Vetiver Roots as a temporary carbon sink, China Vetiver Network publications, Vetiver and Women, & Vetiver and Regenerative Ag – a bi-national program (NL-2024-07)

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Vetiver Roots as a temporary carbon sink

Source: Wilson, B., Daniel, H., and Baldock, J.A. 2022. Functional Links between Biomass Production and Decomposition of Vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides) Grass in Three Australian Soils. Plants 2022, 11(6), 778; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11060778

In the broader discussion of the Vetiver System’s relevance in managing the impacts of climate change, this author’s view is that the focus should be on VGT applications for climate change adaptation, with greatest urgency being to support rural communities and smallholder and rainfed farmers in the Global South,  followed by protecting vulnerable lands and making critical infrastructure climate resilient.  Still, there is a great deal of interest in the role that Vetiver might play in climate change mitigation, and how that role could be leveraged to generate carbon bonds for placement in the global carbon markets. The following is offered as an input to that ongoing discussion.

In TVNI’s June 2023 Newsletter we shared Dr. Rattan Lal’s presentation on Vetiver and carbon sequestration and related that to a discussion of how Vetiver might be viewed in the current carbon markets. That latter discussion concluded that Vetiver’s contribution to the stable fractions of soil organic carbon (SOC) would be eligible* but that “The current framework for [temporary carbon storage in] biomass is focused on woody biomass (both above and below ground) from trees, not from grasses. Existing standards for nature-based approaches define carbon pools as including above-ground woody biomass, below-ground woody biomass, dead wood, litter, soil organic carbon, and long-term wood products. Despite Vetiver’s high potential to both produce biomass and to store biomass carbon over time frames similar to that of “market eligible” trees in agroforestry or reforestation schemes, because it is not “woody” it is not clear that it can be recognized under current criteria”. Since that was written, some interesting developments have come to our attention.

In particular, the EU’s recent (February 2024) carbon removal certification scheme recognizes, among others, “temporary carbon storage from carbon farming, such as restoring forests and soil, wetland management, seagrass meadows”. This carbon farming concept moves past the traditional focus on woody biomass (trees) and reflects the growing interest in non-woody species and their potential for carbon sequestration, especially in soils and root systems. For Vetiver, this framework may well offer opportunities.

Vetiver’s aboveground biomass, used as mulch, will increase soil organic matter (SOM) and, over time, some smaller fraction of that should become a stable form of SOC. As Dr. Lal noted, the likely rate of accumulation of SOC would be on the order of one metric ton per hectare per year*, to which the mulch would contribute. Vetiver’s belowground biomass, on the other hand, could be another story entirely.

We know that Vetiver has a very large root mass and available data suggests that Vetiver’s root biomass is roughly equivalent to its aboveground biomass. Left in the ground, Vetiver roots would represent a significant, temporary carbon store. Further, as Vetiver’s lifespan can be measured in decades – there are plants known to be over 100 years old – the duration of that temporary store can be much longer than the minimums currently being considered by the EU, where “Temporary carbon storage from carbon farming  and soil emission reduction activities must last at least five years to be certified”. As yet, however, there are no widely approved methodologies for certifying carbon bonds based on the roots of non-woody species. Still, there already exists a solid foundation in soil carbon measurement and ecosystem modeling that could be adapted for developing such methodologies.

In recent discussions initiated by the Ithaka Institute for Carbon Strategies, they confirmed that under current frameworks certifying soil organic carbon would be complicated and cost prohibitive. However, in their opinion certifying the carbon stored in Vetiver roots is straightforward, faces no major methodological challenges, and could be developed as an annex to the Global Tree C-sink standard. Because at present we know too little about belowground biomass and root dynamics (e.g., longevity, turnover and decomposition rates, etc.), field studies would be required to collect information about Vetiver’s root mass over time, and across some minimum range of climates, soil types and management regimes.

We also need to bear in mind that if one wishes to account for and obtain credits for temporary carbon storage in the root biomass of Vetiver in a farming system, you must look at the entire farm’s production system to estimate not just the accumulation of carbon, but also carbon losses from the farm management practices (e.g., emissions from biomass burning, from fossil fuels, emissions from fertilizer applications, etc.). As such, the most straightforward opportunities are more likely to come from applications, such as slope and riverbank stabilization, where the Vetiver is planted and maintained over some eligible time period.

Perhaps even Vetiver plantings for essential oil production might be an option. Assuming that in the cultivation of Vetiver for essential oil where the roots are normally harvested only to a depth of 30-50 cm that the same parcels are replanted following harvests, this would leave in place the root mass below that depth, which would then notionally be replaced by the next Vetiver crop and so provide a certain “permanence” to the root biomass below harvest depth. The veracity of this assumption would first need to be verified, and then the magnitude and permanence of the root biomass below the harvest depth. In countries that have significant domestic production of Vetiver oil (e.g., Brazil, China, Dominican Republic, Haiti, India, and Indonesia), perhaps those interested in Vetiver carbon farming might wish to test this idea?

The Ithaka Institute, which has developed an accounting system for temporary carbon sinks that calculates their global cooling potential over time, believes that the average root biomass of plants such as Vetiver could be included relatively easily. And that while the benefits to the farmer in terms of potential income from carbon sales would be much less than for geological carbon sinks, it still might be significant. We will keep you informed should anything develop with the Ithaka Institute.

* As noted by Dr. Lal, we do not have the data on Vetiver and its longer term contributions to SOC. Until and unless we do collect that data, conservatively we should expect Vetiver’s contribution to be similar to that of most tropical grasses, including Miscanthus and Switch grass. The estimated rate of SOC sequestration for these is about one metric ton per hectare per year.  Assuming the width of a Vetiver hedgerow was one meter, 10 km of Vetiver hedgerow might garner a bit less than US$25 in carbon credits at 2023 prices in the Voluntary Carbon Markets, which averaged US$6.53/ton CO_2e (or US$23.97/ton C). This would be equivalent to less than US$0.04/yr for each slip planted. That amount could largely defray the cost of the planting material, especially in countries like India where supply is more abundant and planting material costs are lower (example), but it is hardly an amount that would translate into an incentive for the widespread and large scale planting of Vetiver.

Vetiver books, publications, and printed matters produced by China Vetiver Network

The following was contributed by Liyu Xu, the Coordinator of the China Vetiver network. The full document may be found here.

Under the guidance and leadership and multiple support from The Vetiver Network International (TVNI), China Vetiver Network was established in 1996.  For researches, applications, and extension of vetiver system China Vetiver Network produced a lot of materials for distributions in addition to invite visitors to look at different demonstration models in situ to receive substantial and practical recognition. This paper is to generally introduce Vetiver books produced by China Vetiver Network, mainly for academic dissemination.

1. Alternatives to Slash-and-Burn Agriculture published by China Agricultural Scientech Press in both Chinese (pp.200) and English (pp.246) in 1995, editors Liyu Xu, Yuanzhang Yang, and Jinghui Qin. It is a proceeding of International Symposium on Alternatives to Slash-and-burn agriculture supported by International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF). The book contains 5 chapters and initiates a new era on Vetiver-based agroforestry research and development  and multiple projects for decades in China.

2. Vetiver Research and Development published by China Agricultural Scientech Press in 1998, editor Liyu Xu.pp.192. The book contained 4 chapters. The book introduced about 10 years experience of vetiver research and development in China since its introduction in 1988.

3. Vetiver System and its Research and Applications in China, published by Yatai International Publishing Co., LTD in 2003, editors: Liyu Xu, Changpu Fang; Ming Wan，Charles P（Todd） pp.128. The book contains 10 chapters, and was published in both Chinese and English, having over 100 color photos.

4. The Theory and Practice of Vetiver System published by China Radio and Television Publishing House in 2008, editors: Liyu Xu and Hanping Xia, pp.241. The book contains 4 chapters.

5. Research and Applications of Vetiver System published in 2016, editors: Liyu Xu and Hanping Xia. pp.235. The book contains 6 chapters.

In addition to academic books, many other printed matters were produced for training or extension purpose by China Vetiver Network. They are:

• Vetiver Newsletters contain 27 Volumes with 81 issues, covered 28 years so far since 1997， about 2-3 issues each year in average. It introduces recent development of the technology in China and in the world and multiple activities of China Vetiver Network, such as vetiver system based agroforestry projects in Anhui, Hubei, and Guangxi Provinces in the recent years since 2000.
• Fact Sheets introduces substantial applications of vetiver technology for water and soil conservation. They also include the introduction and extension of nitrogen-fixing trees and multiple uses of trees and shrubs. They are produced mainly for less educated people.
• Postcards: It very briefly introduce vetiver technology and its applications for
  wide distribution especially during new year season.
• Booklets and Printed Materials: Some special training materials were prepared based on local natural condition and the needs of multiple projects. Some training materials came from famous development institutions at home and abroad. These printed extension and training materials have adequate illustrations, diagrams and pictures to promote understanding of visitors, less-educated farmers, and primary school students in particular.
• Vetiver grass: The hedge against erosion is the famous one produced by World Bank/ The Vetiver Network International (TVNI). It was translated into Chinese and printed for at least 3-4 times, mainly for the implementation of vetiver based agroforestry projects. The most effective application was using vetiver for economic tree growth and protection in order to improve farmers economy and living condition, in addition to conserve soil and water of slope land and hilly area.
  For more specific use some other similar booklets were produced and wide distributed such as:
  Vetiver for tea production;
  Vetiver for chestnut production;
  Vetiver for mulberry tree production.
  Many other economic trees such as loquat, pear, peach, etc. were included. These
  booklets not only pay atension to economic tree production but also focus on how to use vetiver hedges to promote tree growth through preserving soil and water.
• Photo gallery and exhibitions were shown at reception hall, classrooms, and meeting halls and to give visitors and trainees vivid impressions in general.
• Posters: The printed and well-arranged posters with numerous photos and vivid drawings were prepared for attendants to put on their walls to strengthen their memory and extension purpose.
• Play book: produced for Children’s Drama performance, focusing on erosion control and environmental protection with vetiver, aiming at popularizing vetiver science among children. It was performed by children and teenage students and tell deep scientific theory with simple words and interesting performance. Tests showed that it is extremely welcomed by children and teenagers and their parents.

Is there anything that makes Vetiver more relevant to women than men?

In a recent discussion on the promotion and expansion of the Vetiver System amongst smallholder farming communities, that women play a major, if not a majority, role in smallholder agriculture in many parts of the world was a central topic. Worldwide, an estimated 50% of smallholder farmers are women. The question then arose “Is there anything that makes Vetiver more relevant to women than men?”. This question was put to several of the women leaders in the Vetiver Network, and here are some of the thoughts coming from Elise Pinners, Jane Wegesa, Yorlene Cruz, and Marietta Isabel Landis.

1. Labour. Women farmers generally have less access to labour than men farmers, making it more difficult for women to mobilise the heavy labour needed for physical soil contour bunds (fanta juu). Vetiver hedges are a stronger, less labour demanding and more sustainable alternative. And associated to that:
2. The byproduct of leaves for handicraft is of particular interest to women.
3. In African society, we have a patriarchal system, where land belongs to men and everything in it! This has hurt a great population of women where they have been left with children and not enough land to sustain them. This has contributed immensely to environmental degradation because of over exploitation and unsustainable means of natural resource utilization. In villages in Africa, women fetch firewood for cooking and for selling, they fetch water, they find food, fruit and anything edible to keep their children alive! Women watch over the livestock, pasture them, water them, find medication when sick, multiply them, but they can’t sell the livestock because they belong to the men! In most communities, women build houses, tend to the crop but everything belongs to the men! Land degradation is mostly contributed by women in search of materials for use or sale. But as much as women can be destructive and contribute immensely to degradation, they are also the best asset for bringing the change. Once they understand the effects of destructive activities and degradation, they are ready to change. So, with the small pieces of land they get, Vetiver has great value to women!
4. Many women…in the patriarchal system of land tenure…generally [have]much more limited rights to own/use land. They may have rights to farm, but this is limited to annual crops…tree planting is not allowed…[nor, in in some cases] physical structures. With Vetiver hedges the limitations do not apply because – although it is a perennial – it is not a tree, and there are no limitations linked to Vetiver especially.
6. Working with communities in semi-arid and arid regions, I see the following mentioned as most relevant to women living in rural communities or refugee settlements and Vetiver comes in handy in many aspects. I am training rural women to establish kitchen gardens to become food secure, improve nutrition and health of families, sell surplus for income and as a means of saving on unnecessary expenditures, which is being embraced well. Vetiver is a great tool in kitchen gardening.
   
   • For making briquettes to replace firewood to thatching houses
   • Water treatment
   • Soil and water conservation
   • Mulching to retain moisture in soils,
   • Making baskets, mats, and other crafts for income
   • Fodder
   • Pest control
   • Women can’t to heavy work of digging trenches, but can plant Vetiver on contours
   • Vetiver toilet and bathroom
   • Water pans stabilization and silt control
7. Women play a fundamental role as guardians of the land and water. In this context, both the work of women in the Vetiver Network and the women producers they work with represent an act of care and connection with the land, but also an example of resistance and empowerment. Their dedication to agriculture not only contributes to economic livelihoods, but also promotes food security and sustainable development in their communities.
8. To answer properly, you must contextualize the conditions and challenges that women face due to the absence of policies and therefore concrete actions from the institutional sphere that respond to the problems faced by women; centralization (in the capital) of the few institutional resources available to women; the patriarchal conception that discriminates against and underestimates women’s decision-making capacity in matters of economic and communal interest; low representation of women in Development Associations, Health Committees, Education, infrastructure, at the head of companies and in general in decision-making positions; and in rural contexts – even more than in cities – the role of subordination and lack of power in decision-making of women in their family environment; the devaluation of unpaid work (both in the home and in agriculture); and the absence of community-based organizations that facilitate the struggle and influence in the defense of women’s rights. [Now] I will give the example of the Association of Peasant Families (AFACAPA/Costa Rica) and other  community-based organizations (e.g., MUSADE and the Network of Micro Producers) that have been making a difference for women in vulnerable conditions, and with whom we have been working. The majority are women who are heads of household and smallholders who own their plots, and being a micro producer in our realities is not an easy task. That is why at “Sistema Vetiver Costa Rica” we have been weaving a network – not of workers on our farms – but of “owner-partners”, some of whom are older adults who before Vetiver lived in situations of extreme poverty, but who today are agents of change and an example of resilience both in their family and community environments. [Note, the economic development aspects are from two sources primarily: wages and salaries paid by Sistema Vetiver Costa Rica to their workers, and from propagation of Vetiver for public infrastructure stabilization projects, handicrafts, production and sale of organic fertilizers, improved agricultural productivity, connection with produce markets amongst the communities they work with].
9. We live on the Mountain and Vetiver will hold the soil during rainy season. I have a project with the community.  I provide Vetiver  slips, as much they can put on their property. After 2 years they can supply slips as an small business. Just like I started. I teach them how to use Vetiver as thatch so they can make their roof. I teach them how to do handicraft. There is a kind of admiration for the plant.  The fragrance. The  shapes or forms when you cut it. The strong roots. The beautiful green. The way the plant moves with the wind.

In summary, some of the aspects of Vetiver that are more relevant for women include:

• In many parts of Africa, its compatibility with traditional tenure arrangements, i.e., planting Vetiver does not threaten the traditional, male-dominated tenure systems under which establishing perennial crops (e.g., trees) or building sol conservation works implies gaining land rights.
• Women tend to be more concerned with conservation and environmental health, so not only do they encourage the men to plant Vetiver but they themselves find it less physically demanding to use.
• The benefits from use of biomass (handicrafts, mulch, animal feed, thatching), which reduces their labor demands from ranging further afield to collect biomass.
• Economic benefits accruing to women thru Vetiver-related activities which empower them both in their household and community, and they tend to invest their earnings in family well-being.
• Vetiver does not require or presuppose reliance upon external assistance to be useful, thus women’s marginalization in “official” agriculture and environmental management policies and programs is not a barrier to entry.

We would be very interested to hear from more of you, should you have something to contribute on this question of “Is there anything that makes Vetiver more relevant to women than men?”

A bi-national (US and Mexico) Regenerative Agriculture Program with Vetiver

The following is from Jess Mayes of Terra Advocati, a US-based non-profit that, among others, is a co-founder of the Huasteca Regenerative Agriculture Center in Mexico.  The Center focuses primarily on land and watershed regeneration by providing an outdoor laboratory for experimentation, research, and demonstration for local, regional, and international collaborations.

Terra Advocati has been actively forming alliances in Mexico and Texas, particularly focusing on Vetiver Systems. In 2022, they co-founded the Huasteca Regenerative Agriculture Center, which is now the largest grower and only demonstration site for Vetiver in Central/Northeastern Mexico. The center aims to mitigate erosion, soil degradation, drought, and waterway contamination through simple, demonstrable techniques. Collaborations with local small holder farmers and international researchers/universities further Vetiver conservation research. This year they are wrapping up a 2 year US Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) Scientific Cooperation Research Grant with Texas State University, focusing on Vetiver’s use for pollution mitigation in tributaries flowing into the Gulf of Mexico.

Late last year the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), St. Philips College, and Terra Advocati were awarded a USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant for Hispanic Serving Institutions, leading to the formation of the Coalition for Regenerative Ecologies & Agriculture (CREA) program in partnership with UTSA and St. Phillips College in Texas, and Estampa Verde, Vetiver Roots Technology, Las Cañadas, and Rancho San Ricardo in Mexico. This program emphasizes Vetiver Systems, Yeomans Keyline Scale of Permanence, agroecological systems, and biodiversity in agriculture and is hosted in Mexico by Antonio Carrillo Bolea.

A highlight of this program is the 3-year, all-expenses-paid study abroad component in Mexico for local college students, who will also work as interns with local organizations, like the San Antonio Food Bank, Gardopia Gardens, and Garcia St. Farm to develop regenerative practices that incorporate the Vetiver System.

Terra Advocati has also supplied Vetiver to local groups and organizations in San Antonio through small grants, support, and collaborations. In April, they established a nursery in the Texas Hill Country with Bryan Hummel of Water Ranching TX.

This month, they collaborated with Drought Proof TX, Water Ranching TX, and William R Sinkin Eco Centro to install 4 acres of water harvesting swales at Garcia St. Urban Farm, owned by Opportunity Home (formerly San Antonio Housing Authority). Vetiver Systems will be integrated into the farm’s orchard, with hopes to see more use on other Opportunity Homes properties.

On a personal note, I am excited about our collaborations with the San Antonio Food Bank at Mission San Juan Farm. Vetiver in UNESCO sites and national parks. Note: The San Antonio Missions were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015, and they are also National Historical Parks in the US National Parks system