that homeowners, given the choice, would choose a vegetative barrier over conventional concrete and re-bar to stabilize the slopes on which their homes perch.
I believe that Vetiver is bioengineering for the 21st Century whose time is now.
Vetiver is a soft engineering solution that protects slopes, banks and cuttings that, in many cases, is environmentally, technically and economically superior to hard engineering solutions. It's green, economical, and permanent. And its formidable root system has a documented tensile strength of 75 mPA (one-sixth mild steel).
Infrastructure protection. Planted on slopes, banks and cuttings, Vetiver is a permanent, stabilizing solution.
Vetiver stops excessive soil erosion. (Tantalus? Kahekili Highway? Kailua Road? Pali? Waianae?)
Vetiver planted on unstable slopes reduces rockfalls and landslides. (Hawaii Kai? Nuuanu?)
Vetiver protects causeways and floodways. (Laie? Waialua? Haleiwa?)
Sewage/wastewater/sanitation treatment. Planted in constructed wetlands and leach fields, Vetiver filters wastewater.
Vetiver roots filter wastewater outfalls and landfill leachates. (Lake Wilson? Waimanalo Gulch?)
Vetiver dries soakage areas and improves percolation.
Land management. DLNR, Marine Corps, Navy, Army, OHA, KS/BE?
Vetiver contour hedges promote sustainable farming on slopes. (Coffee, tea, banana, grapes, basil...)
Vetiver stabilizes eroding river banks. More economical than gabions, Vetiver reduces sediment loads from run-off, improves water quality, and reduces nutrient loads and eutrophication risk.
Vetiver stabilizes and protects storm water and irrigation canals. Its leaves filter sediment and rubbish, and its roots filter soluble nutrients and chemicals.
Vetiver stabilizes aquaculture ponds and access paths.
Mature Vetiver and fencing wire effectively confine livestock.
Quietly compelling, Anderson, 74, speaks in a warm Georgia drawl with persuasive authority and unmistakable commitment. His personal epiphany occurred in 1994, when he considered how he would answer a journalist's question, "What is your company doing for the environment?" The query led him to Hawkins' Ecology of Commerce, specifically the chapter entitled "The Death of Birth." He resolved then to become part of the solution and to lead his company to sustainability, "one mind at a time." Since then, he's presided over a dramatic shift in the way carpet companies manufacture and reclaim their products, so-called "life after life," dispelling the arguments of contrarians along the way.
Anderson believes this culture shift is the second in American life. The first was the industrial revolution. He calls the second "Rachel Carson's revolution. Stakeholders have to decide their relationship to the Earth. The choice is to hurt it or help it." He's watched the green building movement develop momentum and tremendous clout in the marketplace. He witnessed attendance at the annual Green Building Conference grow from 134 in 1997 to more than 25,000 in 2008, and credits the rising levels of public awareness. "How many of you know an ex-environmentalist?" he queried. When no one raised a hand, he remarked that the response mirrors that of the approximately 150 audiences he addresses each year. He's convinced that, given the opportunity to change "global climate disruption" and improve our environment, the vast majority will change their lifestyles. The others will ultimately die.
So, why do we Vetiver pioneers buck the status quo? Because we believe that businesses and individuals, given the opportunity, will choose to use a proven, green technology to improve the environment.
My credo?
I believe that people, given a viable, economical solution, want to eliminate the runoff that creates a deadly brown lei around our coastline and chokes our reefs.
I believe that our municipal entities want to stabilize and green the slashes and gaping red holes in the hillsides that line our highways and roads.
I believe that the military wants to restore and heal the earth that it regularly ravages during its training exercises.
I believe that homeowners would rather establish small Vetiver leachfields than suffer inevitable blankets of sh*t created by overflowing cesspools and septic tanks following heavy rains.
I believe that homeowners, given the choice, would choose a vegetative barrier over conventional concrete and re-bar to stabilize the slopes on which their homes perch.
I believe that Vetiver is bioengineering for the 21st Century whose time is now.
Vetiver is a soft engineering solution that protects slopes, banks and cuttings that, in many cases, is environmentally, technically and economically superior to hard engineering solutions. It's green, economical, and permanent. And its formidable root system has a documented tensile strength of 75 mPA (one-sixth mild steel).
Infrastructure protection. Planted on slopes, banks and cuttings, Vetiver is a permanent, stabilizing solution.
Vetiver stops excessive soil erosion. (Tantalus? Kahekili Highway? Kailua Road? Pali? Waianae?)
Vetiver planted on unstable slopes reduces rockfalls and landslides. (Hawaii Kai? Nuuanu?)
Vetiver protects causeways and floodways. (Laie? Waialua? Haleiwa?)
Sewage/wastewater/sanitation treatment. Planted in constructed wetlands and leach fields, Vetiver filters wastewater.
Vetiver roots filter wastewater outfalls and landfill leachates. (Lake Wilson? Waimanalo Gulch?)
Vetiver dries soakage areas and improves percolation.
Land management. DLNR, Marine Corps, Navy, Army, OHA, KS/BE?
Vetiver contour hedges promote sustainable farming on slopes. (Coffee, tea, banana, grapes, basil...)
Vetiver stabilizes eroding river banks. More economical than gabions, Vetiver reduces sediment loads from run-off, improves water quality, and reduces nutrient loads and eutrophication risk.
Vetiver stabilizes and protects storm water and irrigation canals. Its leaves filter sediment and rubbish, and its roots filter soluble nutrients and chemicals.
Vetiver stabilizes aquaculture ponds and access paths.
Mature Vetiver and fencing wire effectively confine livestock.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Cane Fire! Vetiver hedges protect sugar cane, too
This is the second story today that I've cockaroached from The Vetiver Network. The following exchange between Dick Grimshaw and John Greenfield addresses the application of the Vetiver System to agriculture dear to Hawaii: sugar cane fields and native forests.
From Dick Grimshaw:
The recent fires in California remind us of its devastation to property and to the local ecology. Often these fires are so hot that they burn off most of the ground vegetation. Recovery is
slow and, during the delay, the land is exposed to rainfall and resulting erosion, high rainfall runoff, and sometimes land slippage.
Plenty of evidence shows that it's difficult to burn green Vetiver. Although Vetiver may burn off, sometimes completely, when it's dry, it recovers quickly within weeks. This enables the hedge to meet its design objectives.
Green vetiver hedges are very dense, and fire has difficulty penetrating them. Under these conditions, the hedge acts as a fire break to slow creeping fires. Where Vetiver in Fiji was grown in conjunction with sugar cane it survived the annual fire that was set before the cane harvest.
On Vanuatu (South Pacific) Vetiver hedges were used to improve moisture and soil fertility to facilitate the replanting of forests destroyed by fire. This successful process is described on the TVNI website. The new forests were also subject to fire; those that were burned recovered quite quickly because the Vetiver started regrowing (ex-hibernation) as soon as the tree canopy was incinerated. The revived hedges reduced erosion and runoff which helped the trees to recover quickly.
Find representative images of this Vetiver recovery at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/VetiverNetwork/VetiverSystemsAndFire#
John Greenfield responds:
Dick has made a valid point here: green Vetiver hedges in the tropics are virtually fireproof. Let me make a slight correction to keep the record straight.
Dick reports that Vetiver in Fiji grown in conjunction with sugar cane survived the annual fire that was set before the cane harvest.
Unlike nearly every other cane-growing country, no cane in Fiji was burned before harvesting. If it was, the sugar company penalized the grower, because burned cane results in slightly caramelized sugar that costs more to refine. In Fiji, growers burn the trash generated by the cane harvest. (Like Hawaii,) Fiji has no snakes, or dangerous vermin that would require a pre-harvest fire, but you do have to watch for hornets.
The amazing thing about Vetiver hedges in the cane fields is that, following harvest, the cane grows rapidly and in a matter of months completely shades the vetiver from the light. At the next harvest, (12 months later for ratoon crops ,18 months later for plant crops) the hedge is plunged into full sunlight, then must survive the heat of a trash fire before once again being shaded again by the next ratoon crop. This process repeats for years but doesn’t effect the Vetiver's viability. I don’t know of many plants that can withstand this rough treatment.
From Dick Grimshaw:
The recent fires in California remind us of its devastation to property and to the local ecology. Often these fires are so hot that they burn off most of the ground vegetation. Recovery is
slow and, during the delay, the land is exposed to rainfall and resulting erosion, high rainfall runoff, and sometimes land slippage.
Plenty of evidence shows that it's difficult to burn green Vetiver. Although Vetiver may burn off, sometimes completely, when it's dry, it recovers quickly within weeks. This enables the hedge to meet its design objectives.
Green vetiver hedges are very dense, and fire has difficulty penetrating them. Under these conditions, the hedge acts as a fire break to slow creeping fires. Where Vetiver in Fiji was grown in conjunction with sugar cane it survived the annual fire that was set before the cane harvest.
On Vanuatu (South Pacific) Vetiver hedges were used to improve moisture and soil fertility to facilitate the replanting of forests destroyed by fire. This successful process is described on the TVNI website. The new forests were also subject to fire; those that were burned recovered quite quickly because the Vetiver started regrowing (ex-hibernation) as soon as the tree canopy was incinerated. The revived hedges reduced erosion and runoff which helped the trees to recover quickly.
Find representative images of this Vetiver recovery at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/VetiverNetwork/VetiverSystemsAndFire#
John Greenfield responds:
Dick has made a valid point here: green Vetiver hedges in the tropics are virtually fireproof. Let me make a slight correction to keep the record straight.
Dick reports that Vetiver in Fiji grown in conjunction with sugar cane survived the annual fire that was set before the cane harvest.
Unlike nearly every other cane-growing country, no cane in Fiji was burned before harvesting. If it was, the sugar company penalized the grower, because burned cane results in slightly caramelized sugar that costs more to refine. In Fiji, growers burn the trash generated by the cane harvest. (Like Hawaii,) Fiji has no snakes, or dangerous vermin that would require a pre-harvest fire, but you do have to watch for hornets.
The amazing thing about Vetiver hedges in the cane fields is that, following harvest, the cane grows rapidly and in a matter of months completely shades the vetiver from the light. At the next harvest, (12 months later for ratoon crops ,18 months later for plant crops) the hedge is plunged into full sunlight, then must survive the heat of a trash fire before once again being shaded again by the next ratoon crop. This process repeats for years but doesn’t effect the Vetiver's viability. I don’t know of many plants that can withstand this rough treatment.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Vetiver hedges work with nature to curb erosion
The following is excerpted from a recent letter to Elise Pinners by John Greenfield, author of Vetiver Grass: The Hedge Against Eriosion (1990) and The Vetiver System for Soil and Water Conservation (the 2008 update of his 1987 manual), and widely regarded as the Father of the Renaissance of the Vetiver Movement:
From my 50+ years of experience starting with the Soil Conservation Service, and comparing its widely published schemes with yeomans, border listing, deep ripping, ridge and furrow, through to Fanya Juu – I noted they share one thing in common: all are constructed unnatural systems that work against nature rather than with it. They either move runoff out of the area that it fell in, or accumulate it in "puddles" or ponds that render it unavailable to crops without a lot of effort.
Compare these with the vetiver hedge properly installed across the slope or on the contour. It controls runoff, spreads it out, and allows the runoff to “ooze” through its entire length on its way down the slope, effectively watering the whole area and benefiting the plants. Vetiver hedges welcome the rain; more rain means more moisture is spread over the area. When we first discovered the world’s oldest vetiver hedges in Gundalpet, India, (where they were used to mark farm boundaries), the resulting crop in areas where these hedges crossed the slope had grown in so evenly that it looked as if it had been irrigated. Two reasons support this fact --the hedges eventually level the land because collected silt fills low areas behind the hedge, and the water spends a longer time on the surface, which breaks up surface sealing and allows the water to penetrate to depths where the moisture is needed. Since the hedges do not convey the runoff, it backs up and waits to ooze through the hedge.
When runoff is being conveyed to another outlet like a natural drainage outlet, spillway, waterway, pit or dam, it moves continually. Water from a useful rain does not remain on the ground long enough to break up surface sealing before it's lost as runoff. The more intense the rain, the faster it moves and the less moisture is stored. This pattern results in more damage to a constructed system. A constructed conservation bank can only operate safely for 300 m before it discharges the water it is conveying or storing. Otherwise the bank will overflow and burst. A vetiver hedge, on the other hand, can be run safely for kilometres because it doesn’t convey the water --it filters the water through its entire length. Since constructed systems are built from the same soil you're trying to protect from erosion, they are exposed to the same dangers of erosion and runoff as the unprotected bare ground. They are not "anchored" into the ground. In contrast, the massive root systems of Vetiver hedges anchor them to the ground.
Ridges and furrows, Fanya Juu, contour banks and their ilk are a lot of pain for very little gain. Given his plowing and planting program, the average subsistence farmer lacks the time to put them in place. Once in place, he lacks the time and labor to maintain or reconstruct them. However, once a vetiver hedge is in place, the farmer has little to worry about.
Elise, as you say in Dutch, “We get too soon old and too late smart”
Regards,
John Greenfield.
From my 50+ years of experience starting with the Soil Conservation Service, and comparing its widely published schemes with yeomans, border listing, deep ripping, ridge and furrow, through to Fanya Juu – I noted they share one thing in common: all are constructed unnatural systems that work against nature rather than with it. They either move runoff out of the area that it fell in, or accumulate it in "puddles" or ponds that render it unavailable to crops without a lot of effort.
Compare these with the vetiver hedge properly installed across the slope or on the contour. It controls runoff, spreads it out, and allows the runoff to “ooze” through its entire length on its way down the slope, effectively watering the whole area and benefiting the plants. Vetiver hedges welcome the rain; more rain means more moisture is spread over the area. When we first discovered the world’s oldest vetiver hedges in Gundalpet, India, (where they were used to mark farm boundaries), the resulting crop in areas where these hedges crossed the slope had grown in so evenly that it looked as if it had been irrigated. Two reasons support this fact --the hedges eventually level the land because collected silt fills low areas behind the hedge, and the water spends a longer time on the surface, which breaks up surface sealing and allows the water to penetrate to depths where the moisture is needed. Since the hedges do not convey the runoff, it backs up and waits to ooze through the hedge.
When runoff is being conveyed to another outlet like a natural drainage outlet, spillway, waterway, pit or dam, it moves continually. Water from a useful rain does not remain on the ground long enough to break up surface sealing before it's lost as runoff. The more intense the rain, the faster it moves and the less moisture is stored. This pattern results in more damage to a constructed system. A constructed conservation bank can only operate safely for 300 m before it discharges the water it is conveying or storing. Otherwise the bank will overflow and burst. A vetiver hedge, on the other hand, can be run safely for kilometres because it doesn’t convey the water --it filters the water through its entire length. Since constructed systems are built from the same soil you're trying to protect from erosion, they are exposed to the same dangers of erosion and runoff as the unprotected bare ground. They are not "anchored" into the ground. In contrast, the massive root systems of Vetiver hedges anchor them to the ground.
Ridges and furrows, Fanya Juu, contour banks and their ilk are a lot of pain for very little gain. Given his plowing and planting program, the average subsistence farmer lacks the time to put them in place. Once in place, he lacks the time and labor to maintain or reconstruct them. However, once a vetiver hedge is in place, the farmer has little to worry about.
Elise, as you say in Dutch, “We get too soon old and too late smart”
Regards,
John Greenfield.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Ethiopia and Vietnam report Vetiver successes
From Debela Dinka - Sustainable Land Use Forum, Ethiopia. According to our partner NGO in Illubabor, Ethio-Wetlands and Natural Resource Association (EWNRA), 17 of 22 districts in Illubabor Province are using vetiver technology, or about 17,000 households. The remaining five districts are expected to adopt the technology. The major impacts of vetiver are: decreased rate of soil erosion; increased yield of maize, sorghum, vegetables – as much as 50% - resulting from soil and water conservation; reduced siltation of wetlands and streams; groundwater recharge which then improved flow of springs, streams and wetlands; survival rate of tree and coffee seedlings reached more than 80%. Vetiver is also used as mulch in coffee plantations; thatch for houses, stores and shades (vetiver grass gives long time service); mattress making (it repels fleas and other insects); homestead hedgerows for beautification; making rope; income (farmers sell vetiver clumps as planting material); and the green leaves of vetiver are cut and spread in and around homes during holidays and social gatherings, including weddings.
In 2001 Paul Truong (Australia) visited his native country, Vietnam, and introduced the Vetiver System to his former colleagues.
From Tran Tan Van - Vietnam. Vietnam, like most countries, suffers natural disasters and environmental degradation. The threat from future rising sea levels puts Vietnam in the top five most endangered nations. Yearly 1000 people die during storms; as a result of toxic pollution of waterways, annual average property damage is $300 billion U.S. The government understands the need to mitigate these effects but has resorted to using piecemeal, conventional engineering works that are very expensive, technically complicated and are not durable. The introduction of VS into Vietnam seven years ago was, for Vietnam, “a timely glass of fresh water to the thirsty desert traveler.” The Vetiver System has been tested, demonstrated and adopted by the government, the research community, the private sector and individuals. The speed of its adoption over large landscapes attests that it is indeed the solution to our myriad problems. Vietnam represents one of the world’s most successful cases of VS use.
In 2001 Paul Truong (Australia) visited his native country, Vietnam, and introduced the Vetiver System to his former colleagues.
From Tran Tan Van - Vietnam. Vietnam, like most countries, suffers natural disasters and environmental degradation. The threat from future rising sea levels puts Vietnam in the top five most endangered nations. Yearly 1000 people die during storms; as a result of toxic pollution of waterways, annual average property damage is $300 billion U.S. The government understands the need to mitigate these effects but has resorted to using piecemeal, conventional engineering works that are very expensive, technically complicated and are not durable. The introduction of VS into Vietnam seven years ago was, for Vietnam, “a timely glass of fresh water to the thirsty desert traveler.” The Vetiver System has been tested, demonstrated and adopted by the government, the research community, the private sector and individuals. The speed of its adoption over large landscapes attests that it is indeed the solution to our myriad problems. Vietnam represents one of the world’s most successful cases of VS use.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
We grow grass...Vetiver!
Well, it's true...we grow grass...and so much more!
Our six-year-old dream is reaching fruition, as our farm is now producing commercially-viable numbers of vetiver plants that are improving the complexion of Hawaii.
Vetiver IS changing the world. It's changing the environment. It's holding moisture in arid land. It's securing top soil, and restoring top soil to areas where it's been depleted for years. It's recharging aquifers. It's enabling farmers and communities to maintain viable farmland and potable water.
Vetiver hedges are stabilizing moisture and increasing the yields in coffee and banana groves.
Vetiver's sterile...it has no rhizomes, and its seeds are sterile. Ours is not the first island to embrace the Vetiver System. It's welcome and working in Fiji, Guam, Haiti and Indonesia, among others. It's a non-invasive clump grass, two feet in diameter at maturity. And...it won't grow larger!
The roots form an amazing vertical net that penetrates 12 feet deep!
Help spread the word, and this grass...so many countries are decades ahead of us. Vetiver works...hard!
Our six-year-old dream is reaching fruition, as our farm is now producing commercially-viable numbers of vetiver plants that are improving the complexion of Hawaii.
Vetiver IS changing the world. It's changing the environment. It's holding moisture in arid land. It's securing top soil, and restoring top soil to areas where it's been depleted for years. It's recharging aquifers. It's enabling farmers and communities to maintain viable farmland and potable water.
Vetiver hedges are stabilizing moisture and increasing the yields in coffee and banana groves.
Vetiver's sterile...it has no rhizomes, and its seeds are sterile. Ours is not the first island to embrace the Vetiver System. It's welcome and working in Fiji, Guam, Haiti and Indonesia, among others. It's a non-invasive clump grass, two feet in diameter at maturity. And...it won't grow larger!
The roots form an amazing vertical net that penetrates 12 feet deep!
Help spread the word, and this grass...so many countries are decades ahead of us. Vetiver works...hard!
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