WAF Awards London 2014:
A Kaleidoscope of Hope and Achievement!
Africa Centre for Holistic Management (ACHM): Reversing Desertification – Zimbabwe (Winner)
In the face of desertification in overgrazed grassland ecosystems, ACHM’s approach mimicked the behaviour of wild savannah herbivores. Livestock was penned briefly in a compound. The herd broke up hard soil, allowing air and water to penetrate. It also trampled down old grass while fertilizing the soil with dung and urine. After a time, the herd was relocated to another compound. On the herd’s departure, the compound regenerated ”naturally”. Cattle herds have become efficient agents of soil regeneration and ecosystem rehabilitation.
MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) Community-Managed Bioindustrial Watersheds – India (2nd prize)
Because of soil erosion and degradation, five regions in India suffered food shortages and emigration. MSSRF mobilized 5,000 locals: water users, paddy and pulse farmers, and women’s self-help networks. The groups shared knowledge and skills to develop a holistic farming system. These groups have increased holistic agricultural production, improved water-harvesting structures, and stimulated local enterprise.
Living Lands: Baviaanskloof Mega-Reserve Restoration – South Africa
Flow diversion and drainage in the Baviaanskloof Mega-Reserve led to degraded water retention, a lowered water table and increased stream bank-erosion. Living Lands brought together 27 major landowners, three subsistence communities, and relevant experts. They all worked together to identify the problem, share knowledge, create a holistic understanding of the area as a living landscape, and introduce restoration activities. More than 1,000 hectares were reforested; five rivers and alluvial areas were restored. All land users have signed onto a land-use change map to address payments for ecosystem services (PES), carbon credits, eco-tourism, restoration, and sustainable food production.
Founder and CEO of Growing Power, Will Allen:
“Every person on Earth should have the same access to the same healthy food”.
First Lady Michelle Obama kicks off “Let’s Move”, a program designed to tackle childhood obesity by encouraging exercise and healthy eating.
The First Lady is joined by cabinet members, athletes, educators, students and others at the kickoff event.
Will Allen, founder of Growing Power, is assisting the First Lady in teaching children to grow and eat healthy, organic food.
Interested?
If you are interested in a corporate sponsorship,
please contact:
Tina Lindgreen, WAFA General Secretary: tili@wafaward.org
For more information about this finalist see:
www.growingpower.org
From Malnutrition to Healthy Eating
Growing Power: From Malnutrition to Healthy Eating – USA
In growing urban “food deserts” young people have had little knowledge of or access to healthy, fresh food. Growing Power developed unused urban lots into innovative food centres that include greenhouses, apiaries, fish farms, and small livestock rearing. Composting regenerated the soil, and solar power generates energy. Local cooperatives provided baskets and fruit stands to distribute food in the neighbourhood. The centres also offered training and employment for local youth. Up to 50,000 people have benefited annually from the services, which include healthy meals to local schoolchildren. Local youth from the centres have also visited the schools to showcase the project’s accomplishments and promote healthy eating.
SEANET education: e-Gardening – Kenya
Limited food and unclean clean water caused sickness among schoolchildren, impacting school attendance and creating despair. Students engaged in eLearning programmes on water harvesting, microlivestock raising, cottage food industries, group dynamics, and leadership skills. Based on their research, the community built 21 tanks to hold 168,000 litres of water, erected 15 microlivestock houses and a greenhouse, and developed a 1,000 m2 demonstration plot to promote community self-sufficiency. Eleven schools and 4,035 students have accessed clean water and healthy food. They have also developed food production and processing skills.