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This report has been prepared by Diego Schiavon for the management
board of the La Primavera agricultural cooperative.
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Executive summary
This report presents the Groasis waterboxx and can be used by the members of the management board to
form an opinion about the device. It consists of ten sections, covering the history of the device, its
components and usage, some suggestions about the installation, the available test results and a concluding
evaluation
The first three sections present the historical background of the waterboxx from the prototype stage to the
present, a physical description of the device and a general explanation of the principles used to design it.
Drawings of the device and graphical illustrations of its usage are included as well.
The fourth section lists the single components of the device and their function, and provides some
graphical illustration of how the waterboxx is to be assembled. The fifth section expands on the previous
one, lists the different steps necessary to install a waterboxx, provides some brief suggestions about
planting materials and strategies, and concludes with instructions about removing the device.
Section 6 describes the data collection techniques and experiment designs to be used when testing the
waterboxx, with some practical suggestions about the experiment setup. Section 7 lists some of the
species used in the past for test purposes, and the countries where these tests have taken place. The
evidence gathered from the tests is briefly evaluated in section 8.
Section 9 evaluates the compatibility with organic regulations, both at a national and supernational level,
and concludes that the waterboxx is most likely to be suitable for organic farming, although the
cooperative technical service and the certifying agency should be contacted to confirm this.
Finally, a general evaluation and a recommendation is presented in the conclusion.
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Table of contents
Introduction
1 About the waterboxx
2 A short description
3 Waterboxx: the concept
4 The components
5 Using the waterboxx
5.1 Soil preparation
5.2 Orientation
5.3 Laying the paperboard
5.4 Planting the seedlings
5.5 Placing the water tank
5.6 Mounting the waterboxx
5.7 Final preparations
5.8 Removing the waterboxx
6 Logging procedure
7 Experiments
8 Test results
9 Suitability for organic farming
10 Conclusion
1
2
3
4
5
6
6
6
6
7
7
7
7
8
9
10
10
11
12
References
13
Addenda
Item I: International Groasis waterboxx plantings 2010/2011
Item II: the AquaPro pricelist
I
II
IV
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Introduction
This report has been requested by the management board to establish whether the cooperative should use
the waterboxx, a device to farm without irrigation. The wateboxx has recently received media attention
as a device that makes it possible to farm marginal, arid lands: this is of importance in the light of
increased competition on the market and lower food prices.
The present report is a collection of available information about the Groasis waterboxx, its history,
components, usage and applications. The members of the management board should use this report to
form an opinion about the product. An assessment of this product is provided in the concluding section.
As described in the report, the waterboxx is a device that could prove useful on the chalk- and sulphaterich fields of our Southern members, as well as improve water drainage on our peach, apple and pear
fields in the North. However too few test results have been published, and therefore it is the
recommendation of this report that this product should not be used until more data become available.
The Cooperative could discuss the possibility of carrying out their own tests with the support of the
Technical Service.
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2 A short description
The waterboxx is a circular water tank made of
plastic with a radius and height of 25 cm. It is
covered by a corrugated plastic sheet slanting
inwards towards the center, where a tubular
opening allows for the planting of one or two
seedlings. The sheet covers a circular tank to be
filled with water.
Along the tubular
opening
are
two
small
pipes:
the
plastic
sheet
is
supposed
to
sequestrate
water
from the atmosphere
in the form of
condense,
which
then slides towards Fig. 3 A drawing of the waterboxx
as shown on the AquaPro website.
the central tubular
opening and reaches the water tank through the
small pipes.
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Page 4
4 The components
The waterboxx
components:
consists
of
seven
different
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
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6 Logging procedure
AquaPro encourages individuals and institutions to
experiment with the waterboxx and make their
results public. To this end, a section of the website
is dedicated to collecting information and making
it accessible to third parties. Registered users can
submit their data to the AquaPro database.
In order to make results comparable, AquaPro
recommends a standard procedure to gather
results. Next to information about place, local
climate conditions, soil quality and species, data
can be entered about temperature and relative
humidity.
In particular, AquaPro recommends to use two
electronic loggers, one to be exposed to the outside
air but not to sunlight, for example under a roof,
and one inside the water tank. The logged data can
then be uploaded to the website at the address
http://testform.groasis.com/. Additionally, a soil
thermometer can be used to log soil temperature.
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7 Experiments
The Groasis website claims that the waterboxx has
been tested in the United States, the Netherlands,
Morocco, Spain, France and Kenya. The range of
species is quite large, ranging from fruits and
vegetables plants like grapes (Vitis vinifera) and
squash (Cucurbita pepo), to hardwood species like
holly (Quercus ilex), bushes and bio-fuel plants
(Jatropha spp.).
AquaPro claims that some of the tested plants have
medicinal properties: Warburgia ugandensis is
supposed to cure malaria and Moringa oleifera is
supposed to cure AIDS16. However, the
AgroForestry Tree Database puts these claims17,18
into question, and a study by the German GTZ
questions Jatropha's value as a bio-fuel crop19. A
full list of the species used in 2010/2011 can be
found in the Addenda at the end of the report.
Pipes Canyon and Preserve Whitewater, in WestSahara with the cooperation of the University of
Agadir, and in seven Spanish provinces with the
cooperation of the University of Valladolid20. The
website does not specify which provinces.
The waterboxx was used for landscaping and
urban landscaping purposes at the Port of Sohar in
Oman and for regreening purposes at sites owned
by the Union Minera del Norte, a Spanish coal
mining company. Further plantings are mentioned
in Ecuador, Mongolia and India, but the website
does not expand on these claims21.
8 Test results
The weakest point in the Groasis waterboxx
project is the lack or peer-reviewed evidence and
publicly accessible data. Very little detail is
provided about experiment design and results.
Whatever results are available are of dubious
significance: for example, regarding the planting
for Minera del Norte, Mr. Hoff claims that
"although Spain had one of its hottest summers in
2010 the planting experiment showed a result of
over 95% success ratio"22, with no further
elaboration.
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An
article
from
the
Dutch
magazine
Groenten&Fruit Actueel shows an organic farmer
using the waterboxx in a greenhouse29, so we could
conclude that using the device does not breach
organic regulations. However the article raises
more questions: no dew can develop at the almost
constant temperatures inside a greenhouse, so one
has to wonder about the added value of the
waterboxx.
If the Council is to decide to proceed with our own
field tests, our certification organization ICEA
should be contacted for clarifications as well.
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10 Conclusion
Mr. Hoff's invention seems to be quite promising: many of our eroding fields in Southern Italy could
benefit from it, and it could be an improvement over gravitational irrigation for our fruit fields in the
North. Members planning to upgrade their watering systems to sprinklers or drip-irrigators could combine
those systems with the waterboxx. The cooperative members could certainly benefit from reduced
irrigation costs and improved soil quality. However the waterboxx cannot be recommended for extended
usage at the present stage: too little test results are available.
Among the good sides of the product are the sound understanding of root growth and the thorough
troubleshooting and design improvements over the years. Positive reviews in the press and by prize
committees are encouraging, and the product does not violate any EU and national organic standards,
although the Technical Service could be contacted for further clarifications on this point.
What really is missing are peer-reviewed test results and references from the academic and agronomical
community; without those, the waterboxx should not be introduced. The cooperative should instead wait
for more conclusive research or carry out its own tests.
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References
1
Hoff, P. (2009) CO2, a gift from heaven. 2nd ed. Eburon, Delft, the Netherlands.
Holland (2007) AquaPro Project Presentation [online] Available at:
<http://groasis.com/download/aquapro_project_presentation.pdf> [Accessed 13 September 2011].
5 AquaPro Holland (2007) Press Presentation [online] Available at:
<http://groasis.com/page/uk/publications.php> [[Accessed 16 September 2011].
6 Eburon Academic Publishers (2010) Eburon-Auteur wint prestigieuze BtaDragons prijs [online]
Available at: <http://www.eburon.nl/eburon_auteur_wint_prestigieuze_beta_dragons_prijs>
[Accessed 16 September 2011].
7 Popular Science (2010) The best of what's new 2010 Grand Awards [online] Available at:
<http://www.popsci.com/bown/2010/awards> [Accesses 16 September 2011].
8 AquaPro Holland (2010) Technology / Stimulus [online] Available at:
<http://groasis.com/page/uk/stimulis.php> [Accessed 16 September 2011].
9 Hoff, P. (2009) CO , a gift from heaven (p. 82). 2nd ed. Eburon, Delft, the Netherlands.
2
10 J. L. Andrade Dew deposition on epiphytic bromeliad leaves: an important event in a Mexican tropical
dry deciduous forest, Journal of Tropical Ecology (2003), 19: 479-488.
11-12 AquaPro Holland (2010) Technology / Principle [online] Available at:
<http://groasis.com/page/uk/principle.php> [Accessed 16 September 2011].
13 "Sowing." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation [online] Available at
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sowing> [Accessed September 16 2011].
14 AquaPro Holland (2010) Technology / Planting materials [online] Available at:
<http://groasis.com/page/uk/material.php> [Accessed 16 September 2011]
15 AquaPro Holland (2010) Manual [online] Available at:
<http://testform.groasis.com/upload/manual_en.pdf> [Accessed 16 September 2011].
16 AquaPro Holland (2011) International Groasis waterboxx plantings 2010/2011 [online] Available at:
<http://groasis.com/download/species.doc> [Accessed 16 September 2011].
17 AgroForestry Tree Database, Warburgia ugandensis [online] Available at:
<http://www.worldagroforestry.org/sea/products/afdbases/af/asp/SpeciesInfo.asp?SpID=1699>
[Accessed 16 September 2011].
18 AgroForestry Tree Database, Moringa oleifera [online] Available at:
<http://www.worldagroforestry.org/Sea/Products/AFDbases/AF/asp/SpeciesInfo.asp?SpID=1169>
[Accessed 16 September 2011].
19 Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH (2009) Jatropha Reality Check,
GTZ Regional Energy Advisory Platform (East Africa), Nairobi.
20 AquaPro Holland (2011) Advanced overview of plantings [online] Available at
<http://groasis.com/download/overview_plantings.doc> [Accessed 16 September 2011].
21 AquaPro Holland (2011) Press / Photo library [online] Available at
<http://groasis.com/page/uk/photoalbum.php> [Accessed 16 September 2011].
22 AquaPro Holland (2011) Experience in gravel in Oman and mine spills in Spain [online] Available at
<http://www.groasis.com/download/Groasis%20waterboxx%20introduction%20for%20the%20recovery%
20of%20mine%20spills.doc> [Accessed 16 September 2011].
23 AquaPro Holland (2011) Technology / Research [online] Available at
<http://groasis.com/page/uk/research.php> [Accessed 16 September 2011].
24 AquaPro Holland (2011) Experimental results [online] Available at
<http://groasis.com/page/uk/exp_results.php> [Accessed 16 September 2011].
2-4 AquaPro
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Regulation (EC) 2007/834 of 28 June 2007 on organic production and labelling of organic products
and repealing Regulation (EEC) No 2092/91, OJ L 189, p. 1 of 20.7.2007.
26 Bio Austria Verein zur Frderung des Biologischen Landbaus
(2010), Produktionsrichtlinien Fassung September 2010 [online]
Available at: <http://www.bio-austria.at/content/download/28687/207257/file/Richtlinien_2010.pdf>
[Accessed 20 September 2011].
27 Bio Suisse (2011) Bio Suisse Standards, Edition of 1.1.2011 [online] Available at: <http://www.biosuisse.ch/en/library/import/standards.php> [Accessed September 20 2011].
28 Soil Association (2011), Soil Association organic standards for producers, revision 16.4 June 2011
[online] Available at:
<http://www.soilassociation.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=ic4qKgG2aiM%3d&tabid=353> [Accessed 20
September 2011].
29 Visser, P. (2011, September 6) Tomaten plukken in woestijnbestendige teelt. Groenten&Fruit
ACTUEEL, p. 19.
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Addenda
Item 1: International Groasis waterboxx plantings 2010/2011
Item 2: the AquaPro pricelist
Page I
FRANCE
Maple - Acer monspessulanum
Boxwood - Buxus serpervirens
Mastic - Pinus halepensis
Evergreen - Pistacier lentiscus
Mahaleb cherry - Prunus mahaleb
Laurestine - Viburnum tinus
KENYA
Plant resources:
Biodiesel - Jatropha spp.
Neem tree - Azadirachta indica
Prostrate - Prunus africana
AIDS - Moringa oleifera
Malaria - Warbugia ugandensis
Acacia species:
tortilis
mellifera
hockii
seyal
xonthophloea
Trees with timber value:
Menu oak - Vitex keniensis
Elegon teak - Olea welwitschii
African cedar - Junipera procera
Fruits - climbers and runners:
Strawberry-Fragaria virginiana
Passion fruit - Passiflora edulis
Fruits - trees:
Orange - Citrus sinesis
Mango - Fera indica
Lemon - Citrus limon
Pawpaw - Papaya crica
Avocado - Persea americana
Oil plants
Palm oil - Elaeis guineensis
Rape - Brassica napus
Soya - Glycine max
Date palm - Phoenix dactylifera
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Legumes
Beans - Phaseolus spp.
Black beans - Lablab albus
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