Civil Society Track 1: Tools for Supporting Grass-Root Innovations — SwitchMed

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Civil Society Track 1: Tools for Supporting Grass-Root Innovations



How can we provide necessary tools to develop grassroots initiatives on social eco-innovation in the Mediterranean region?  

 

This  session  is  organised  by  the  SCP/RAC  team  with  the  support  of  the  Civil  Society  experts involved  in  the  programme.  The  Civil  Society  Empowerment  programme  will  be  introduced  and the participants to the session will have the chance to learn more about social eco-innovation and grassroots type initiatives. The  session  will  also  benefit from  presentations  of  some  of  the  Civil Society initiatives in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Lebanon that have been selected to take part in the Support Phase programme. The session will provide participants with a perfect opportunity to discover some of the emerging social eco-innovation examples from the Mediterranean region.

 

 

What did we aim at?

The main objectives of the session were to:

  1.    Provide an accurate description of the SwitchMed Civil Society Empowerment programme’s main goal and the different activities designed and implemented to achieve this goal.
  2.    Explain SwitchMed’s vision about social eco-innovation and grassroots type initiatives through dynamic activities to better understand both concepts.
  3.    Inform about some of the initiatives that are taking part in the SwitchMed Support Phase, which can inspire people wanting to promote social innovation in the Mediterranean region:
  • De terre et d'argile (Tunisia)
  • Bus Map Project (Lebanon)
  • CIPA-Pierre RABHI (Carrefour des initiatives et des pratiques agroécologiques) (Morocco)
  • Ferme Agroecologique Pedagogique (TORBA)

      4.    Collect  inputs and  new  examples  from  the  session  participants  related  to  social  eco-innovation and grassroots type initiatives

 

 

What can we learn from the SwitchMed Civil Society Empowerment programme?

 

Main moderator:  Dafne Mazo, SCP/RAC

Speakers:

 

Speakers as representatives from various social eco-innovation  Grassroots  Initiatives:   Morocco, Algeria,  Tunisia  and Lebanon

  •  Mr. Chadi Faraj, Bus Map Project (Lebanon)
  •  Mr. Mohamed Ouchene, Ferme Agroecologique Pedagogique (TORBA) (Algeria)

 

The  session  was  opened  by  Dafne Mazo who  warmly  welcomed  participants,  introduced  the session’s speakers and made a brief presentation of the session and an overall description of the SwitchMed Civil Society Empowerment programme.

 

Dafne Mazo, SCP/RAC:

The SwitchMed Civil Society Empowerment programme is being implemented in two overlapping phases, as follows:

  •  2015 – 2016: Phase 1, focusing on Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Lebanon, with the support of the national coordination local partners (e.g. Lab'Ess in Tunisia) and the ministries of environment
  •  2016 – 2017: Phase 2, focusing on Egypt, Jordan, Palestine and Israel

 

SCP/ RAC, in collaboration with Escola de l'IGOP-UAB/estArter and Transition Network, has developed a methodology for "Social eco-innovation and grassroots initiatives on SCP� focused on the SCP approach. The methodology has been operationalized through the creation of a Handbook and a Facilitating Guide for Trainers. Trainings on the use of these tools have been delivered via national workshops led by local trainers.

 

Targets of the programme for 2017 

  •  16 change makers trained as Local trainers
  •  160 civil society actors (initiatives) trained on social eco-innovation
  •  16 grassroots initiatives supported.

 

 

How to tackle SCP challenges through social eco-innovation and grassroots initiatives?


Juan del Río, Transition Network

 The session continued with the next speaker, Juan del Río. He explained the following concepts:

  • social eco-innovation concept and examples
  • main challenges on Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) (working groups session)

 

Juan del Río explained that the definition of social eco-innovation is very broad and encompasses many related concepts:

  •  A social aspect, related to community, society and the power of consumers
  •  An environmental life-cycle approach
  •  Innovation as a tool to improve livelihoods.

 

Participants shared their experience with examples of social eco-innovation in their communities, including: Buen vivir, permaculture, transition towns, and agroecology.

 

Participants then formed five working groups to brainstorm answers to the question: “How to tackle SCP challenges related to waste, energy, transport, food and housing?� The written suggestions they shared in the plenary are captured in the photo and the text below.

 

  

 One of the group formed to brainstorm and answer to question

Waste:

  • Consumers’ habit change
  • Industry habits
  • No supply chain and funds for waste treatment
  • Regulations and policies (Matrix to measure: waste/consumption/population)

Transport:

  • Community biking and repairing
  • Car pooling
  • Current transport means pollution
  • Lack of proper transport – Transportation in remote areas and high cost
  • Crowded no proper planning

Food:

  • Responsible production - Ethical production
  • Traditional knowledge (way of life)
  • Logistical issues
  • Food safety, Quality of Food
  • Pollution + Climate change
  • Security of Food (Industrial food kills people)
  • Self-Sufficiency
  • Responsible production - Ethical production

Housing:

  • Urban community gardens
  • Big cities that enhance land value (density/space, price of housing…)
  • Cities losing architecture, nature and social connections

Energy:

  • Strategic Policies
  • Cost, Access and effectiveness
  • Raising Awareness
  • Renewable energy, R+D
  • Environment

 

 SCP commun challenges for all groups

Andrea Calsamiglia, Escola de l'IGOP-UAB/ estArter

 Andrea detailed the concept of grassroots initiatives, explaining how they address the needs and problems from the bottom up, with the support of society and community seeking new ideas to solve them. When do we know if an initiative is truly grassroots? We should ask the following questions included in the image below (Ex. Who has the need/problem and who defines it? Who has the idea? Who is taking care…?). If the answer to these questions is “the community�, then we are talking about a grassroots initiative.

 

 

 

Participants closed the discussion by sharing examples of grassroots initiatives related to food, housing and others, including: Food communities, urban vegetable garden, carpooling, community furniture repair, communities biking, Eco dome, etc.

Download the presentation here

 

 

What can we learn from social eco-innovation initiatives?



Mr. Chadi Faraj, "Bus Map Project"  (Lebanon)

 

Mr. Chadi Faraj presented "Bus Map Project" (Lebanon) a grassroots initiative to map Lebanon's routes. This initiative aims to improve in the transport sector, specifically in public bus transport, in Lebanon.

The main problems that currently exist in the city are: Contamination, traffic jams, existing public transport but misunderstood or ignored.

This initiative proposes solutions, such as: Greater visibility of the public transport system will lead to more use, which could lead to more active bus community. This can be achieved through an online platform with open GIS data, Mapathons, Print maps, photo-essays, etc.

This initiative takes into account social aspects, such as: Social and cultural interaction, local development and bus driver empowerment.

Other environmental benefits include: Less pollution (air and noise), reduced use of private vehicles.

Also aspects of innovation, such as: First collective data set of the whole bus system in Lebanon.

Open data and reusable by others; Designers, developers, etc. Maps as a tool for social change 

Download the presentation here

 

 

Mr. Abdelmajid Arfa, "Ferme Agroecologique Pedagogique (TORBA)"

 Mr. Mohamed Ouchene introduced the "Ferme Agroecologique Pedagogique (TORBA)", a grassroots initiative that aims to improve in the food and agriculture sector in Algeria. It aims specifically to change the production model to: Natural agriculture productions with permaculture principles, optimization of resource (less water, fossil fuels), natural fertilization, biodiversity enhancement, multi-cropping, composting and waste recycling, direct relation between producers and final consumers, Consumers involved in food production and distribution processes

 

 

 This initiative proposes solutions, such as: Shared gardens (Agroecology - Permaculture), Direct association between organic farmers and final consumers (first consumer was the collective itself), Sidi Serhane farm (Chréa National Park), Raising Awareness For Agro ecology and natural food benefits, Open days within the farm (shared gardens), School trip hosting, Training sessions for agronomic techniques (different Levels), Visits to sidi Serhane farm (eco and social tourism with the SSF), Promoting local products and traditional cuisine.

 This initiative takes into account social impacts, such as: Sustainable local wealth creation, Social links strengthening urban/rural interactions, Unemployment reduction, Cultural revival, Halting the drift of rural populations, Community resilience.

 Also environmental benefits, such as: Cultivated Soil Preservations, Eco footprint reduction SCP, biodiversity protection.

 Also aspects of innovation, such as: Organic Food production (Agroecology), direct association consumers-producers, Innovative organization and environmentally responsible agricultural production.

 Download the presentation here

 

Finally, Andrea closed this session asking the audience to propose some words that could describe the final outcomes of this session “Inspiration, greatness, clarity, possibilities, power of community and collective solutions “.

“We are consumers and producers and we have the power to change� Juan del Río, Transition Network

 

 

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