James Karuga reports on pilot projects using the Groasis Waterboxx in Ethiopia and Kenya.

A planting technology that is helping reforest dry regions in Europe, and that reduces water use per plant by 80%, is being piloted here in Africa. The Groasis Waterboxx (GWB) has helped restore 18,000 trees in northern Spain’s arid rocky region of Zaragoza where temperatures rise to over 40 degrees centigrade. Now, it is being tested in Ethiopia and Kenya. The two country projects are using the GWB to replenish dry land with indigenous vegetation acclimatized to that environment. According to its inventor, Pieter Hoff, the biodegradable GWB facilitates the planting of tree seedlings at any time of the year, anywhere, regardless of the climate.

Pieter Hoff (left) meeting Arnold Schwarzenegger at the Green California Summit in Sacramento in 2010.

To use the GWBs successfully, first crooked root seedling systems are pruned so that only a straight vertical root is left. This conditions the seedling to develop its root system vertically downwards after transplanting. In order to limit water evaporation, all leaves are pruned from the seedling causing it to concentrate all its energies in root development. The planting hole is filled with 30 litres of water the night before. To ensure vital micro organisms are not disturbed only the soil for the planting hole is dug. After the seedling is planted, the GWB which is the size of a bucket with a top lid, a wick and a space to store water, covers the young seedling. The covering provides an environment that mimics nature and allows young trees to grow in dry lands. Daily, the wick releases 50 ml of water – just enough to stop a seedling from withering and to “encourage” it to develop a deeper root system for tapping underground water. The young tree seedling remains covered until the leaves begin to show.

According to Hoff, the appearance of the leaves indicates the young tree’s tap root is developed enough to reach moisture in the soil. The period the tree is covered by the GWB ranges from 6 months to over one year, depending on the regions’ climate. In 90% of cases, tree seedlings stay covered for a year but in dry conditions some exceed two years. When the GWBs are taken away, rocks, hay or small branches are placed around the young tree to absorb excess heat.

In Ethiopia, the pilot project with the GWBs is taking place in the Wukro region in the north, 900Km from the capital Addis Ababa. The main livelihood of the 500 households that are participating is bee-keeping. The region has scarce vegetation and limited rainfall because of past degradation of natural resources by the local inhabitants. With the aid of the GWB, mango trees, shrubs to attract bees and vegetables are being introduced, according to Dr Aklilu Habtu, the director of the Institute of Paleo-environment, Mekelle University. “They are valuable and have significant market value,” he said. According to Dr Habtu, plants that needed 20 litres of water daily utilize almost a similar amount for nine months when the GWB is used.

In northern Kenya’s arid Shanta-Abaq, the 400 GWBs have helped establish Acacia trees and the Indian Plum fruit trees since the trial started in February 2011. High-yield tomatoes used in a local school feeding programme also been introduced, according to Abdi Zeila of the Centre for Sustainable Developments Initiatives (CSDI), a Kenyan non-governmental organization. “In Shanta-Abaq, we have had a 67% success rate,” he said. The trials are being conducted on land that was without trees and received an average annual rainfall of just 150mm. Strong winds are causing the GWBs to fill with silt, which has prompted the use of improvised wind breaks being introduced and the location of some seedlings behind school buildings which act as wind breaks.

To ensure poor farmers are motivated to reforest and invest in the US$15 that the GWBs cost, the project concentrates on reforesting with fruit tree varieties. Hoff said, “I’ve identified 71 fruit tree varieties that grow in dry places.” Currently there are over 100,000 GWB in use worldwide since their commercial release in 2010. “They are in all dry places in the world,” said Hoff.

● James Karuga is an award-winning print journalist from Nairobi, Kenya. He reports on agriculture, green energy, health and entrepreneurship.