Re-Earth
Re-Earth is an Enactus’ student-founded and student-led project that empowers Kiribati communities to build self-reliance and prosperity by taking sustainable agriculture initiatives.
The Problem
Kiribati, a small island country in the Pacific Ocean, currently faces foreign food dependency and water contamination issues, both of which lead to severe health concerns.
The root of these problems?
A lack of quality and affordable produce because of insufficient amount of farmable land.
The soil in Kiribati is sand, making it nearly impossible to grow produce.
After a needs analysis, we decided that the best way to help the people of Kiribati is to teach them how to grow their own produce. But there was still one problem…
So how do you turn sand into soil?
Our Solution
A 3 Phased Approach
Cover Crops
Nutrient Recovery
Water Systems
Our Stats
Using cover crop technology, we increase the nitrogen content in the soil by 1,110%! Kiribati soil is mostly sand and contains almost no nitrogen. By adding nitrogen, we improve soil health and can grow produce.
Our advanced drip irrigation systems save 70% of water by using a measured amount of water for each plant. This means equal production with less water usage.
Our cover crop rotations are designed to increase soil fertility, which then increases crop production. By doubling our field size and improving soil fertility, we will increase crop production by 110%.
Education
Not only are we changing the soil in Kiribati, we are also providing an in-depth education system at our agricultural center in Marakei! We have developed a farmer’s manual in English and the Kribati language to teach best farming practices specific to Kirbati. We implement a train-the-trainers method, meaning the farmers we train then train the next farmers. We have 23 trainers who are currently applying and teaching the principles they’ve learned.
Our train-the-trainers model is another way our project is sustainable.
Our Impact
In a country with no farming, we have created a sustainable system that the people of Kiribati will be able to run independently and use in the future, creating a positive lasting impact on their health as well as their economy.
PEOPLE
We are teaching health classes and helping people change their diets to fight the Kiribati diabetes epidemic.
PLANET
We are changing Kiribati sand into soil and decreasing freshwater contamination.
PROSPERITY
By introducing a whole new market to Kiribati, we are creating brand new jobs across the country.
PEOPLE
We are teaching health classes and helping people change their diets to fight the Kiribati diabetes epidemic.
PLANET
We are changing Kiribati sand into soil and decreasing freshwater contamination.
PROSPERITY
By introducing a whole new market to Kiribati, we are creating brand new jobs across the country.
Man on the Ground
Eritai is a BYUH alumni and is our main connection on the ground in Kiribati. Originally, he learned to farm at BYU-Hawaii. Eritai currently lives on the island of Tarawa, where he runs a hydroponics business. He has benefited our team by updating us with pictures and information of the project on Marakei and connecting us to approximately thirty other people.
Eritai Katebwei
Our Partners
Together we are changing the world
English