VETIVER GRASS TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION
CONTAMINATED LAND & WATER
A Tool for Individuals and Commmunities
Vetiver grass provides a low cost means to adapt to the challenge of climate change – an overview
VETIVER PLANTS - SUPPLIERS
OTHER USES OF VETIVER GRASS
The Vetiver Network International (TVNI) is a global nonprofit dedicated to promoting the Vetiver System and its core nature based Vetiver Grass Technology (VGT)—Chrysopogon zizanioides—to restore degraded land, conserve water, protect infrastructure, and build climate resilience. Through a decentralized network of volunteers, practitioners, researchers, and community leaders in over 100 countries, TVNI empowers local solutions to global challenges.
We advance sustainable development by applying vetiver grass technology across diverse landscapes—from farms and flood-prone slopes to polluted sites and urban infrastructure—delivering practical benefits such as erosion control, soil regeneration, disaster risk reduction, and economic opportunity through handicrafts and biomass.
Founded in 1995 by Richard Grimshaw, TVNI builds on World Bank-supported research and a scientific foundation rooted in hydrology, soil mechanics, and plant ecology. Our open-source, volunteer-driven model fosters collaboration, innovation, and knowledge sharing—without central management or paid staff.
TVNI supports the achievement of key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Clean Water (SDG 6), Climate Action (SDG 13), and Life on Land (SDG 15), while offering accessible educational resources, field-tested guides, and community-driven success stories.
TVNI history, achievements and time line presentation
Vetiver Grass Technology (VGT) for Engineered Slopes: A Fully Integrated Bio Hydro Mechanical Stabilization System
“Use geofabrics only when risk demands it — vetiver does the heavy lifting.” “Why pay 5 times more for geofabrics when vetiver does the real work?” “Vetiver isn’t vegetation — it’s bio‑engineering that stops slope failure.” Across the world’s highways,...
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Why the Vetiver System Is a Breakthrough in Biological Pest Control
Across the tropics and subtropics, farmers face a tightening squeeze: rising pest pressure, declining soil fertility, unpredictable rainfall, and the escalating cost of chemical inputs. What the new Vetiver System biological‑control module makes clear is that a single, elegant solution—vetiver...
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Thirty Years of The China Vetiver Network: Achievements, Impact, and Lessons for the Future
Liyu Xu, China Vetiver Network Coordinator, and his team from The National Institute of Soils (Nanjing), as well as many others, notably Xia Hanping (South China Institute of Botany), Lu Zhong-Xian (Institute of Plant Protection and Microbiology, Zhejiang Academy of...
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