Vetiver Micro Nurseries targeting 40 farmers: Support farmers to grow their own Vetiver grass to reclaim farmland lost to landslides. Within a year, a micro nursery of 1000 plants in 1600 sq feet of land will provide enough vetiver to repair one acre of damaged land or around Rs. 25,000 worth of vetiver.
Target Village : 2nd Monnangeri, Madikeri Taluk, Kodagu reaching out to 40 farmers
Project Timeline : Nov 2019 to Mar 2020
Vetiver for slope stabilization in landslide affected Villages
Vetiveria zizanioides (Vetiver) belongs to a grass family and has been used successfully in landslide restoration sites in India. It has been used in our country since ancient times and is recorded as a medicinal plant in the Ayurvedic science. For several centuries Vetiver has been commercially cultivated for the scented oil that is distilled from its roots. In North India villagers weave these roots into mats, baskets, fans and ornaments. They also weave them into window coverings that freshen the air of village homes with a severe and penetrating scent. The roots and oil are known to repel insects. People in India and elsewhere have long used Vetiver roots among their clothes to keep insects away.
The Vetiver Grass Technology (VGT),in its most common form, is simply the establishment of a narrow (less than 1 meter wide) live stiff grass barrier, in the form of a hedge, across the slope of the land. A well-established grass hedge will slow down rainfall run off, spreading it out evenly, and will trap runoff sediments to create natural terraces. For more https://vetivernetinternational.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-vetiver-system-and-india-it-takes.html
Vetiver Micro Nurseries targeting 40 farmers
Support farmers to grow their own Vetiver grass to reclaim farmland lost to landslides. Within a year, a micro nursery of 1000 plants in 1600 sq feet of land will provide enough vetiver to repair one acre of damaged land or around Rs. 25,000 worth of vetiver.
Cost of a micro nursery per farmer
| Planting material | Rs. 1,100 |
| Sapling transport to interior villages | Rs. 200 |
| Land preparation: 40×40 feet of land | Rs. 1000 |
| Training to Farmers on Nursery Management | Rs. 200 per farmer |
| Total Cost | Rs. 2,500 |
Farmer’s own contribution – small quantities of compost, regular weeding and watering of plants.
Project Co Ordinator : Ms.Saleela Patkar is a generalist with nearly 25 years of experience in rural development including training of community groups, developing learning materials and manuals, designing projects around livelihoods, natural resources management, gender and inclusion. She has worked in several states of India and supported programmes funded by UN agencies in South Asia, South East Asia and East Africa.
Ten years ago she returned to her home in Kodagu to work as a farmer and has been involved in coordinating relief and rehabilitation activities after the landslides struck Kodagu in her own backyard. She currently works with several relief groups, mainly providing knowledge and networking resources. She graduated as an industrial engineer and has a post graduate diploma in Rural Management from IRMA-Gujarat and an MSc in Development Management from LSE.
Meera , Let me appreciate this Vetriver slope protection. It could help in gentle rains since its roots go upto 2 meter . Apart from this first ensure the water drained runs through a chute drain and connects to a stable collection tank or joins the river outlet. This would prevent soil erosion.
Good luck.