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Welcome to Vetiver Without Borders

Helping communities stabilize fragile land and manage water with vetiver.

VSF helps communities and local partners use vetiver to protect soil, water, and land in real conditions.

That work supports practical land restoration, local resilience, and solutions people can keep using on the ground.

Vetiver planted along a roadside to stabilize land and protect surrounding soil.
Vetiver Sans FrontieresSince 2019

Reported

A practical plant matters when it helps protect fragile land without heavy infrastructure.

What is vetiver?

A deep-rooted grass for soil and water protection.

Vetiver is a practical grass used around the world to slow runoff, hold soil in place, and make fragile ground easier to manage.

Aerial view of land being stabilized with vetiver hedgerows on a hillside.
Dense vetiver grass growing in established hedgerows, showing full root establishment.
Vetiver grass holding a steep eroded slope, demonstrating active soil erosion control.

01

Why it stands out

It is low-cost, resilient, and adaptable across many soils and climates, so the idea can travel without heavy infrastructure.

02

What it can do

Reduce erosion, stabilize slopes, improve infiltration, and protect roads, fields, and vulnerable land.

03

How VSF helps

We support education, site design, planting, and the follow-through needed to make the work stick.

04

What comes next

Visitors can learn, support a project, partner, or propose a new initiative once they understand the plant.

Proof points

Working references VSF uses to explain why vetiver can help.

Treat these as working references from donor and project materials. They are reported figures, not universal guarantees, and should stay labeled that way until a source link or validation is attached.

Aerial view of a vetiver field site showing land contours and hedgerow lines.

90%

Reported soil-loss reduction

A cited benchmark VSF uses to describe reported soil-loss reduction from vetiver hedgerows on vulnerable ground. Results vary by site and management.

70%

Reported runoff reduction

A cited benchmark used to explain how vetiver can help water stay where it is needed. Treat it as a reported reference, not a promise.

357 CAD$/ha

Cost reference

A planning reference for comparing vetiver-based work with heavier infrastructure; verify before broad promotion and keep it context-specific.

How vetiver helps

Reported outcomes from real field conditions.

Every figure is flagged as reported, cited, or a planning reference. Treat them as working benchmarks, not guarantees — results vary by site and management.

Reported

90%

Reported soil-loss reduction from vetiver hedgerows on vulnerable ground. Results vary by site and management.

Reported

3–5 m

Typical root depth observed in field conditions. That depth is what holds soil in place through heavy rain.

Planning ref

30+

Countries where vetiver is cited in land and water planning references.

RDC project hub

Vetiver in the Congo Basin

This hub turns a real field initiative into a public home for donors and partners. It keeps the story and support together while sensitive operating details stay in working docs.

Aerial view of degraded agricultural land — the kind of terrain vetiver stabilizes.

Support the work

Donations go toward field work, training, and local partnerships.

Canadian tax receipts available for eligible donations. Every contribution supports reported project outcomes.

Community members with vetiver slips ready for planting.

Partner with VSF

Propose a project, partner, or stay connected.

Organizations and field partners can reach out about proposed projects, cited planning references, or general collaboration.

Newsletter

Stay close to the projects on the ground.

Receive field updates, project stories, and important milestones from Vetiver Without Borders.

A concise way to follow progress without relying on social media.

Newsletter sign-up

Use the hosted form if it is available, or email us directly if it is not.

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