One visit at harvest: help show where vetiver helps crops most
What GVF is, and why now
For forty years, vetiver hedges have been shown to hold soil, slow runoff and keep water in the field, and TVNI’s standards document this. What has never been measured at scale is what happens to the crop beside a hedge: how yield changes with distance from vetiver, in which climates, on which soils, and for which crops. Farmers often say the crop is better near the hedge. GVF sets out to show where that is true, by how much, and why.
The Global Vetiver Farmer (GVF) Demonstration Program, launches today October 23], asks farmers and gardeners everywhere to make one simple set of observations once a year, at harvest: the crop at the edge of the hedge and at 2, 5, 10, 15 and 20 m away, on both sides. Every record uses the same distances and codes, so results from many farms can be combined as they build up, season by season. Old hedges are especially valuable: a clear near-to-far difference beside a hedge planted twenty years ago is the strongest evidence GVF can collect. For anyone thinking of using vetiver, there is no better way to see its results and benefits on their own land.
There are eight farm models, from basic contour hedges to kitchen gardens, food forests and plantations, each with a one-page fact sheet and a full guide. The forms come in 16 languages (French, Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Swahili, Thai, Indonesian, Filipino and Burmese are checked; Bisaya/Cebuano is new; others are being improved), and the GVF page can be read in any language through your browser’s translation.
Who can take part
- Farmers and gardeners with vetiver hedges or single plants near a crop, of any size, anywhere.
- One person, many sites. You do not need to own the land. Measure as many hedges as you like on one farm (different slopes, different crops), and, with the farmer’s permission, on other farms too. Register each farm once; its Site ID lasts for every hedge, season after season, much like TVNI’s Vetiver Systems project on iNaturalist.
- Vetiver Service Companies and master farmers who already plant and use vetiver well: show GVF to your customers and neighbors, and help them register.
- Communities: schools, farmer groups, NGOs, retirees and volunteers can adopt nearby farms and help at harvest. Universities and research centers can add detailed measurements at selected sites.
- Support: coordinators and activators in many countries, the #GVF WhatsApp group, plain-language guides, and forms that work on any phone, even without a signal.
Register now
You can register your site now, before the launch, even if your harvest is months away. Registration takes about two minutes; your GVF Site ID arrives by email and is ready for your first harvest record: Register your site.
Shortcuts: what to do
| Action | Where |
| Start here | The GVF page: vetiver.org/gvf. Everything is linked from it. |
| Register your site | Registration form, two minutes, once per farm. |
| Get the app | KoboCollect (free, Android app from Play Store) works offline and sends records later; instructions are in the box at the top of the GVF page. iPhone users use the web forms. |
| Choose your farm model | Farm Models Summary (1 page); fact sheets and full guides on the GVF page. |
| Record at harvest | SVH-1 harvest record (online), one per hedge or plant, or print the paper form. |
| Join the community | WhatsApp: #GVF for news, questions and results. |
| See the results | Open results and map, updated every hour. |
Key documents
| For | Document |
| Farmers and gardeners | Farmer Guide (web page) |
| Activators and volunteers | Activator Guide; Community Meeting presentation; How you can help activate GVF |
| Coordinators | Coordinator Guide |
| Research partners | Research Guide; Minimum Reporting Standard for Research; Data Dictionary |
| Everyone | Program Overview (web page) |
What happens to your records
Records are combined by TVNI and shown openly as results and a map. Names, email addresses and exact locations are never published, and photos are shown only with permission. GVF has no paid staff and no software costs: it runs on free tools, volunteers and partners. It starts from scratch and will grow season by season; the first summary of results will be shared once enough harvests are in.
This month: register your site, join #GVF, and share this post with one farmer, group or school that grows vetiver.
This program could be an exciting adventure for us all — and will benefit our communities, our land and our families – join us and lets share what we learn, and move forward together.
Dick Grimshaw and Jim Smyle – TVNI
Questions: [email protected]