Nairobi, 3 November
2010 - A novel solar device that turns waste
heat into electricity in rural China, a
Ugandan business that manufactures stationery
from agricultural waste, a bamboo
bicycle project in Ghana and a female-run
business in South Africa making a hand-held
laundry device that saves water are among
the 30 winners of the 2010 SEED Awards,
the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) announced today.
The SEED Awards recognise
inspiring social and environmental entrepreneurs
whose businesses can help meet sustainable
development challenges. By helping entrepreneurs
to scale-up their activities, the SEED Initiative,
which is hosted by UNEP, aims to boost local
economies and tackle poverty, while promoting
the sustainable use of resources and ecosystems.
This year, in addition
to seeking innovative start-ups throughout
the developing world, the SEED Awards had
a special focus on Africa, placing particular
emphasis on initiatives from South Africa,
Burkina Faso, Kenya, Egypt, Ghana, Rwanda
and Senegal. This focus was part of a larger
project linked with UNEP's Green Economy
Initiative and was funded largely by the
European Union.
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General
and UNEP Executive Director, said:"
The SEED Award winners exemplify the strong
spirit of entrepreneurship in the developing
world and its significance in creating a
Green Economy. While the Awards recognize
individual outstanding projects, governments
must also show leadership in supporting
grassroots efforts through diverse and dynamic
standards, forward-looking policies and
incentives to further catalyze corporate
and community-led change."
All the SEED winners
will be honoured at award ceremonies in
their home countries. The prize they will
receive from SEED is a package of individually-tailored
support for their business. This includes
access to relevant expertise and technical
assistance, meeting new partners and building
networks, developing business plans and
identifying sources of finance. SEED will
furthermore contribute towards meeting each
winner's most immediate needs by contributing
to a jointly developed support plan.
The 2010 call for proposals
saw applications from just under 60 countries,
representing the collaborative efforts of
non-governmental organizations, women's
and youth groups, labour organisations,
public authorities, international agencies
and academia. While most of the applications
were in the agriculture and rural development
sector, many entries addressed issues around
climate change and energy, the conservation
of biodiversity, and waste management. The
selection of the winners was by an independent
International Jury of experts.
The 2010 SEED Award winners
(by country):
Burkina Faso:
"Manufacture and
Popularization of Biomass Briquettes".
Aiming to replace wood and charcoal with
biomass briquettes from fallen leaves and
other sources of unused biomass, this progressive
enterprise of local and international NGOs
and a research institution helps to combat
desertification, create jobs in rural communities
and raise awareness for alternative energy
sources.
"Initiative for
Promoting and Distributing Bio-Pesticides".
The initiative's ambitious goal is to promote
and distribute ecological pest control for
organic crops, especially cotton, vegetable
and oil-producing crops. In this way, the
partnership of local and community-based
organisations and research agencies hopes
to increase yields and preserve the production
environment.
China:
"SolSource"
is a satellite dish-shaped solar device
with removable modules that turns its own
waste heat into electricity or stores it
in thermal fabrics for later use. This novel
device, which has been developed by an international
social enterprise, research and government
institutions, and local organizations, harnesses
the sun's energy to provide a portable heat
source for cooking and electricity for low-income
families at an affordable price.
Colombia:
"BOSQUE HUMEDO
BIODIVERSO" is a business initiative
headed by a local NGO that uses fruit and
pulp as ingredients for the local cosmetics
and food industries. The use of non-timber
products will reduce deforestation of tropical
forests and local families will benefit
from collecting value-added goods. This
helps develop alternative income sources
and promotes the sustainable management
of local biodiversity.
Ghana:
"The Shea Economic
Empowerment Program (SEEP)". This fruitful
partnership centred on a community-based
cooperative and international NGOs seeks
to improve the livelihoods of women Shea
nut producers by offering training, greater
ownership within the supply chain and access
to improved technology.
"G-lish: Income
Generation, Re-Generation, Next Generation".
The aim of this remarkable initiative of
local NGOs is to provide value-added income
for rural communities by crafting baskets
from recycled materials. In doing so, they
preserve the age-old basket-weaving tradition
and carry out extensive tree-planting operations.
"High-value Syrup
from 'Prekese' Fruits for Community Livelihood
Empowerment". Relying on local raw
materials, the partners of this promising
initiative strive to establish the sustainable
cultivation and harvesting of Prekese fruits
in rural communities, allowing income to
be generated over the whole life cycle of
the tree.
"Ghana Bamboo Bikes
Initiative" is a youth-led, non-profit
enterprise committed to the economic empowerment
of youth by taking advantage of the abundant
bamboo raw materials in Ghana to manufacture
and assemble high-quality bamboo bikes -
suitable for the road conditions and terrain
in Ghana and affordable to the poor.
"DeCo! - Decentralized
Composting for Sustainable Farming and Development".
The composting firm DeCO! benefits local
farmers by producing organic fertiliser
in decentralised composting plants following
a low-tech approach. By working with local
NGOs, government and research institutes,
DeCO! aims to inform and educate farmers
about the advantages of sustainable soil
management.
"Biofuel Production
in Promoting Sustainable Land Management".
A local NGO in partnership with national
research institutions has established a
model for rehabilitating degraded community
lands, producing food crop and utilising
renewable energy through the cultivation
and processing of sunflower plants into
oil and biodiesel. Their sustainable land
management approach also includes bee-keeping.
Kenya:
"Backpack Farm
Agriculture Program". This initiative
enables food autonomy for rural communities
by providing small landholders with a dynamic
set of agricultural tools, comprehensive
training and monitoring - delivered and
distributed in a canvas backpack.
"Papyrus Reeds,
Our Future Hope" is a sustainable enterprise
that harvests and processes papyrus reeds
and crafts them into high-quality baskets,
purses, carpets, chairs, sleeping mats and
blankets, using the waste as natural manure.
Community-based youth organisations and
a local research institution implement the
initiative.
"Solanterns: Replacing
1 Million Kerosene Lanterns with 1 Million
Solar Lanterns". The partners of this
innovative initiative are a private company,
a local NGO and a microfinance institution
that provide economic, environmental and
health benefits to both rural and urban
households by sourcing and distributing
solar lanterns and training youth micro-entrepreneurs.
"Community-Based
Medicinal Plant Enterprise for Biodiversity
Conservation". This pioneering enterprise
initiated by a community-based organisation
and national and international government
and research institutions generates alternative
means of income and awareness for the value
of biodiversity within rural communities
based on the commercial cultivation and
processing of indigenous medicinal plants.
"Village Cereal
Aggregation Centres (VCAC)". A local
commercial entity has joined forces with
the national government, the financial sector
and cereal buyers to establish mobile post-harvest
management centres in villages - enabling
farmers to deliver high-quality grain to
the market value chain and encouraging more
participation of youth in cereal production.
"EcoPost - Fencing
Posts from Recycled Post-Consumer Waste
Plastic". International and national
NGOs have launched this unique initiative
to recycle waste plastic into aesthetic,
durable and environmentally-friendly fencing
posts and consequently reduce plastic litter
on streets and open fields. By providing
an alternative fencing material to traditional
wood, EcoPost contributes towards the conservation
of forests.
"Commercialization
of Prosopis Juliflora Products from Affected
Areas". A local community-based NGO,
the FAO and a Kenyan company and research
institute have mobilized efforts to control
the undesirable spread of the Prosopis tree
by promoting its commercial use as charcoal,
timber and pods for livestock feed. The
development of a sustainable national market
will maximize returns to local communities.
Rwanda:
Production and Distribution
of Pressurized Biogas in Gas Cylinders".
This initiative has been developed by a
private company, an international NGO and
government organizations to produce and
store pressurised biogas for cooking made
from urban, domestic and industrial wastes.
Environmental benefits are achieved by offering
an alternative firing material to firewood
and charcoal.
Efficient Charcoal Production
and Smoke Recycling". This partnership
of international NGOs, government institutions
and a reforestation initiative is promoting
new technologies to increase the energy
output of charcoal. As a result, this significantly
reduces the amount of forestland used for
the production of charcoal and lessens air
pollution by recycling tar and other smoke
components.
Senegal:
"Micro Power Economy
for Rural Electrification". The goal
of this enterprise involving local partners
from the private and microfinance sector
is to set up a profitable rural power provider
based on off-grid power system operation
and the utilisation of renewable energy
sources, such as wind-solar-diesel hybrid
power systems.
FLOWER OF H.O.P.E This
pioneering franchising initiative set up
by a community-based organisation, international
NGOs and research and finance institutions
aims to improve agricultural development
by training resource-poor community groups
to become successful agricultural entrepreneurs,
thereby generating more income for local
communities.
Kayor Rural Energy,
Rural Electrification by Photovoltaic Solar
Energy". An outstanding pilot enterprise
launched by a community-based organisation
that aims to provide solar energy solutions
for rural communities. The partnership with
microfinance institutions permits KAYER
clients to finance their equipment with
microcredit adapted to their means.
South Africa:
Resentse Sinqobile Trust
Trading as Zondi BuyBack Initiative".
A local NGO and government institutions
have teamed up to establish this comprehensive
buyback centre to recycle, reshape and sell
household waste such as cans and plastic.
Natural resource protection, the reduction
of litter, increased employment opportunities
and an educational program are among the
impressive results of this initiative.
IziWasha Two social
enterprises and a private company have developed
this innovative hand-held laundry device
to facilitate washing in low-income communities.
As the appliance does not rely on electricity
or a home water supply, IziWasha significantly
cuts water and energy use. A network of
female micro-franchisees who distribute
the eco-friendly product will directly benefit
from the revenues.
Reclaiming Livelihoods
- Mooi River Waste Reclaiming". This
initiative led by a community-based organization,
an international NGO and a government department
has a high impact on local waste pickers
who earn an income from recycling waste.
By formalising the workforce and providing
shelter, protective clothes and technical
equipment, attractive job opportunities
are created.
Amatola Wild Trout Fishery"
is the first recreational fly-fishery in
South Africa owned and managed by a local
community. Set up by a partnership between
a NGO and a research institution, the fishery
brings a high-end market tourism activity
into a rural area, while focusing on skills
training and job creation for local people
and environmental improvement by sustaining
water quality and wild trout populations.
Food & Trees for
Africa is a social enterprise addressing
the greening of urban areas, climate change
and food insecurity by planting trees. Launched
by a local and international NGO, government
institutions and private businesses, FTFA
offers skills training in natural resource
management and develops organic permaculture
gardens for impoverished communities. The
project has also designed a carbon calculator.
"Claire Reid Reel
Gardening" provides consumers with
a pre-fertilised seed strip that encases
seeds at the correct depth and distance
apart and offers planting instructions in
seven languages. Implemented by a youth
organization with assistance from government
and social development programmes, the initiative
aims to create sustainable subsistence gardens
throughout South Africa.
Sri Lanka:
The "Rural Enterprise
Network (REN)" aims at linking small-scale
farmers to input-output markets through
improved product quality, access to market
information and the establishment of a common
brand. By organizing producers in a network
of organic agro- and food processing enterprises,
the farmers will benefit from joint marketing
services.
Uganda:
"ORIBAGS INNOVATIONS (U) LTD"
is a private enterprise initiated by a research
institution and local NGO to manufacture
hand-made paper bags, printing paper and
jewellery from agricultural wastes including
wheat straw, elephant grass and other natural
fibres. Oribags offers an eco-friendly alternative
to polythene bags and empowers women entrepreneurs.
All of SEED's winners
can be found on the SEED website at www.seedinit.org
