Environment and food security - Energia per i Diritti Umani onlus

Social ecology for the defense of our common home

The general objectives of the team are:

Rebuilding the social fabric basing it on the values of compassion and nonviolence, applied both in interpersonal relationships and in the relationship between man and nature.
Promote sustainable and long-lasting development that guarantees everyone the same rights and opportunities in accessing resources without destroying the planet.
Measuring progress, no longer in terms of increasing material wealth (GDP), but in terms of well-being for all and quality of the environment. We bear in mind that we must bequeath a healthy and balanced planet to future generations.

THE PROBLEM

Food insecurity refers to the lack of regular and widespread access to food and water to meet energy needs and the right amount of macronutrients (carbohydrates, lipids and proteins) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). Despite the progress made in West Africa in recent decades, food insecurity remains a widespread problem. In 2019, 1.5 million people suffered from it in Senegal, corresponding to 9.4% of the population and in 300,000 people in The Gambia, corresponding to 11.9% of the inhabitants (Data source: FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO, 2020. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2020. Transforming food systems for affordable healthy diets. Rome, FAO).

OUR AIM

We have been working since 2015 to contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal no. 2 by 2030. It consists in ending hunger, achieving food security, better nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture.

ACTIVITIES IN SENEGAL AND THE GAMBIA

Our activities in the villages are developed around the Multifunctional Humanist Centers, which serve as a kindergarten, school support and micro-credit center. Our projects are aimed primarily at guaranteeing a complete and varied meal every day for the children of our kindergartens (in total about 800 little girls and boys) and expanding the availability of fruit, vegetables, and poultry for the entire local community. To achieve these goals, we develop three sectors of activity:

WATER: construction of wells equipped with an electric pump powered by solar energy, with an elevated tank. Thus, we guarantee a constant supply of water for drinking and irrigation (already operational in Ndiandiane, Sossop, Bandoulou in Senegal and Ballanghar in The Gambia)

AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION: creation of community gardens and orchards, where native species are planted. Part of the production is for school canteens and part for families in the villages (already operating in Ndiandiane, Bandoulou in Senegal and Ballanghar in The Gambia)

POULTRY FARMING: construction and startup of “pollet”, simple modular chicken coops built with wooden pallets. Also in this case, part of the chickens are for school canteens and part for families in the villages (already operating in Ndiandiane, Sossop in Senegal and Ballanghar in The Gambia)

NEXT STEPS 2020-2022

We will strengthen the activities so that in all the villages where we operate there can be a well, a community garden, an orchard and “pollets”, so as to guarantee a rich and varied diet in all schools and to some of the population.
We will begin experimenting a hydroponic cultivation project that is economically sustainable and requires low technological input, in order to reproduce it in other villages.
In Senegal we will create a network of volunteer agronomists and poultry breeders who can organize trainings for local farmers and breeders. Training is the key to the success of any project.

Activities in Italy:

Promoting Social Ecology in Schools

Study and experimentation

Fundraising / project writing