Difficulty: Challenger (Level 2)
Small mats of human hair line the base of plants in orchards around the South American country of Chile. This helps lock in moisture for crops that have been struggling with drought for years.
Mechanical weaving turns the hair into sheets and discs of compostable mulch. The hair reduces direct evaporation by 71 per cent and saves up to 48 per cent of irrigation water. This information is from the Matter of Trust Chile foundation, which makes the hair mats.
Mattia Carenini is the CEO of the foundation.
“Hair is very interesting. It contains nutrients, nitrogen, calcium, sulphur and organic matter that is added to the soil, improving it and enhancing plant growth and agricultural production by at least 30 per cent,” Carenini said.
The foundation was started in 2020 to promote conservation through the creative use of waste. The hair is sourced from 350 salons and 10 pet groomers in Chile. About 2 per cent of the hair in the mats comes from pets.
Maria Salazar is a farmer. She said the hair helped get excellent crop yields from lemon trees in Taltal. This city in the dry Antofagasta region is about 900km north of Chile’s capital.
“The hair mats are a benefit to the system and water stress we’re facing,” Salazar said. “By providing shade, they maintain a lot of humidity and prevent the sun’s rays from evaporating the little water we have.”
