Newsletter Sustainable Earth Alliance

N° 7, October 2010

The newsletter informs the partners of  Sustainable Earth alliance on current initiatives, the projects in gestation and the various elements of Terre Citoyenne alliance calendar. It is carried out by Pierre Vuarin, Maëli Duval and Vladimir Ugarte in relation with the members of this alliance. If you want to unsubscribe, forward an email to Vladimir Ugarte.

 

1. Sustainable catering.

First meeting under the international program "Eating cities" started by Risteco in common with the Sustainable Earth Alliance was held in Rome in April 2010 on the theme of sustainable catering. Testimonials Europeans, Chinese, Americans and Latin Americans. AlimenTerra and Risteco. Ecomeal.

Other "Eating cities" meetings are scheduled  in 2011, in connection with the Sustainable Earth Alliance in Rome in March 2011, in Guangzhou in April 2011, in Paris in June 2011 and in Brazil. A book on the same topic is planned for 2011 to be published by ECLM. The Milan Expo in 2015 will focus on food.

 

2. Food systems and sustainable channels.

Rongead integration to RFA (Responsible Fishing Alliance). Rongead project linked to the project "to restore hope around Lake Victoria" to develop alternative energy sources (biogas) and improve living conditions. Collaboration with RFA, ADEPA, EMEDOEMEDO and FPH

Lake Victoria: Return of Manon Lelièvre (INAP-G student) of his probationary period of 6 months with the EMEDO NGOs on the island of Ukerewe (Tanzania). An island with 275,000 inhabitants and 400 inhabitants per km2. His report focuses on agricultural and fishery systems on this island. It is an excellent document to understand the situation of the island and provide solutions to the population. Read the report (FR).

Lake Victoria: Plankton mission in Uganda and Tanzania, Pierre Mollo (Plankton of the world). Mission awareness of local populations of plankton on the question of experience and observation taken in aquaculture. What is aquaculture? Who is responsible? The place of plankton? How to move forward? LRead the mission report.

Rongead is hired to draft the study "International trade, sustainable sector contracts and WTO". For the study of public and private standards (among which are the labels) on international trade of food products. Can agreements establishing sustainable sectors considered in the context of WTO negotiations? If you wish to speak on this topic, please contact Fanny Croustaline.

Since this summer Rongead is part of a Working Group on the GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative). This group brings together major distributors and food processing industries. It is the place for discussion and definition of private common criteria for international exchanges. Rongead collecting information and defends his views on the concept of trade and the integration of small producers.

End of Softagri European project: "New Educational Approaches to Sustainable Food Production and Consumption". Benefited from the participation of Risteco (Italy), various members of Alimenterra well as various European organizations. A publication on the main stages of the project was written by the members, and is available in Softagri web site. 

Progress of the international eco-label project on sustainable fishing: The Responsible Fishing Alliance (RFA), which participates actively in World Forum of Fishermen, try with eco-label in four fisheries in Mauritania, in Canada, in Santo Domingo and in Spain. Should be publicly launched during the spring / summer 2011.

3. Training of social leaders.

Meeting on the training module assembly of UITC: In the context of the creation of the Sustainable Earth International University (UITC), a first working meeting held on 22 June in Paris. These training modules should allow for the completion of classroom training or e.learning on a common platform of the UITC. It is the beginning of a learning / common building. We work on different topics of training "to act and think in complexity", "WTO and international trade ", "Plankton", "food sovereignty", "rural land management", "social animation and cultural diversity ", "coastal management" ...

Implementation of the Rural Land Management GTR by CAFOLIS (Ecuador) during the year: This international course is organized by FAO and COPROFAM (Coordinator of Peasant Organizations of Mercosur). It is supported by the Spanish Agency for Development Cooperation. This program, which operates in seven countries of Latin America includes the training of social leaders. Addresses several issues: food sovereignty, social movements, territorial rural development, law and territories.

- The first training module was conducted in late June in Toacaso in the Andean province of Cotopaxi (ECUADOR). It relies on field visits (cooperative agricultural enterprises of flowers, livestock and production of broccoli for export, Saquisilí regional markets, family farmers) and also in a conceptual reflection.

- The second training module was conducted in Puyo in the Amazon, in late August 2010. Organizing a trade fair search of territories and characterization of each territory in which each participant live . This training is also possible to conceive the monitoring and evaluation of regional public policies at local, provincial and national levels. This work was enriched by field visits to the community Arajuno and El Triunfo: cocoa, fish, sugar cane, treatment of panela (unrefined cane sugar). Link 1 Link 2

4. Rural and fishing organisations.

ADEPA

Northern NGOs meeting in support of artisanal fisheries professional organizations (POs) of West Africa: 26 to 27 May 2010 in Paris (France). It was important to clarify the objectives, the projects adopted by these NGOs. Five NGOs participated in this meeting: the Catholic Committee against Hunger and for Development (CCFD), the Coalition for Fair Fisheries Agreements (CAPE), Fisheries and Development, International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) and ADEPA. That allowed us to establish regular mechanisms for consultation / information.

Visit / study of women fish processors from Cape Verde to Senegal: from 23 to 25 June 2010 in Dakar (Senegal). Four Cape Verdean women eager to embark on the processing: salting, drying and smoking. They visited three sites of processing in Senegal: Punta Sirena, Fenegie Nianing and Fisheries.

Training of women fish processors in Sierra Leone for their Gambian counterparts: 13 to 15 July 2010 in Tombo (Sierra Leone). At the request of organizations of women fish processors in Sierra Leone, the ADEPA organized a technical training on fish processing, salting, drying and smoking by two women fish processors in the Gambia. Program: news fish processing techniques that preserve their health status, saving energy and reducing working time.

5. Management of natural resources.

Second edition of Pierre MOLLO book "L'enjeu plankton". Pierre Mollo was on several radio programs (France Culture, France Inter with Isabelle Autissier). Océanopolis (Brest) made a daily animation on the theme of plankton. Various actions are envisioned: plankton observation equipment, sailors action Bernard Stam, Anne quemeros and Sandoz Foundation. La Bergerie de Villarceaux(France) is planning the establishment of an observatory for "freshwater plankton".

Meeting between representatives of the WMPA (World Mountain People Association) in Oloron Sainte Marie (Pyrenees, France) from September 25 to October 3, 2010. Several issues of exchange and debate on the mountain: the land management, access and management of local natural resources, the plundering of transnational communities, the recovery of products. A letter of natural resource management at the local level will be challenged internationally. As a result, the "Manifesto of Oloron. " There is need work issues WMPA common agenda for Rio +20 meeting (May 2012). Read the "Manifesto of Oloron".

6. Land management.

Development of public policy proposals on important issues such as the Water Act by the Public Policy Forum and the MPP (Public Policy Committee) (Ecuador). Mobilization of all organizations of the indigenous movement for a great debate over the protection of water. The Forum also developed territorial issues, an issue that is also linked to food sovereignty.

CAFOLIS participation (Andean Centre for Social Leadership Training) in various places of debate and negotiations that make up the institutions of government and civil society organizations, for example, the Rural council. More than 80 participating organizations working on proposals, and following up the policies implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture.

Technical Forum on land ownership (Ecuador): The social organizations met with the agencies, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Aquaculture and Fisheries, to discuss the issues of land ownership. The CAFOLIS participated in the creation of this forum on the management techniques of land. More specifically, part of the committee that prepared the program of the School of the Agrarian Revolution, known under the name of ERAS. These schools, nationally, are an excellent opportunity for social training.

 

 

7. Agenda.

4th week of October 2010: Organized by the ADEPA, a training session of the National Federation of Fisheries in Mauritania (FNP) and COPEM in organizational management in developing and implementing projects.

October-November 2010: Workshops on awareness / mobilization of POs (Fishermen's Organisations) on the theme of strengthening and structuring of fishermen's organizations (project on this subject in seven countries: Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal and Sierra Leone). During these workshops, the leaders that will be formed as part of the training organized by the ADEPA, shall be elected.

From 7 to November 11, 2010: Ethical-Sugar participation in annual meetings of the Better Sugarcane Initiative.

 

2nd week of November 2010: Training session on the management of organizations of the National union of fishermen of Guinea (UNPAG) and the Network of organisations of artisanal fisheries in Guinea (Guinea ROPPA). View ADEPA site.

 

From November 29 to December 7, 2010: Annual Meeting of Ethical-Sugar. Site. 

July 2011: Preparation of a Ethical-Sugar meeting on social dialogue between the parties in Brazil. This meeting aims to reach an agreement bringing together sectoral ministries, as well as businesses, unions and NGOs. The two areas of work are the retraining of workers before mechanization (250,000 jobs underqualified destroyed in 5 years in Brazil) and the strengthening of family farming against monoculture (strong pressure of international capital and large land properties existing).

 

 

8. Bibliography - Webography.

New editorial on the Sustainable Earth Alliance web site, made by René Segbenou on land grabbing.

Anticipated for months, the World Bank report has come under the title: "Increased global interest in agricultural land: it can provide sustainable and equitable benefits?". The translated title alone shows the confusion of the Bank. Read more here.

Animation Working Group of the French Cooperation for AGTER on the issue of land grabbing worldwide. A report in French and English. Proposes new ways and analysis. It provides a discussion process in different countries and virtual conferences. Read conference report.

Olivier Genevieve article in the Brazilian publication "Revista agronegocios" in September 2010 on the viability of the sugar sector. Read the article.

 

Article by CHEN Chuan Li from Culturemédia for the "Forum for Global Governance " on September 13, 2010 entitled "What kind of global actor will be China? ". This article is a discussion paper referred to the seminar in Beijing in July 2009 on the theme "What China needs the world?"under the Forum for a new global governance of the FPH. Read the article in Chinese. Currently available only in Chinese, a French translation will be available during October.

Edition of "The Banana Saga" by Alistair Smith (Banana Link), edited by ECLM. A translation in English and Spanish is required: "The Saga of banana"

 

Production of a small 25-minute DVD on "la cuisine eu plankton" by Jean Yves Collet with the participation of Chef Marc Fouchet, the nutritionist Dr. Bernard Schmitt and Pierre Mollo. There will be a tasting presentation in November / December at the Foundation. 

 

CAFOLIS Web: Starting line of a video on the acquisition of parcels on El Tablón, under the redistribution program of the Government land. Watch the video.

 

ADEPA Infos N ° 20 in early August 2010 discusses the Union of Associations of Fishermen in Sierra Leone (SLAFU). Also announced the launch of the "training project for artisanal fishing community leaders in the countries of the Sub Regional Fisheries Commission (CSRP)" by ADEPA in collaboration with the Catholic Committee against Hunger and supported by the French Agency Development (AFD).

 

New "Opinion" on the Sustainable Earth Alliance site. After the 3rd meeting of World Mountain People (Oloron 2010), Agnès Bertrand and Françoise Degert, give an alarm signal on the financialization of biodiversity and nature, in particular through the project of ecosystem services. Based on the irreversible damage caused to the living world, the United Nations (UN) declared 2010 "Year of biodiversity. " The convention on biodiversity resulting from the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992 meets at the end of October in Nagoya (Japan) ... LRead more.

Two new documentaries, co-produced by CERAI: "The heartbeat of the Earth and Portraits in the confines of the world" are available. Other documentaries are available on Youtube. For more information: check the site Los latidos de la Tierra and CERAI.

 

If you want to participate in the Suatainable Earth site, have a little note to provide, a document pool, a viewpoint to express, send your contribution to Vladimir Ugarte