John Greenfield, veteran expert, about bio-engineering...
Post date: Sep 21, 2010 7:13:26 AM
... it is time we stopped talking about erosion control, measuring its effects in the tropics and invested in the natural vetiver system. Over the last fifty years it has proven itself without a reported failure.
On the average, vetiver costs only 30% of the simplest static systems to install; once established there are no maintenance costs, and it lasts decades if not centuries.
RULE of THUMB:
1 To control erosion, you must control runoff!
2 Don't tell farmers that you have come to show them how to conserve their soil, tell them that a simple way to increase their yields by 30 - 50% by planting vetiver hedges that will store the rainfall as moisture in their fields and this can even help in drought prooing their crops.
For more: http://greenfieldworld.blogspot.com/2010/05/soil-conservation-measures-comparing.html