Inga comes to Eden

Mike Hands is working with the Eden Project to create a demonstration of Inga alleys in their rainforest biome. The  biome already has an exhibit demonstrating the effects of slash and burn, with an area of burnt and blacked tree stumps, so to demonstrate sustainable solutions that can halt the devastation caused by slash and burn Eden are keen to install an area of Inga alley cropping right beside it. They have prepared a space for the new exhibit and have already planted the pineapple plants which they want to grow within the alleys. The Inga trees that will make the alleys are currently seedlings in quarantine at Eden’s nursery site in St Austell. Only 3 weeks old and already 6in high, the young Inga have had an adventurous start in life. Mike collected the seeds on his last trip to Honduras in March. The seeds were picked and shelled on the Tuesday, Mike flew home on the Wednesday and by the time they reached Eden on the Friday morning the Eden specialist who examined them was amazed to see that they were already starting to germinate, despite having spent hours in a freezing aircraft hold!

The young trees have to stay in quarantine for 6 months, but as soon as their times up in October they will be transplanted into the tropical biome to form the Inga alley demo area. Alongside the alleys, Eden will install information boards explaining how the Inga system works to stop deforestation and describing how we are using the system in our work in Honduras.

If you want to know more then check out what Eden had to say about it in their blog; “Seeds of a solution for rainforests“.