ACP nations sweep development awards

Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation

Authors

Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation

Date Issued

2005

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News Item

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Open Access

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Citation

CTA. 2005. ACP nations sweep development awards. Spore 119. CTA, Wageningen, The Netherlands.

Permanent link to cite or share this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10568/48025

External link to download this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10568/99624

Abstract/Description

ACP countries have chalked up an impressive string of successes in a new sustainable development award, the Supporting Entrepreneurs for Environment and Development..

Notes

ACP countries have chalked up an impressive string of successes in a new sustainable development award, the Supporting Entrepreneurs for Environment and Development (Seed) Initiative, launched by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Three out of five winners are from ACP regions. The winning projects include an environmentally friendly way of growing rice in East Africa, a community-based marine protected area in Madagascar and a power plant in Nigeria that turns cattle waste into energy. The winners were selected from a pool of over 260 entries from 66 countries, representing 1,200 organisations. They were chosen for their potential to advance sustainable development in their communities and contribute to the UN s Millennium Development Goals. The Seed Awards are not financial, but consist of a flexible package of individually targeted support, including help with gaining access to funders, to give winning partnerships every chance of success. One winning project being piloted in Ibadan, Nigeria, is turning effluents and waste products from abattoirs into energy to generate income for poor urban communities and reduce the gases linked with climate change. The project treats the abattoir wastes and turns them into a biogas suitable for cooking and other uses. A further by-product is agricultural-grade fertiliser. The biogas is significantly cheaper than current, commercially available liquefied gases. Another winner is a joint effort between Cornell University in the US, together with several NGOs and local communities in Cambodia, Madagascar and Sri Lanka, who are partners in an initiative to boost rural incomes through the marketing of indigenous rice varieties grown under environment-friendly conditions. The project involves a production method known as the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), which works without flooding rice paddies and results in stronger plants that need less chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Small rural producers who are taking part are achieving water savings of up to 50% and increased yields of up to 100%. Still in Madagascar, an experimental, community-led scheme aims to show how partnerships between local people, research institutes and NGOs can deliver marine conservation and sustainable livelihoods by creating the country s first Marine Protected Area (MPA). The project, revolving around the 1,200-strong community of Andavadoaka, is balancing the needs of local fishermen and protection of the area s important coral reefs. Eco-tourism is being promoted as a way of generating income for conservation work, diversifying the local economy and reducing pressure on fish stocks. The Seed Initiative Email: info@seedinit.org Website: www.seedinit.org