Nr. 106 - June 2011
Insight
SEKEM‘s Journal for Economy, Culture, and Society in Egypt
Editorial Dear Readers,
Your Team of Editors Find SEKEM also on the Internet at:
Soil Quality
Agriculture
IAP Rethinks NorthSouth Cooperation
How SEKEM Improves Desert Soil
Agroforestry on SEKEM‘s Fields
Organic Development Through Equality in Partnership
In international development cooperation the topic of „NorthSouth cooperation“ is a contested one. The question of whether aid by the global West is actually doing any good to the countries of the South is as old as development work itself. Over the decades more and more aid organisations have proceeded to demand better and closer „South-South cooperation“. Institutions in poorer countries should not become entirely a dependent on the aid of industrial countries but get better at figuring out how to solve development challenges through cooperation among them. The International Association for Partnership in Ecology and Trade (IAP), of which SEKEM is a member, is trying to go another way. It aims to make partners from the North and South think differently about the daily business they already do in developing countries. This way, already fruitful trade relations develop organically into new ways of cooperation that carry economic prosperity beyond the value chain and into the homes of citizens. In this issue we will introduce you to how the IAP works.
Partnership
The “International Association for Partnership in Ecology and Trade” rethinks North-South cooperation on the basis of dialogue.
IAP partners, SEKEM co-workers and guests: from left to right. top: Inas Nureldin (Salis IT), Goetz Rehn (Alnatura), Xander Meijer (Natudis), Matthijs Biermann (Triodos), Tobias Bandel (Soil & More), Volker Engelsman (EOSTA), Johannes Kahl, Peter Segger (Blaencamel). Bottom: Patrick Holden (Sustainable Food Trust), Matthias Keitel (SEKEM), Helmy Abouleish (SEKEM), Ulrich Walter (Ulrich Walter GmbH), Roland Schaette (Schaette AG).
I
n 1996, SEKEM and a group of European trade partners founded the „International Association for Partnership in Ecology and Trade“ (IAP). The new initiative was supposed to enhance cooperation and mutual learning among farmers, manufacturers, and distributors from the North and South. In addition, it intended to steadily improve the quality of organic products cultivated in developing countries. Most of the initial members
of the group have been working together since 1984 to positively influence the development and the impact of bio-dynamic and organic farming practice on a global scale. Until today it has developed into a forum for economic partners who are committed to the holistic development of organic farming through global partnership. Within the last 10 to 15 years the global reputation and market share SEKEM Insight | June 2011 | Page 1