Across the tropics, livestock producers face a recurring challenge: how to maintain animals through long dry seasons, drought cycles, and periods when conventional fodder collapses. Vetiver grass, long celebrated for its engineering and environmental benefits, is increasingly recognized as a…
For decades, root‑knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) have quietly undermined tropical agriculture, reducing yields in bananas, chilli peppers, tomatoes, cassava, sweet potato, and dozens of other crops. Their damage is often misdiagnosed as drought stress or nutrient deficiency, leaving farmers with…
The Microbial Engine Behind Vetiver’s Exceptional Performance . Across the tropics, vetiver grass has earned its reputation as one of the world’s most resilient biological tools for soil and water conservation. Its deep, fibrous roots anchor slopes, its dense hedges…
The Secrets of Vetiver. As research is carried out on various attributes and applications of vetiver we are coming to learn how the plant functions and what it can do. A recent Chinese study “Reshaping the microenvironment and bacterial community…
The Broken Hydrological (Water) Cycle. Summer is always a rather slow time for exchanging vetiver information – a time to relax and reflect. I have been re-reading Charles Massy’s book “Call of the Reed Warbler” (available from e.Books.com). It makes…
The Vetiver System – A Changing Perspective When John Greenfield and I introduced vetiver grass hedgerows to Indian Watershed development projects in the 1980’s the objective was to replace poorly designed — high maintenance, high cost conservation structures (graded contour…
Vetiver Network News Letters from 1990-2002 This compilation of newsletters created from the originals, the latter were authored by Jim Smyle, Joan Miller, and Dick Grimshaw, record the research and development of the Vetiver Grass Technology following its introduction by…
Up-Scaling Vetiver Grass Technology – Using the Internet One important reason, amongst others, why Vetiver Grass Technology (VGT) is not used more widely is that not enough people know about the plant and its many applications. We have to do…
Paul Truong, Technical Director of TVNI, brings an amazing photo gallery of VS demonstrating extreme slope stabilization from Africa, Asia and and South America. The presentation “Geotropism of Vetiver” is compelling and is the work of Dr. P.K.Yoon of Malaysia…
This month’s newsletter gives some focus to vetiver, and its role as a potentially important component in permaculture practices, regenerative agriculture and the restoration of degraded lands, particularly in tropical and semiarid areas of the world. Those who know intimately…