At TEDxAmsterdam 2010 Peter Westerveld shared a simple but effective method to reverse desertification. It involves digging trenches in a consistent way so as to capture rainwater which would otherwise evaporate. The trenches allow water to soak down into the soil where it is stored below the surface. Short grasses quickly begin to grow, followed by larger shrubs and trees.
Contour trenching
Crops planted in hydrated area have a much better chance of maturing. The trick is to make maximum use of all the available rainfall.
SO WHAT’S NEXT?
The Naga Foundation is a Dutch non-governmental organisation that has embraced Peter’s concept and research. It’s their ambition to spread this ‘idea worth doing’ by turning it from a powerful story into a global campaign of action. The Naga team has already identified several projects in both East and West Africa that would benefit from this ingenious natural method of soil irrigation. The TEDx talk in Amsterdam has already profiled an area in Kenya where contour trenching has been tried out with great success. An item (in Dutch) on one of the public TV channels has also helped to explain what the project is all about.
Apart from the fundraising to make it happen, Naga became one of the five Ideas Worth Doing and has started brainstorming with the TEDxAmsterdam network so as to come up with the best strategy to build awareness in both social and traditional media.
Dennis Karpes and Paul Martijn from the Naga Foundation
Dennis Karpes has also joined the foundation. He’s no stranger to a challenge. He’s a genius at organising awareness events on a global scale. He’s probably best known as the co-founder of Dance4Life: a serious fun educational schools programme involving teenagers in the fight against HIV/AIDS. In less than 8 years, it has grown from an idea in South Africa to a live network of activities in 29 countries.
“I’m sure we can build a similar campaign to put the green back into areas of the world that need it most”, Dennis explains. “This method is the trigger to rolling back the deserts, especially with drinking water and food security becoming urgent issues in the news. We’re building an awareness campaign around a symbol everyone recognises – a spade. We’re currently brainstorming on the best slogan to go along with it – and we’ve already got some great ideas. Supporters will be able to see where their help is making a difference and we’re talking to satellite mapping companies to help us track the green shoots.”
The inaugural meeting with TEDxAmsterdam volunteer advisors took place in mid-June. They have already produced their initial feedback to Naga on the suggested next steps. This includes linking them to the growing TEDxAmsterdam network of knowledge and sponsorship. Some private support initiatives have already started to raise money, such as the Uhuru expedition starting in the middle of July. That’s a story in itself.
HOW CAN THE TEDXAMSTERDAM COMMUNITY HELP?
The Naga core team is developing a powerful campaign ready for launch on November 25th. We need writers and editors working with professional media titles to cover what we believe could become one of the most effective global marketing campaigns on this planet. We also need partners willing to donate advertising space so we can get the word out. The Netherlands is the test market for a lot of ideas – music, game show formats, designs…it is a long list. What we learn here can be adapted to encourage support from other countries. If you’d like to make a difference get in touch with Paul Martijn by emailing to info@nagafoundation.org before July 31st 2011.
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