Project dossier

From acid sulfate soil at pH 2.5 to the first profitable vegetable crop — in 30 months, with data recorded every month.

For partners, organisations looking to replicate the model, and investors. Measured data, continuous field photography, and the mistakes as well.

Every figure is taken from the project's final report.

Capability

Thirty months, four stages

There was no breakthrough moment. Four stages back to back, each solving exactly the problem the last one left behind.

Stage 1 · Dec 2023 – Feb 2024
Infrastructure and subsoil remediation
Core infrastructure in place. Localised waterlogging dropped noticeably and the subsoil began to stabilise.
Stage 2 · Mar–Dec 2024
Biomass growth and organic matter build-up
Soil turned darker, looser and better at holding moisture. Beneficial microorganisms began to appear.
Stage 3 · Jan–Dec 2025
Stabilising the soil ecosystem
Almost a total loss, with only the first batch of green papaya sold in time. But earthworms and beneficial insects had increased markedly, and the infrastructure held where it mattered: no bank collapse, no bed erosion. Once the water drained, planting could start again without rebuilding anything.
Stage 4 · Jan–Jun 2026
Validating production capability
Harvested 2,750 kg of produce — the first profitable crop since remediation began.

The model

What one component throws away, another needs. This is also the basis of the soil remediation service being handed over.

Short-cycle vegetables
Cucumber, bitter melon, gourds, luffa, winter melon, okra. The fastest source of cash, and a steady supply of green residue for composting.
Fruit trees and perennials
Banana, pineapple, jackfruit, guava, coconut. A long-term harvest, an on-site source of organic biomass, and a windbreak canopy.
Livestock
Chickens, ducks, wild boar, goats. They supply manure to the whole system and eat crop residues instead of bought-in feed.
Aquaculture
Using the pond system already dug during acidity remediation. Pond water and silt go back to the crops instead of going to waste.
Compost and biological inputs
Compost, biochar and microbial inoculants, all made from the residues of the other components. This is the link that closes the loop.
Processing and storage
Raising product value and cutting post-harvest loss. Whatever is rejected at this stage returns as animal feed and compost material.

Roadmap

Figures say what happened. They do not say why someone took on land everyone had written off. That part is on the blog.