Water hyacinth is a free-floating perennial aquatic plant. The leaves may rise above the surface of water as much as 1 meter in height. They are attractive when they bloom.
Water hyacinth makes an excellent, organic fertiliser. Soils enhanced with water hyacinth become more fertile and conducive to agriculture. In fact, compost made with hyacinth seems to perform better than factory-made chemical fertilisers.
Water hyacinth consumes nutrients, as it decays those nutrients are released back into the soil (including the essential nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium elements desired in soil additives). Water hyacinth also improves soil texture due to its fibrous qualities.
As flood waters recede after the rainy season in Gorongosa Park it is easy for workers to collect the drying hyacinth left behind.
In the next step, our agricultural team will turn the hyacinth into compost which we will give free to local farmers. The employees pictured here include former combatants. This is part of our Peace Clubs initiative, wherein we create opportunities for these individuals and their families – as a component of our overall human development activities for the approximately 200,000 people who live near Gorongosa Park.
To summarise the benefits:
-It removes the invasive water hyacinth from Gorongosa Park;
-Creates a natural, organic fertiliser (chemical fertilisers can harm the environment over the -long-term, for example, by polluting ground water);
-Provides free compost to local farmers, increasing their yields;
-Creates employment for individuals, some of whom are former combatants. environment.
