Transforming Deserts into Green Landscapes and Combating Water Scarcity!
Desertification, which has been rapidly spreading in recent years, has caused substantial changes in our worldwide environment. The far-reaching consequences of this ecological process have left an indelible imprint on both biological systems and the human populace.
However, a visionary leader and his team have emerged to tackle this ecological challenge head-on. Desert Control, under the guidance of President and Group CEO Ole Kristian Sivertsen, is spearheading a groundbreaking initiative to combat desertification, soil degradation, and water scarcity.
With their innovative solution, farmers can now significantly increase crop yields, promote carbon uptake, and reduce water consumption by up to 50%. This not only enhances agricultural productivity but also addresses water constraints in drought-prone areas.
Desert Control has garnered international acclaim for its relentless efforts to combat desertification and restore degraded land. Sivertsen’s unwavering commitment to environmental sustainability has inspired a team of experts, driving innovation in climate-smart agri-tech solutions.
Their mission goes beyond financial gain. They aspire to regreen the Earth, halting and reversing the effects of desertification and soil degradation. At the heart of their success lies their flagship product, Liquid Natural Clay (LNC), a critical tool in restoring balance to endangered ecosystems, breathing new life into barren regions, and securing a sustainable future for generations to come.
As Desert Control’s impact continues to grow, so does the significance of their work. Their reach extends across continents, targeting arid regions in Africa, the Middle East, and areas afflicted by soil degradation in Asia and the Americas. Desert Control is transforming the landscape of the fight against desertification with its game-changing technology and unwavering dedication.
Join us as we delve into the world of Desert Control, exploring their groundbreaking technologies, the impact of their work, and the vision that drives them!
Can you share a brief background about yourself and what motivated you to embark on this sector?
I am Ole Kristian Sivertsen, President and Group CEO of Desert Control. My career was grounded in the technology, telecommunications, and satellite services sectors for many years, where I served in various senior executive roles. However, I have always harbored a deep respect and passion for nature, the environment, and sustainable practices.
My professional background allowed me to gain a unique perspective on the environment and our planet. My experience in the satellite services industry offered me an opportunity to observe our planet from space. Looking at Earth from space was truly eye-opening. It brought into stark view the accelerating rate of desertification, loss of fertile lands, the impact of droughts, and the escalating problem of water scarcity. I realized we often become too close to the problems to see them. Observing the planet from this vantage point enabled me to visualize our enormous environmental challenges.
The crucial turning point in my life was when I spent time with the humanitarian organization Mercy Ships in Douala, Cameroon. Here, I saw how the creation of hope could transform communities, particularly in regions where environmental neglect and the devastating impacts of climate change were all too apparent. This powerful experience ignited a spark within me. Witnessing the positive ripple effects of hope created by the team at Mercy Ships inspired me to become a ‘hope maker’ and climate optimist.
These experiences profoundly influenced my decision to jump into the impact startup sphere. It led me to Desert Control, a company whose mission of “Making Earth Green Again” strongly resonated with me. Since joining the company, I have dedicated myself to combatting soil degradation, desertification, and water scarcity. My driving force is the belief that by harnessing the potential of people, the power of humanity, and the genius of nature, we can address the pressing environmental issues threatening our planet. I am committed to creating a sustainable and resilient world, and this commitment informs every step we take at Desert Control.
Can you brief me about your company and its inception story?
Desert Control’s Liquid Natural Clay (LNC) was invented by Kristian P. Olesen, who was originally inspired by an intriguing phenomenon he observed in Egypt. He noticed that the historically fertile lands of the Nile Delta, which had been cultivated for thousands of years, had turned into desert. Research linked the cause to the building of the Aswan dam, after which the nutrient-rich mineral sediment carried by the Nile remained behind the dam and no longer enriched the land along the river.
The key to the Nile Delta’s fertile soil was its high clay and mineral content. Clay particles, being smaller and having higher surface charges compared to sand, can hold onto water and essential nutrients more effectively. The idea of manually adding clay to sandy soil to improve its fertility is resource-intensive, costly, and time-consuming. So, Kristian P. Olesen set out on a mission to find a practical, efficient, and scalable solution. This mission led to the inception of Desert Control and the development of our patented Liquid Natural Clay (LNC) technology.
The unique technology behind LNC transforms clay into a liquid state that can be sprayed and applied to sandy soil and desert. This approach significantly enhances the water-holding capacity of the soil, reduces water usage, and improves the soil’s fertility. The inspiration and lessons learned from the fertile lands of the Nile Delta played a significant role in the creation of our company and the development of our innovative LNC technology. Today, Desert Control is dedicated to leveraging this innovation to combat desertification, enhance water conservation, and boost agricultural productivity across the globe.
How do you ensure that your products/services are environmentally sustainable?
Sustainability is at the core of Desert Control’s operations and product development. We have a multifaceted approach to ensure that our Liquid Natural Clay (LNC) technology is environmentally sustainable.
- All-Natural Ingredients
- Reduced Resource Consumption
- Preservation of Soil Health
- In-situ Production
- Efficient Utilization of Raw Materials
- Emission Reduction
- Mitigation of Desertification and Land Degradation
How do you measure the impact of your company’s eco-friendly initiatives?
- At Desert Control, measuring the impact of our eco-friendly initiatives is central to our mission. We employ a comprehensive approach that evaluates both the immediate and long-term effects of our solutions.
- Water Conservation: As a scarce and critical resource, water conservation sits at the top of our priority list. We measure the reduction in water usage in the areas treated with our LNC technology.
- Soil Fertility Improvement: A direct outcome of our technology is improved soil health, so we track key indicators of soil fertility over time in treated areas.
- Crop Yield Increase: Greater yield per unit area and per input metric (efficiency) is a fundamental measure of our success, driving economic benefits for farmers and food security for communities.
- Energy Consumption Reduction: Lower energy use for irrigation aligns with global efforts to reduce carbon footprints and mitigate climate change impacts.
- Reduction in Use of Agricultural Inputs: Reduced reliance on fertilizers, chemicals, and other inputs leads to cost savings for farmers and less environmental contamination.
- Carbon Sequestration: We measure the increase in organic carbon content in treated soils, contributing to the global carbon budget.
- Biodiversity Regeneration: Healthy ecosystems have diverse species, and our efforts contribute to the regeneration of biodiversity in treated areas.
- Climate Resilience: Resilience to changing weather patterns, especially in vulnerable agricultural systems, is a key factor in sustainable development.
- Soil Erosion Reduction: We monitor changes in soil structure that reduce the risk of erosion, which is key to maintaining long-term soil health.
- Improved Farmer Livelihoods: We track economic and social indicators to understand how our technology impacts the livelihoods of farmers and their communities.
Each of these metrics is significant, and our goal is to make a positive impact across all these areas through the implementation of our LNC technology.
How does your company generate revenue while staying environmentally conscious, and what challenges have you faced in balancing profitability with sustainability?
At Desert Control, revenue generation aligns perfectly with eco-friendly initiatives. We offer our customers a solution that not only helps them transition to a more sustainable form of agriculture or land management practice but also improves their bottom line.
Liquid Natural Clay (LNC) helps to transform desert and sandy soils into fertile, productive, and water-conserving land. This not only reduces water usage by up to 50% but also boosts crop yields. These savings and improvements translate into tangible economic benefits for our customers, which makes our solution attractive and profitable. In fact, the initial investment in LNC typically pays for itself within 1 to 3 years through enhanced productivity and reduced resource consumption.
Moreover, by helping our clients transition to more sustainable practices, we contribute to broader environmental goals such as biodiversity regeneration, improved soil health, and reduced energy consumption in irrigation and farming practices. These environmental improvements, in turn, increase the long-term value of the land, bringing further economic benefits to our clients.
The challenge lies in striking a balance between achieving profitability and ensuring sustainability. However, at Desert Control, we have turned this challenge into our strength by designing a business model where sustainability and profitability reinforce each other. The immediate return on investment from improved resource efficiency and enhanced yields, coupled with the long-term benefits of environmental sustainability, make our solution a win-win for us, our clients, and the planet. Our mission is to make it profitable to be sustainable, resilient, and climate-smart, and we believe this approach will drive the change we need to see in the world.
What are your long-term goals for your eco-friendly business, and how do you plan to achieve them?
Our long-term goal at Desert Control is to be a significant contributor to the global fight against desertification, soil degradation, water scarcity, and climate change. We aim to transform arid and semi-arid regions into sustainable, productive, and biodiverse landscapes, playing our part in promoting food security and water conservation along with the regeneration of biodiversity on a global scale.
We plan to achieve our goals through the following strategies:
- Scale Up: We aim to scale up our operations globally, starting with gaining a solid foundation in the United States and the Middle East and reaching out to governments, farmers, and agricultural businesses worldwide. We believe our technology has universal application, and by increasing our footprint, we can help combat desertification and water scarcity in regions that need it the most.
- Continual Innovation: We plan to continue our research and development efforts to further optimize our LNC technology and find new, even more effective ways of restoring fertility to desertified soils.
- Collaboration and Partnerships: We’ll continue to strengthen and expand our strategic alliances with environmental NGOs, agribusinesses, research institutions, channel partners, and eco-startups. These partnerships will help us integrate our solutions into broader sustainability efforts, maximizing our impact.
- Policy Advocacy: We intend to actively engage with policymakers and environmental bodies globally to advocate for policies that promote the adoption of sustainable, resilient, climate-smart agriculture and land restoration technologies.
- Public Awareness and Education: We believe that public awareness and education are critical to achieving our long-term goals. We will, therefore, intensify our efforts to educate communities about the dangers of desertification, soil degradation, and over-usage of water and natural resources while highlighting solutions and the benefits of sustainable land and water management practices.
By adhering to these strategies, we are confident that we can achieve our long-term goals and, in the process, contribute significantly to the creation of a more sustainable and resilient world.
Please give us a few testimonials of your clients/customers and a list of awards/recognitions that accurately highlight your association’s position in the market.
- We just won an UpLink World Economic Forum Challenge, where you may find some additional relevant info:
- We recently received the final certification from MOCCAE authorizing LNC for sale and use as certified organic fertilizers and agricultural conditioners:
https://www.desertcontrol.com/press-releases/2023/7/13/liquid-natural-clay-lnc-receives-product-certification-as-organic-fertilizer-authorized-for-sale-in-the-uaehttps://extension.arizona.edu/news/news/university-arizona-study-paves-way-toward-water-savings-increased-crop-yields
