多年生巨大叢生的禾本科植物培地茅，經由聯合國所屬世界銀行自1980年代起，為減緩全球年平均流失1 個半台灣面積的農耕土地，全力在熱帶第三世界國家推廣作為農地水土保持的綠色工程材料。培地茅草籬建立快速，同時對於各種環境的適應能力強，其地下部根系生長糾葛連接形成類似連續壁構造，地上部堅挺強硬的莖桿密實交錯形成類似籬笆構造，同時其生長點保持與地表一定距離，當有土石掩埋會配合自動抬昇，相對於傳統工程使用的材料如混凝土具有永續性的效果。台灣地區921 強震後引起大眾注意坡地水土保持的課題，培地茅適合在此類破壞地區，利用其優越的生長適應性與快速生長的特性，作為第一線的先驅植物物種，改善基本的植物生育環境，提高人工造林成功率或加速自然演替以建立地表植被覆蓋，達成水土資源保育的功能

The fast growing, giant clump grass, vetiver grass has been promoted for theapplication in the tropical third world for erosion control to slow down the annualloss of arable land in the magnitude of one and half the size of Taiwan island bythe United Nation through the funding of World Bank. The versatile adaptabilityof vetiver grass when grow in closer space will form strong hedge in the aboveground through the erect and dense shoots, while in the under ground the root willgrow entangled to form underground network to anchor the soil and thus stabilizethe slope. The crown of vetiver will keep a certain distance below the soilsurface when the sedimentation occur around the plant will make the crownupward growing thus make the hedge grow to match the raise of soil level. Thedevastating earthquake 921 has drawn public awareness of the issue of erosioncontrol in the slope of mountain. The application of vetiver in these areas willserve as the pioneer specie to improve the microenvironment to facilitate thefuture foresting or enhance the nature evolution process.