At a glance 1 min

Do you know how to plant without irrigating?

Do you know how to plant without irrigating?
Do you know how to plant without irrigating?

At first sight, the waterboxx is not much to look at: it seems to be nothing more than an ordinary rectangular plastic (polypropylene) bucket with a hole in the middle through which a tree can be planted in the ground.
But don’t be fooled…it may not appear to be anything extraordinary, but the objective of its Dutch inventor, Pieter Hoff, is far-reaching: to regenerate arid, eroded and rocky areas by planting trees, bushes and vegetables.

The "Groasis Waterboxx" is the size of a motorcycle tyre, open in the middle, which is positioned so as to surround a shrub or a seed planted in the soil. This "intelligent water incubator" captures water from condensation and rain without using any energy source. It also prevents water from evaporating from the ground and protects roots from the sun, wind, weeds and rodents. After a year, the tree is strong enough to grow on its own and the box can then be removed and reused.
The "Groasis Waterboxx" was tested in the Sahara Desert between 2006
and 2009, and then on more than 30 other sites around the world in 2010, with conclusive results. The box will be available from January 2011. 

It was voted best invention of the year for 2010 by the American magazine Popular Science. (http://www.popsci.com/bown/2010)

More information
http://www.groasis.com/

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