ACACIA Water for ALL: fighting desertification in the Sahel
Location
Plant “acacia senegal” plants (which - yield gum arabic as well as comestible leaves which can serve as fodder for cattle, - restore soil fertility and - retain water and soil) to be tended by women farmers in the Tunisian Sahel to combat desertification and poverty.
About You
Location
Project Street Address
Project City
Project Province/State
Project Postal/Zip Code
Project Country
Your idea
Quel est le problème principal auquel votre action cherche à s’attaquer?
Due to global warming, a worrying phenomenon is spreading in North Africa: the Sahara is expanding south to the Sahel. This region was fertile a few years ago. In Tunisia, farmers in the region have been growing olive trees on this land since Roman times. However, in recent years, there has been less and less water and the soil is increasingly arid due to the expansion of the desert. The regional desertification has led to poor harvests and, therefore, a reduction in income for farmers, who in turn can no longer employ laborers in these rural areas where economic activity is little developed.
This action therefore seeks to combat desertification and the increase in poverty in the Tunisian Sahel; it also seeks to give rural women a vital role by putting them at the forefront of the project.
Champ de Travail
environnement
Si votre Champ de Travail est dans « autres » définissez-le ci-dessous en 1-2 mots
Année du démarrage du projet (ou date prévue de démarrage) (aaaa)
2008
URL Video YouTube
URL du Projet (ou autre lien à tout reportage/ couverture médiatique)
Name Your Project
ACACIA Water for ALL: fighting desertification in the Sahel
Describe Your Idea
Plant “acacia senegal” plants (which - yield gum arabic as well as comestible leaves which can serve as fodder for cattle, - restore soil fertility and - retain water and soil) to be tended by women farmers in the Tunisian Sahel to combat desertification and poverty.
Innovation
Description du projet
Plant “acacia senegal” plants (which - yield gum arabic as well as comestible leaves which can serve as fodder for cattle, - restore soil fertility and - retain water and soil) to be tended by women farmers in the Tunisian Sahel to combat desertification and poverty.
Idée est unique et différente
My idea is unique because it has not yet been done in Tunisia and because it puts rural women at the heart of a sustainable development system in this region. It is different because it is a simple action that addresses several problems: it combats not only desertification, but also poverty, and makes it possible to develop a rural economy that will contribute to the development of the region.
Planning
Find partners to fund the plant nursery as well as industries willing to buy the gum arabic, buy acacia seeds from the Sudan region, find a school of Agronomy that would be willing to do a study before the development of the project in order to precisely target needs, find qualified workers, set up the nursery
Partenariats
I am planning to propose a partnership with the Tunisian government, the FAO office in Tunisia and the Tunisia Solidarity Bank in order to get the project off the ground. At the same time, I will reach out to the agri-food and pharmaceutical industries as potential buyers of the gum arabic produced by the acacias so as to ensure not only income for the women participating in the project, but also to extend the project to the rest of the Maghreb.
Impact
Impact
The intended impact is huge: soil regeneration, development of a rural economy, combating desertification and promoting sustainable development in the Tunisian Sahel.
Efficacité
At least 10,000 families will benefit from this project at the beginning. Afterwards, if it is successful, this figure will be much bigger.
Obstacles
The obstacle will be if the Tunisian government does not allow us to import the acacia senegal seeds and if we do not find sufficient industrial buyers for the gum.
This Entry is about (Issues)
Sustainability
Financing source
(ou comment pensez-vous financer votre action)
Pour financer cette action, je vais demander à la Banque Tunisienne de Solidarité et l'Etat tunisien d'être mes principaux partenaires. Je vais voir avec des associations françaises spécialisées dans la lutte contre la désertification également pour trouver un soutien financier.
En dehors de la pérennité financière, comment proposez-vous de développer et de soutenir votre projet ?
A partir du moment où les arbres fourniront de la gomme arabique, le projet se rentabilisera de lui-même. Nous prélèverons une contribution symbolique chez chaque agricultrice bénéficiaire du projet afin de pouvoir pérenniser l'action et faire bénéficier d'autres familles en continuant d'employer des personnes pour s'occuper de la pépinière. Je vais régulièrement en Tunisie (2H d'avion depuis Paris) donc je n'aurais aucun problème à encadrer le projet.
Financement
This project has not yet started. I have not yet started raising funds. To set up the team I can count on motivated people who are ready to commit themselves to the project.
Financement créatif
To raise funds, I will emphasize the fact that this action is addressing many of the millennium development goals (gender equality, poverty, environment, sustainable development), that it is sustainable and will work towards the development of an entire region while preserving this region. With the industries, I will also stress the fact that working with us is working for the planet and acting as a socially-responsible industry with regard to the environment.
Autres besoins non financiers
I need experts to carry out a study of the current environmental and social situation in the Sahel and evaluate the benefits of this project in five to ten years.
The Story
Motivation
I have been involved in projects since the age of 11. At the time, my father had an association that worked to help Iraqi children. We then set up an association for children in rural Tunisia. I learnt in the field, little by little. For the last ten years I have been paying regular visits to Tunisia, my father’s country. Over ten years I have seen aridity ravage the crops, farmers become destitute and the rural areas lose their young people because of the lack of employment. 2006 was the international year of deserts and desertification and in this year I said to myself that I had to do something. I discovered an FAO publication and started work on this project. I wanted to gain more experience to launch it. I believe I now have.
Prix ou récompenses
My reward has been to meet several Tunisian ministers who are interested in my project, particularly: the Minister for Women, the Family, Children and the Elderly, and the Minister of Education. I was also invited to take part in a dialogue with the youth in the presence of the Prime Minister of Tunisia.
Contexte
Ce projet illustre pour moi ce que doit être le développement durable. C'est une activité à la fois
- environnementale puisqu'elle résoud un grave problème de désertification,
- économique puisqu'elle résoud le problème de la pauvreté et permet la création d'une activité financière donc le développement économique de toute une région. En plus, la gomme arabique est très demandée par les industries pharmaceutiques et agro-alimentaires.
- sociale car elle met en avant les femmes rurales en leur permettant de gérer un projet, subvenir aux besoins de leurs enfants et ensuite, nous les aiderons à monter des petits projets.
C'est un projet type. Il va inciter d'autres jeunes à faire pareil, à penser "durable" et ainsi à changer le monde, pour le rendre plus juste socialement.
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