Sponsored projects in 2009 - I
Creation of a source of renewable energy – Madagascar - ESF Electriciens sans Frontières (Electricians without borders) is an association whose aim is to promote and carry out development, volunteer and joint projects for the supply of electricity and water to underprivileged communities. ESF's objective in Madagascar is to give the inhabitants of Safata in the high plateaus of the country access to electricity and lighting. Hooking up the local districts of Safata to a new energy network will enable villagers to benefit from the advantages of electricity as well as allowing them to dispose of batteries, oil lamps and candles. To achieve this, ESF will exploit a hydraulic source which can produce between 3 and 10 kW depending on the season and be used to supply a centre for charging battery units. The future beneficiaries that have become part of the cooperative that manages the battery centre will receive a kit made up of a 40Ah battery, one or two 2 watt LED lamps and a radio connection. Each family is charged for their access rights and must pay an additional 3,000 Malagasy ariary (approximately € 1) each time they charge their battery, i.e. less than what they currently spend on batteries, oil and candles.
This access to a source of energy will also allow them to power a small sheller for rice and set up a community granary that will be managed by the cooperative. For more
ESF Traditional farming in Colombia, the "shagra" - AVSF The AVSD (Agronomists and Veterinarians Without Borders) is a French NGO that has operated for more than 30 years in developing countries in Africa, Asia and Central and South America. AVSF works with rural families in developing their agriculture and cattle farming, and in setting up lasting solutions against food crises.
AVSF helps the Pasto people in Colombia to protect its environment by reverting to a traditional form of agricultural production, the "shagra". Today, the Pasto people are faced with a reduction in their farmland because of the demographic increase and increasing number of illegal farms. The shagra is a method of culture where various types of plants are planted in the same garden to be eaten or sold. These gardens protect the local biodiversity by using native plants, and crop rotation reduces the need for chemical fertilizers, thereby protecting the ground and water. Shagra farmers produce healing plants as well a large variety of food produce for their families, with any surplus sold for the benefit of their communities. For more
AVSF Biochar Development Centre – Senegal – Pro-Natura International Pro-Natura International (an international non-profit organisation whose main activity is to promote participative rural development in southern countries) encourages the use of green charcoal or "biochar". In 2008 it launched a pilot project at its main green charcoal production site in Ross Bethio in Senegal. The project aims to increase the productivity and quality of agricultural land by using biochar to fertilise the soil (direct effect expected: increase in soil fertility of around 200-300%). Biochar also serves as a carbon sink and helps in the long-term fight against climate change. Thanks to the support of Société Générale, the biochar project in the region of Saint-Louis in Senegal has been a great success and a very profitable enterprise (200% increase in the harvest of corn and 50% increase in the harvest of onions). Pro Natura International is now carrying out a study into the feasibility of setting up a production centre for biochar equipped with a new machine. "Super vegetable gardens" using biochar in Senegal Société Générale also supports a project which involves the creation of "super vegetable gardens" that increase the productivity and quality of the surrounding farmland thanks to the fertilisation of the soil using biochar. Initially planned for Africa, the gardens are an innovative, ecological and highly productive concept that combine the Improved Tropical Gardens (ITGs) from JTS Seeds and Pro-Natura's biochar. The subsequent enriched garden yields are sufficient to provide a perfectly balanced diet for 10 people from a surface area of 60 m2. By creating these "super vegetable gardens", Pro Natura International's aim is to develop this technique in order to provide an effective solution in the fight against malnutrition, notably through the use of micro-credit. For more
Pro-Natura International
