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Ecovillage Emergence in the Sahel Region: How community-based design and supportive technologies are creating new models for equality and sustainability

by

Ousmane Aly PAME,

Founder and President of REDES

(Network for Ecovillage Emergence and Development in the Sahel)

www.redes-ecovillages.org

email: redes.ecovillages@gmail.com

Collapse of ecosystems and traditional lifestyles

Elders have seen their paradise transform in a lunar landscape in 2 generations /Exuberant environment with a diversity of wild animals, birds.. Maam Coumba Kebbe Thiam (1904-2012): Shepherdess/ 90 cows/ used to help care for her cattle ( stories) She could walk from one village without almost seeing the sun Dangerous to travel from one villages after dusk or spend the night with the cattle/Only the bravest ones would do so: Amadou Saidou, a hearder Attacked by a lion in the late fifties

Sahel one region & multiple ecological challenges

• Region bordering the southern

limit of the Sahara desert, stretching from Senegal to

• Erytrea. It includes countries like

Sn, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso Niger etc

• Two seasons:
• ne short rainy season (2 to 3

months/ Annual rainfall no more than 300 mm in the last 10 years) One dry season 10 months

• Average temperatures: 35°C (

Heat Peaks May and June 48°C)

• Sand storms more frequent and

land erosion with desertification: poor agricultural yields

• Cycles of droughts in the 70s and

mid eighties.

Ecological and Socio economic Crisis

• Following the building of two

dams on River Senegal, massive deforestation in the 80s (Guinean refugies) to make charcoal and have space for rice agriculture

• Deforestation brought about the

disappearance of the wildlife, medicinal plants and made the region vulnerable to wind erosion and land degradation.

• Introduction of monocultures (

cash crops): tomatoes for local industry and rice for local consumption Senegal started imported rice from Asia ( Vietnam and Thailand mainly) ( traditional food and diets lost ground). Clear regional eating habits

• farming + nomadic herding and

region / with the dwindling in pastures and green spots conflicts farmers and herders

• Ecosystems degradation cause

mass impoversihment, exodus and emigration ( 70s Central Africa and to France)

• Structural adjustment policies

IMF/World Bank (No subsidies to sectors like education, farming, health) deepened the socio economic

• Deep crisis ( land exhaustion,

heavy bank loans

A Continental Response: Green Wall Project

• An initiative and programme of the

African Union including over 20 countries in the Sahelian and Saharan region

• The idea of the implementation of the

Green Wall was raised in the 2002 Summit in Ndiamena, (Chad)

• The objectifve of the Green Wall is

toncombat desertification and drought. A green corridor (15 km wide, 7600 km long) accross the African continent from Mauritania to Djibouti to stop the encorachment of the desert, improve the Management of natural resources and combat poverty.

• The Director of National Agency for

Green Wall Colonel Papa Waly Gueye is a member of REDES leading team

Ecovillages initiatives in Sénégal

an initiative of grassroots communities (Association, local religious leaders, scientists...) 1996/ 2002 GENSEN A Network of 45 villages 2008 : A Major Shift in Government perception & policies: a ministry in charge

• f Ecovillages & a National Agency for

Ecovillages were created Mission: build national Resilience by transforming 14 000 traditional villages into ecovillages (reforestation, renewable energy, food security to stop rural exodus ANEV: Great start. Included local actors. Now paralysed PUMA ( Ecovillage flag)

What is an ecovillage ?

• An ecovillage is a human community

consciously working to preserve its traditions and natural resources against poverty and degradation, while upgrading the living environment of its inhabitants.

• An ecovillage seeks for preservation

and modernization in four areas:

• Sustainable society: Leadership /

Education/ Health / Food safety

• Sustainable tradition : Culture/

Religion/ arts/values/worldview

• Sustainable environment: Sea, land,

area, trees, bush, animals, fish, birds, insects (domesticated & wild)

• Sustainable economics :

Agriculture/Crafts/ Trade /Credit /Savings / /Tontine

Technologies in Ecovillages

• Techonology alone is

not enough + not necessary expensive

• Whatsapp (Salayel) /

social Media

• Computer literacy
• Water
• Light/ Bacoumbel
• Bakery/ organic
• Keep the youth on the land

population growth

• Savon bio
• Gel hydro alcoolique à base

d’essence de plantes (lutte contre Ebola)

• répulsifs naturels de

moustiques (lutte contre le paludisme)

• Pain aux algues (Lutte

contre la malnutrition)

• (Albert Royer Children
• hospital + Pikine

GENSEN Cascade computer training programme

Wesbsite for local governments (transparency in local governance) Training of youth in villages ( reduce urban /rural computer literacy gap)

Renewable energies

REDES: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

Projects:

3 ecovillage hubs

• Lahel Ecovillages Hub:

Transnational community project: (50 traditional villages/ community center + 5ha for an open community biodynamic farming school

• Ngogom municipality ( 1 ha)
• Toubatoul

Programmes

• Ecovillage Design training
• International Service

learning programmes

• Freedom schools
• Greening schools

(Ecolyco)

• Green caravans (March

1400 fruits trees with Damanhur) + orchard

• Food processing

programmes

• Clean drinking Water
• Cultural events

Implementation of Ecovillage hubs (Loboudou/Guede Diara)

Transformation of 50 traditional (Mauritanian and Senegalese villages into a hub of ecovillages) to reverse ecological and socio economic degradations in order to create community wealth and well being

Food: processing, conservation and cooking for better health and more income

• With the support of Damanhur APS ( over

a 115 women from 15 villages in two editions) trained.

• Cooking session for the eco-renaissance

with SGI in 12 villages

• March/April 2018 Green caravans : over

1400 fruit trees planted in 10 sites in six villages (including two in Mauritania)

Educating the community through theatre

REDES freedom school programmes

• With

the support

• f

Nice based association SEA, 35 villages received free school materials and 12 classrooms built: every year 600 children have access to formal education thanks to programme

• A REDES classroom costs

4,000 euros (community/ Government classroom is 9,160 euros

• Donations are essential for the pursuit of

the programme. Possibility to sponsor a classroom building

REDES International Service Learning programmes

Damanhur multidimensional support to hub implementation

REDES :a growing network of national and international partners

• Municipalities of Gamadji

Sare, Ngogom and Toubatoul in Senegal

• Municipality of Dar El Barka

(Mauritania)

• PUMA ( Gov Agency in

charge of

• Ambassadors & volunteers
• REMEV /Mauritania
• Damanhur Education APS

(www.damanhureducation.it )

• City College of New York
• Context Institute (REDES

fiscal partner) www.context.org

• RIE ( Iberian Ecovillage

Network)

• SEA Soutenir l’Enseignement

en Afrique

• Earth Rights Intitute

REDES Pressing Emergencies

REDES is actively looking for funds to

• Lahel: open community biodymic

farming school. 5 hectares

• enclosed. One Solar water

pumping ( approximate cost 8,200 euros

• Community centers in Guede and

Lahel

• Drinking water well for Peté

village ( Cost 500 euros). The villagers walk kilometers to get their drinking water from heavily polluted Senegal River ( water related diseases like diarrhea, bilharziasis and other parasites, diarrhea

• build two classrooms in Ngane

village ( Pressing request of Mayor Gamadji

Conference of actors

• Volunteers

• You’re most

welcome to join local community journey to create a better tomorrow in the Sahel

• Gracias
• Thank you
• Jarama
• Dierejef

email: redes.ecovillages@gmail. com)