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Creating a sea farm: low-technology solutions
In Eritrea, mangroves thrive in estuaries (which are
aquatic environments where fresh and salt water meet)
but do not grow in coastal areas where there is only
salt water. Dr. Sato discovered that mangroves don't
grow in these coastal areas because the ground in these
regions lack three important minerals: nitrogen, phosphate,
and iron. To remedy this situation, Dr. Sato devised
a method that slowly releases these three minerals into
the soil over a three-year period.
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Women in Hergigo filling bags
with fertilizer |
Fertilization: Dr. Sato's method
involves putting fertilizer (containing nitrogen, phosphorus,
and iron) in a bag that is punctured with holes and
then placing the bag underneath a mangrove tree. To
make sure that the trees were being fertilized in a
sustainable and environmentally safe way, a series of
tests were conducted at the Massawa Research Station.
These tests were used to determine what the proper ratio
of ingredients in the fertilizer should be and how many
holes the bags should have so that the optimum amount
of fertilizer would be released into the soil.
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Manzanar employees demonstrate
how to plant seedlings |
Example of young mangrove tree,
Rhizophora Mucrunata, growing at Massawa Research
Station |
Dr. Sato shows slide projection
of dried seeds |
| Planting: To develop a
low cost method of planting, The Manzanar Project conducted
a series of trial planting experiments and came up with
a simple way to protect mangrove seeds that have been
planted along the coast. With nothing more than a tin
can (left over from the army base), two metal rods, and
a metal screen, seedlings are protected from the high
and low tides. Using this method, it now costs approximately
50 (US) cents to plant one seedling. |
Leaves: Although the leaves
of the mangrove have a lot of protein which helps keep
livestock alive during a drought, it does not provide
all the nutrients that are needed by livestock to be healthy.
Over the last several years, the Project has been developing
ways to increase the nutritional value of the leaves by
adding low-cost supplements. The mangrove trees can now
be used as a complete diet for livestock. In the future
the Project will also be looking for ways to use different
types of seaweed to add important minerals to livestock
feed. |
Seeds - In addition
to the leaves, The Manzanar Project has developed a
way to store the mangrove seeds so that they can be
used at a later time when needed. They discovered that
if they dry the seeds in the sun, they won't accidentally
start to root on their own and can be stored stored
throughout the year. If the seeds are not dried, they
cannot be stored. |
| What is a mangrove? A
mangrove is a tree that has adapted to high and low
tides in aquatic areas using special roots. Most plants
have roots that cannot survive in the muddy ground where
mangroves grow because it is hard for roots to breathe
in this type of environment. The roots of mangrove tress
have special spongy cells that absorb air and become
inactive during high tide.To avoid being buried as the
mud rises, the roots grow straight up above the ground
Throughout the world there are 90 species of mangrove
trees. Today, mangrove forests grow all over the world
and are one of the most productive and bio-diverse wetlands
on earth. In addition to protecting coastal areas from
wave erosion and storms, mangroves provide habitats
for up to 70 percent of all fish found in tropical and
subtropical waters as well as a wide variety of wildlife
including invertebrates, mammals, reptiles, amphibians,
and birds. Mangroves once covered 75 percent of the
coastlines of tropical and subtropical countries. Today,
less than 50 percent of these forests remain. The loss
of mangrove forests is the result of coastal development
that include the building of shrimp farms, new houses,
and tourist resorts. |
Manzanar employee sits in field
of mangroves |
Dr. Sato Onboard
Before arriving in Eritrea, Dr. Gordon Sato and his
wife Josett, accompanied Peace Boat on the six-day voyage
from Sri Lanka to Eritrea to discuss The Manzanar Project
and other work that Dr. Sato is developing. With his
quick observations, charming personality, and series
of informative lectures, Dr. Sato quickly became a popular
personality onboard the ship. In one talk, Dr. Sato
pointed out that people in developing countries use
significantly fewer resources as compared with people
in developed or industrialized countries. For example,
in terms of water usage, he explained that, “in
the United States, people use 300 gallons (1136 litres)
of water a day. In Eritrea, three gallons (11 litres)
would be enough, but the people can’t even get
that much.”
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Dr. Sato with Peace Boat participants
and staff after lecture |
In the developing world, Dr. Sato explained,
low technology solutions, like The Manzanar Project,
can be easily implemented to have an immediate and positive
impact on people’s lives. As a strong believer
in the idea that, “simple solutions can be found
for complex problems,” Dr. Sato pointed out that
in the future he hopes, “other scientists doing
basic laboratory work will turn to practical work to
help people.” Emphasizing his vision of the future
he said, “The model of The Manzanar Project can
be expanded to developing countries all over the world.”
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“The Mangrovers”
To help support the ongoing research of The Manzanar
Project, a group of Peace Boat participants formed a
group which they called “The Mangrovers”
in order to help raise money for the Project in the
week prior to arriving in Eritrea. After several days
of committed fund-raising onboard the ship, The Mangrovers
were able to raise enough money to plant nearly 2,000
mangrove trees, which will hopefully contribute towards
greater food security and food sustainability for the
people of Eritrea.
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“The Mangrovers”
present the mangrove fundraising campaign to participants
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Interviews with members
of The Mangrovers
Q. Why did you become part of The Mangrovers?
Fumiko Koike
A. I love trees. I feel the number of trees on
earth is being threatened, so I want to plant
as many trees as possible.
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Yukie Yajima
A. I wanted to increase the amount of green on
our planet.
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Satsuki Ochi
A. I wanted to be part of something that
brings a solution to a place even after I leave
the ship. Also, I have always liked mangroves because
they grow in the ocean and are homes for fish. |
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