Listed below are the main demonstration projects and the results achieved.
Several other projects have been started in different countries but the final results are not jet available. We are also missing some of the relevant statistics such as the size, the location, the rainfall precipitation in the area of the project.
Di seguito elenchiamo i progetti in cui è stato utilizzato il Vallerani System e i risultati ottenuti.
Di numerosi altri progetti intrapresi non sono stati ancora raccolti dati sufficienti per permettere la pubblicazione di un report.
Project using Vallerani System / Progetti utilizzanti il Vallerani System
1. Country/year Niger (1988)
- Location Tanout (Damergou, Province of Zinder)
- Project name Projet intégré de Réhabilitation du Damergou (PIRD)
- Financing agency Italian cooperation (FAI)
- Special plow used Delfino and Treno
- Treated surface 312 ha
- Rainfall (mm/year) from 200 to 230 mm
- Comments the machines were able to recover lands abandoned or too hard to be cultivated by hand. The results were astounding. The cereal production per ha increased three times (from the 400/500 Kg/ha of the traditional agriculture to 1000/1500 Kg/ha). Several species of seeds from local forest trees were sowed with more than 60% of germination. In spite of the results, the project has not been refinanced.
- Documentation – the project report
- il programma di sviluppo rurale integrato nella regione saheliana (Istituto Italo-africano, 1992)
2. Country/year Niger (1989 – )
- Location Tera, Tillabery, Ouallam)
- Project name Project Agro-Sylvo-Pastoral (PASP)
- Financing agency GTZ-GIZ (German cooperation)
- Treated surface more than 150,000 ha
- Rainfall (mm/year) average rainfall 250 mm
- Special plow used 5 Delfino
- Comments: the work was performed on abandoned lateritic soil on the plateaux area. As a result fodder production increased 200 to 400% . Mainly depending on population’s envolvement, after more than 20 years working with the ploughs, about one third of the area has returned degraded, one third gives interesting results and one third has become a lush green earth surface.
3. Country/year Marocco (1989)
- Location Oujda
- Project name Pasture improvement
- Financing agency Arbores Morocco (Ministry of Forestry)
- Treated surface 500 ha
- Rainfall (mm/year) 200 mm
- Special plow used Delfino
- Comments: the calcareous and unproductive soils have been restored and as a result, the fodder production improved 200 to 400%.
- Documentation Ministry of Forestry
4. Country/year Egypt/Sinai (1988 – 91)
- Location El Maghara (Northern Sinai)
- Project name Integrated rural development in Northern Sinai
- Financing agency Italian cooperation
- Treated surface 850 ha
- Rainfall (mm/year) 60 mm
- Special plow used Delfino
- Comments: the pasture improvement was substantial. Both seed planting and transplanting of fruit trees (including olives) were successful under very arid conditions.
5. Country/year Niger (1996)
- Location Maradi
- Project name FAO/NER/90/016
- Financing agency FAO
- Treated surface 70 ha (in the Dan Kada Dodo forest)
- Rainfall (mm/year) 250 mm
- Special plow used Delfino
- Comments Due to the difficulty of digging holes by hand, after three years of project less than 2.000 seedlings had been planted instead of the 20.000 initially foreseen.
Mr.Vallerani was asked to demonstrate the potentialities of his special plow. In 23 hours the plow dug out 15,000 micro basins and the trees planting followed by hand.
- Documentation Vallerani Mission Report FAO
Following this intervention, the State Minister of the Environment of Burkina Faso, used the “Delfino” plow obtained by the Niger government and experimental activities for the plantation of Acacia Senegal in the villages of So, Mone-So, Bodol and Sintao could be implemented.
The results obtained convinced the State Minister of BF to ask FAO to introduce the Vallerani technology in the FAO project for food security in Burkina Faso (see project 9 below).
- Documentation GPC/RAF/303/ITA
6. Country/year Senegal (1997 – 98)
- Location Saint Louis
- Project name GPC/SEN/035/NED (PROWALO)
- Financing agency FAO
- Treated surface 322 ha
- Rainfall (mm/year) 220 mm
- Special plow used Delfino
- Comments Forest rehabilitation with direct sowing of forest trees seeds and pasture improvement were conducted in the Walo lands.
- Documentation Prowalo report of the 18.11.98
7. Country/year Tunisia (1997 – 98)
- Location Kairouan/Sousse
- Financing agency Swiss agency for Development and Cooperation
- Rainfall (mm/year) 250 mm
- Special plow used 2 Delfino, 1 Treno
- Comments Following the request of the Ministry of the Environment one Vallerani special plow was used to demonstrate environmental rehabilitation. Due to the excellent results obtained, a year later two other plows were financed.
8. Country/year Syria (from 1997)
- Location ICARDA Research Center
- Financing agency ICARDA/CGIAR
- Treated surface
- Rainfall (mm/year)
- Special plow used Delfino
- Comments Having witnessed the demonstration activities in Tunisia, ICARDA, the CGIAR Research Center in charge of the development of arid lands, bought a Delfino plow to be used in the research station in Syria.
9. Country/year Burkina Faso (1997 – 1998)
- Location Titao, Djibo, Aribinda, Sabori
- Project name Foret et sécurité alimentaire en Afrique sahelienne GCP/RAF/303/ITA
- Financing agency FAO
- Comments The excellent results achieved in improving cereal production, pasture yields and tree plantation, caused a very high increase of requests from the surrounding rural communities for interventions with the Vallerani System (for more than 2000 ha). Due to the limitations of the project the requests could not be accommodated.
- Documentation – FAO project reports
- Article on “ONU Programme”, the Information magazine of the UN (Dec. 1998)
10. Country/year Chad (1998)
- Location Mao (Kanem)
- Project name Projet-pilote de Lutte contre la Désertification (PPLCD)
- Financing agency IFAD (with Italian and Swiss funds)
- Treated surface 1998: 550 ha (in 50 days); 1999: 170 ha
- Rainfall (mm/year) 250 mm
- Special plow used 1 Delfino, 1 Treno
- Comments The pilot project has been undertaken to protect the Kanem Villages, Oasis and the lake Chad from the advancing desertification.
Since the main cooperation agencies had failed in their intervention efforts to stop desertification, an intervention with the Vallerani System was programmed. The very significant results obtained with the VS in cereal and fodder production justified the refinancing of the project for another two years and the purchase of a second Technical unit, composed by a tractor and a Delfino plow.
- Documentation IFAD reports
11. Country/year Burkina Faso (1999)
- Location Gorom-Gorom
- Financing agency ADRA/DANIDA
- Treated surface 600 ha
- Rainfall (mm/year) 400 mm
- Special plow used 1 Delfino, 1 Treno
- Comments The rehabilitation of about 100 ha of degraded land (initially with machines borrowed from the FAO project) resulted in the ADRA purchasing its own equipment.
- Documentation ADRA/Burkina Faso
12. Country/year Burkina Faso (1999)
- Location different areas of the country
- Financing agency Ministry of the Environment
- Treated surface
- Rainfall (mm/year) 200/300
- Special plow used 2 Delfino, 2 Treno
- Comments Four special plows were purchased on the basis of the very positive results obtained by FAO & ADRA projects (see project 09 and 11) in 1997 – 99.
- Documentation to be requested to the Ministry of Environment
13. Country/year Burkina Faso. (2001)
- Location Salmossi
- Project name Giovani ticinesi in Burkina Faso
- Financing agency fundraising by the 10th class of the Rudolf Steiner school of Origlio (Lugano) CH
- Treated surface 500 ha
- Rainfall (mm/year) 480 mm.
- Special plow used 1 Delfino
14. Country/year Burkina Faso (2003 – 2014)
- Location 13 villages in the Oudalan province
- Project name “Deserto Verde Burkinabé”
- Financing agency “Deserto Verde Burkinabé”, swiss association
- Treated surface 3400 ha (up to September 2013)
- Rainfall (mm/year) 200 – 300 mm
- Special plow used Delfino
- Comments Due to the excellent results achieved, the project has been extended from 1000ha to 3500ha. The tree germination is up to 95%, wild animals such as rabbit, hedgehog, antelope, snakes and many insects reappear after decades. Biodiversity, environmental and human conditions improve significantly.
- Documentation www. desertoverde.ch
Article on: Bois et forets des tropiques, 2010 N° 304 (2)
15. Country/year Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Sudan, Kenya, Sénégal (2004 – 2006)
- Project name The Acacia Operation Project (AOP) (GTFS/RAF/387/ITA)
- Financing agency Italy, Trust Fund for food safety and food security, with FAO
- Treated surface Senegal: 3.660 ha; Burkina Faso: 2.465 ha; Niger: 2.175 ha;
Chad: 395 ha; Sudan: 2.180 ha; Kenya: 285 ha
- Rainfall (mm/year) 150 mm – 350 mm
- Special plow used 6 Delfino, 6 Treno
- Comments The main objective of the project are: – to strengthen analytical and operational capacity in six pilot countries; – to face food security and desertification problems through community-based actions; – to rehabilitate dry lands and establish agro-sylvan-pastoral systems, giving particular attention to the sustainable management of local resources.
All goals being achieved, FAO prepared in 2009 a new project: “Rehabilitation of Degraded Forest for Food Security, Desertification Control Environmental Conservation, and Adaptation to Climate Change” affecting also Kenya and Ethiopia. The funding provides US$ 30,986,182 for the first five–year phase (out of a ten-year program)
16. Country/year Syria and Jordan (2004 – 2006)
- Project name The Vallerani Water Harvesting Project
- Financing agency CGIAR – Swiss agency for Development and Cooperation – ICARDA
- Treated surface
- Rainfall (mm/year) 186 mm
- Special plow used 1 Delfino
- Comments Results have been so impressing that ICARDA prepared a new project involving also: Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria and Mauritania. This project is being presented to different underwriters for fundraising.
17. Country/year China (2005 – 2009)
- Project name Project for the Afforestation of a Pilot area in the Autonomous Region of Inner Mongolia with application of the “Vallerani System”
- Financing agency Academy of Forest Inventory and Planning of the State Forestry Administration, China
- Treated surface Foreseen 1.000 ha, realized 3.200 ha
- Rainfall (mm/year) 180 mm – 280 mm
- Special plow used 2 Delfino; 1 Treno
- Comments Letter of 5th novembre 2007 by the General Director Of the Accademy of Forestry Inventory and Planning, State Forestry Administration of China, Li Zhongping to the Italian Ministry of Environnement, Land and Sea and the Sino-Italian Cooperation Programme for Environmental Protection, Project Management Office: “Sino-Italy cooperation project for the Afforestation of a Pilot Area through the application of the “Vallerani System” Technology in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has been prosecuted for two years. Under the great support of Italian parts, the afforestation activities have been successfully implemented in pilot areas. In comparison with the traditional methods, the results show that “Vallerani System” technology has function of deep, rapid cultivation and rain collection, with economical and practicality characters. The trees survival rate has been increased 30-50%, cultivation rate has been increased 1000 times and the cost of afforestation has been decreased 4 times. The System can be used in various types of land in pilot areas. Up to now, the System has been used in 1.986 ha of afforestation and sped up forest and ecosystem construction. Local government and people hope that the “Vallerani System” Technology can be used in afforestation projects to combat desertification. The “Vallerani System” Technology is successful in Inner Mongolia… This will not only contribute to the combating desertification for China, but also for the entire world…”
- Documentation Technical report 2007, 2008, 2009, final report 2010 by Prof Wang Junhou.
18. Country/year China (2009 – )
- Project name Project for the Afforestation of the region of Hulumbeir
- Financing agency Autonomous Region of Inner Mongolia, China
- Treated surface 1.000 ha,
- Rainfall (mm/year) 180 mm – 280 mm
- Special plow used 1 Delfino
- Comments
19. Country/year BF(2010 – )
- Project name Essakane
- Financing agency IAM Gold
- Treated surface 2.000 ha/year for the duration of the mining contract
- Rainfall (mm/year) 200-300 mm
- Special plow used 1 Delfino
- Comments
20. Country/year Marocco(2011 – )
- Project name Pasture improvement, Bouarfà
- Financing agency UNIDO
- Treated surface 3500 ha
- Rainfall (mm/year) 200-300 mm
- Special plow used 1 Delfino
- Comments: the project is having great success by local population that are now organising themselfs into cooperatives to go on applying the VS after the end of UNIDO’s project (dec. 2015)
21. Country/year China (2012 – )
- Project name Pjlot Project for the Afforestation with the new plow Delfino3 of the region of Hulumbeir
- Financing agency Autonomous Region of Inner Mongolia, China
- Treated surface 300 ha, up to June 2012
- Rainfall (mm/year) 180 mm – 280 mm
- Special plow used 1 Delfino3
- Comments
22. Country/year Madagascar (2013 – )
- Project name Tozzi Green
- Financing agency Private company Tozzi
- Treated surface 120 ha, up to August 2013
- Rainfall (mm/year) 800 mm – 1.000 mm
- Special plow used 1 Delfino3
- Comments: The Agro Energy Production Project of the Italian company Tozzi had foreseen the processing of 5000 hectares/year for the cultivation of Jatropha. As a result of the problems encountered in the previous cultivation of the plant, in 2013 the processing has been reduced to experimental jatropha fields for 100 ha and 20ha of reforastation.
