Projects

The greatest challenges facing eco-enterprises are a lack of access to knowledge, networks, financing and high-quality business development services and poor enabling conditions, including a shortage of skilled people at the community level.

In Uganda’s northern region, about 80% of the population is unemployed or under-employed in the informal economy, and generally fully occupied with subsistence agriculture. Agriculture remains one of the few drivers of economic growth due to relatively fertile soils, two rainy seasons and the high demand for food and other agricultural products in the East African region, as well as the growing demand for organic products. Internationally, demand for sesame seeds has grown fast in recent years – sesame seed production in Uganda grew by 78% between 2002 and 2012.

The city of Port Elizabeth and its western catchment areas are experiencing considerable environmental, economic and social challenges, including energy and water supply constraints, that undermine the city’s potential to grow. Considerable environmental degradation due to poor farming practices, transformation of wetlands and rivers and the spread of invasive alien plants has had a negative effect on the hydrology of local river systems, which is threatening water security.

Declining farming profitability and water scarcity (drought, declining rainfall and excessive demand for water) has left South Africa with fewer than two-thirds the number of farms it had just a few decades ago. Agriculture is a key water consumer in South Africa, with about 62% of the country’s surface water being used for irrigation. Furthermore, soil erosion and degradation of agricultural land though overexploitation and inappropriate and unsustainable farming methods pose a threat to the country’s food security.

Fairtrade certification is the world’s leading ethical and sustainability certification system for agriculture, benefiting farming communities and micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises. The Fairtrade model of Fairtrade International directly and indirectly contributes to inclusive and green economic growth, leading to decent work, poverty reduction and – in the South African context – addressing the legacies of apartheid, including persistent social inequality and economic exclusion.

South Africa contains some of the most biologically rich rangelands in the world and a full 70% of the country is suitable for sustainable grazing. South Africa’s rangelands are also home to 76% of the poorest people in the country, many of whose livelihoods depend on livestock. In fact, 50% of the country’s livestock is owned by subsistence farmers or farmers who are just starting to sell to commercial markets. Increasingly, these farmers are women who have inherited herds.

Agriculture accounts for 3.4% of gross domestic product and 8.3% of employment in Mauritius. Although Mauritius is considered a net-food-importing country by the World Trade Organization, the small-scale agriculture sector is vital to the production of some 115,000 tons of food crops annually. Some 9,000 small-scale farmers are involved in vegetable and fruit production, with limited capacity in marketing group initiatives. There is growing demand for higher-quality food in Mauritius.

The Rodrigues fishing community is largely focused on massive fishing activities, to the detriment of the marine ecosystem. To improve this situation, the Commission of Environment and Fisheries introduced an “octopus closing period” to shift the local people away from fishing and towards alternative livelihoods, such as cleaning up and beautifying their local communities, for a limited period.

Centre de Formation Agricole Frère Remi is a training centre catering to young people, aiming to develop their academic and vocational skills. The centre welcomes teenagers aged between 12 and 18 years old who have experienced successive academic failures, mainly at the primary school level. It offers courses in mathematics, French, English, livestock rearing, horticulture, floriculture, mosaiculture, phytotechnics and zootechnics. The teenagers are encouraged by coaches and volunteers to develop their vocational skills in order to eventually start up their own micro-businesses.

Currently, Ghana has a wide range of traditional agriculture production that makes a major contribution to food security and livelihoods in rural areas, including production of shea nuts, palm kernels, peanuts, seeds and cassava. These products are processed using thermal energy before being consumed or traded. Firewood is traditionally used for the vast majority of thermal agro-processing, and recent increases in the price of liquified petroleum gas have supported this preference.

In urban areas, hygiene and sanitation are an ongoing struggle because of increasing urbanization and the resulting growth in household waste. Aside from the unbearable odour of rotting garbage that affects the daily life of residents, such waste attracts insects, rodents and reptiles capable of transmitting disease.

Cashew industry waste (currently about 2,000 tons/year, with the potential to increase to 15,000 tons/year) is a sustainable alternative to wood as a fuel for domestic and industrial needs.

“NEERE” in the local language means “pretty” or “clean”. As the project’s name suggests, its general objective is to contribute to the emergence of clean, sustainable cities through the use of integrated waste management strategies. By the end of the project, all households should be educated in responsible waste management and should be subscribed to the newly created waste management system. The project should result in a more pleasant living environment, with the removal of at least 60% of the garbage piles and dumps scattered around the communes involved.

The by-products and waste streams of agricultural processes are currently not widely utilized. This project is aimed at fostering the use of biomass technologies to turn such agricultural by-products and waste into feedstock or fuel, as a means of adding value to farm produce and increasing farmers’ incomes. The manufacturing sector would also benefit from the transfer of technology for biogas burners, milk coolers, lighting equipment and appliances, briquette presses and other related equipment.

Many micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises lack an awareness of sustainable agricultural value and supply chains and how agricultural waste-to-energy systems can support sustainable consumption and production practices. The agricultural sector is facing unprecedented resource pressures. The Renewable Energy and Energy-Efficiency Partnership (REEEP), a Vienna-based international organization that advances markets for renewable energy and energy efficiency, envisions future agricultural production in South Africa as being clean, powered by renewable energy and energy-efficient systems.

Kenya has 14 operating tanneries, most of which face challenges pertaining to limited modernization and effluent management. Approximately 95% of the leather produced is being exported in a semi-processed state (wet blue), earning approximately $160 million a year.

Volumes of e-waste and end-of-life vehicles (ELV) in Ghana are increasing by about 49 million tons per year due to a growing population, and in particular due to changing lifestyles, as well as to imports of e-waste and ELV. While there is a high level of reuse and refurbishment of used electrical and electronic equipment and used vehicles and their components, unsound treatment and disposal of e-waste and ELV cause enormous damage to the environment and human health. This project is aimed at supporting eco-entrepreneurship opportunities for the treatment of such waste.

In Ghana, 95% of the population depends on on-site, stand-alone treatment systems to meet their sanitation needs. The contents of such sanitation facilities, whether domestic, industrial or in the hospitality sector, are rich in methane gas, but are disposed of indiscriminately in the open air, with all the attendant public health implications. 

Ghana generates over 150,000 tons of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE, or e-waste) annually. This is in addition to end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment imported into the country.

The problem of the collection, management and disposal of waste continues to feature prominently in major towns and cities across African countries. This has led to contamination of water bodies and to the spread of waterborne diseases and other health hazards. In most African countries, waste generation is the result of a rapidly growing urban population, along with the changing patterns of production and consumption inherent to a more urban lifestyle and the consequent industrialization.

In Burkina Faso, solar energy is a sustainable alternative to electricity in terms of availability, cost and carbon emissions. Solar energy systems have not been widely adopted in the country due to barriers such as limited awareness, a high initial investment and limited access to finance. Micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises do not have a clear view of their energy consumption patterns or of the opportunities to reduce their costs by using solar energy.

Most micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and business membership organizations are necessity-driven rather than growth-oriented. They are constrained by low start-up capital, a low level of innovation, invention and skill investment, low value addition, an imitation culture, low survival rates, limited access to markets and/or saturated markets, inadequate training and inadequate access to appropriate, tailor-made business development services.

The Kakamega Forest Reserve is the only surviving rainforest in Kenya. The forest provides a unique sanctuary for a remarkable diversity of endemic plants, birds and insects not found anywhere else in Kenya. It is also an important watershed for some of the rivers that flow into Lake Victoria.

Micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) account for a sizeable share of Ugandan industry and contribute substantially to the country’s economic development. They are a vehicle through which the rural poor and informally employed Ugandans can transform themselves into the middle and industrial classes of tomorrow. The sector accounts for approximately 90% of the private sector and has potential for long-term growth.

In Uganda, the demand for energy has increased significantly due to economic growth and development, improved standards of living, growing populations and, in particular, accelerating industrial growth. The manufacturing sector uses large amounts of energy to support its production processes and other operations. The micro , small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) of the sector are characterized by low energy efficiency due to the use of obsolete technologies, a lack of skilled labour, poor operating practices and limited use of renewable energy sources.