2008 SEED Award Finalists
In Thailand, tsunami affected communities on the Andaman coast are developing employment opportunities through community based tourism. Proceeds support various local projects such as handicraft marketing, a community centre, recycling, and youth-led conservation programs.
In Cambodia, the Philippines and Vietnam a regional NGO, working with local government and a carbon credit network, is creating locally-owned micro-businesses which
make charcoal briquettes from local agri-waste, which would have been burned in the fields. In the process they are reducing local air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
In India, a local business and NGO have joined forces with academia to provide a sustainable income to remote villages of Himachal Pradesh, through the collection of
Himalayan oregano. The distilled oil has strong market potential, having proven to be a potent anti-bacterial agent, including against MRSA, a well-known antibiotic-resistant
bacterium.
In Jordan and Israel, a regional NGO is working with business, municipal and other partners to create a cross-border Peace Park in the lower Jordan Valley. The Park is intended to help protect and restore some of the area's natural resources, foster cross-border cooperation, eco-tourism and biodiversity protection in both countries, and revive and highlight cultural heritage sites.
In the Phillipines, women farmers are working with government and NGOs to create unique fibre-sheets, paper and other products from the husks of durian fruit. These husks are currently a major source of waste in some areas – turning them into a marketable product can ease waste management difficulties, decrease methane emissions and form the basis for a viable social enterprise.
In Thailand, the steady fall in price of fresh litchi and the fruits' high perishability prompted litchi growers cooperative, academics and post-harvest institutes to set-up a village-based fruit drying and processing unit. The more stable prices for organically-grown dried litchi encourage the continuation of the orchards, which help maintain soil stability, and provide a reliable income source for smallholders.
In Ecuador, Sumak Mikuy, a community-owned business, aims to establish a sustainable market chain turning neglected native crops into high-value products for the tourist and organic export market, thereby sustaining biodiversity and local culture.
|
In rural Nicaragua, a university research centre, a women’s cooperative, an NGO and experts on solar technology are planning to launch a cooperative business that will produce
and market photovoltaics made from recycled solar cells and solar cookers adapted for local needs.
In semi-arid Northeastern Brazil, partners in Pintadas Solar are developing a series of community projects based on the integrated use of water efficient crop irrigation systems and biofuel production. By applying innovative, small scale, technological solutions, farming communities are both adapting to and mitigating climate change while also addressing food security and poverty.
In South Africa, a local youth development trust has partnered with local government and business to enable local communtiies to develop and construct the infrastructure, roads and houses in their own villages, while learning the trades and skills to set-up small construction-related businesses.
In Cameroon, partners have come together to build capacity for the production of organic, fair-trade honey and beeswax in the remote Adamoua savannah. In addition they aim to
develop community-owned soap- and candle-making businesses, and build an international market chain to help realise the market potential of these products.
In Tanzania, a partnership has formed to facilitate an effective market linkage for sustainable biofuel production thereby providing smallholder farming families with extra
incomes as well as access to renewable and affordable energy.
In Armenia’s Shirak region, a group of organisations have joined forces to create two farmers co-operatives, thereby providing a much-needed channel to market and distribute
milk and other agricultural products, improve production methods and strengthen local incomes.
In Albania, a partnership is aiming to enable agricultural producers of watermelons and tangerines to access high-value EU markets, by helping their farms gain the necessary certification for controlled use of pesticides and fertilizers, cultivation techniques that minimize erosion risks, and the management of environmental waste.
In Armenia a partnership has been formed to build capacity and skills for high-yield gardening, which will empower rural women, generate additional household income and
increase nutrition levels.
Read about the international jury >>> |
