NGO "ANOTHER WAY" (STICHTING BAKENS VERZET), NETHERLANDS, SUSTAINABLE INTEGRATED SELF-FINANCING DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS AND ADVANCED DEVELOPMENT TECHNOLOGIES

“Perhaps the most urgent task for national governments is to help communities adapt to climate change by reducing vulnerability and climate-proofing infrastructure. As a priority, developing country governments must map vulnerability and develop national adaptation plans that prioritize the most vulnerable people. These efforts must be matched by support from the international community – in the form of new and additional public finance.” (Bailey, R., Growing a Better Future – Food Justice in a Resource-Constrained World, Oxfam International, London, July 2011, p. 54.)

“We will have to overcome the vested interests that stand to lose out, and which will strongly resist. The powerful elites in poor countries that control land and block reform. The farm lobbies of rich countries that plunder public purses, tipping the playing field against poor farmers. The dirty industries that block action on climate change at every turn. The seed companies whose myopic pursuit of patents undermines public research and leaves poor farmers on the margins. The multinational traders who profit as food markets unravel. The financial institutions that bet on them doing so.” (Bailey, R., Growing a Better Future – Food Justice in a Resource-Constrained World, Oxfam International, London, July 2011, p.66.)

According to the Canadian Earth Summit Coalition (UN Rio + 21 Compilation document for Zero Draft, Vancouver, 31 October 2011)

“A green economy calls us to:

‐ Make sustainability a political priority

‐ Think in terms of systems, and act on the high leverage points (structures and mindsets)

‐ Develop a bold, new economic vision that plans for the long term and provides for future generations

- Live within safe ecological margins, and redefine our relationship to the natural world and to each other

‐ Address unjust disparities of wealth and income

‐ Prioritize meeting the needs of the world’s poor (in both high- and low-income countries) while simultaneously reducing the unsustainable Ecological Footprint of the world’s rich along a global framework of ‘contraction and convergence

‐ Redefine prosperity in more than simply economic and consumptive terms, and adopt new measures of progress and wellbeing

‐ Recognize that a country cannot “go at it alone”, and that reciprocity and cooperation is a key pillar of global wellbeing. ”

In the fourth block: the structures to be created, especially in section 3: the financial structures and in section 5. other productive structures the possibilities offered by integrated development concepts in relation to on-going development were underlined.

Amongst other things, sustainable technologies and services such as small units for the production of energy from bio-mass, milk pasteurisation shops, the formation of sports clubs, theatre groups and the like were mentioned.

Above all, the local populations can dare to dream.

All on-going development is in principle for 100% self-financed by the populations themselves, as most of the activities will take place within the framework of the local money and micro-credit systems set up by the projects.

Of course, if they wish to do so, the populations always have the option to obtain finance from commercial banks and operate in the formal economy sector. Those initiatives do not form part of the range of operations covered by integrated development projects.

The market in each project area is automatically structured at the levels of the tank commissions, the well commissions and the project area as a whole. What can be done at tank commission level is organised at tank commission level. Activities of interest to several tank commission areas are organised at well commission level. Even more specialised activities are organised at project level.

In principle, producer, service and consumer should be at the same level.

Some (possible) examples. These lists are deliberately short and indicative. A few activities have already been mentioned in the course.

Tank commission level :

Animal raising.

Bamboo-based productive activities.

Communications services.

Conservation of fruit and nuts.

Crèche for babies.

Diet : most varied possible food supply, especially for local use.

Egg production.

Food storage.

Plant nurseries (most common plants and crops) .

Primary school.

Professional coordinators for the diversification of food production.

Nursing service

Social club.

Sports club.

Tree-planting.

Well commission level :

Bicycle ambulance service.

Dentist.

Distribution medicines.

Doctor.

Initiatives for food conservation.

Milk pasteurisation.

Mills.

Moringa paste water filters.

Mosquito nets.

Plant nurseries (more specialised)

Production of cloth and clothing.

Recycling of metals.

Secondary school.

Sports centres.

Theatre.

Zeer pots for food conservation.

Project level :

Bamboo bicycles.

Championships.

Cultural circuits.

Guides.

Hand-pumps.

Higher education.

Local transport.

Medicated mosquito nets.

Paper for local use from local products.

School furniture.

Seed banks.

1. Opinion.

Discuss the concept of on-going development with women’s groups in your project area .Give a one-page description of their reactions.

2. Research.

On one page make a list of tank commission level activities freely and independently preferred by the populations in your project area. Next to each one provide the reasons given by the populations for choosing them, and link them to the quality of life of the community. Indicate the economic aspects linked to them. Under which of the Millennium Goals, if any, would they fall ?

3. Research.

On one page make a list of well commission level activities freely and independently preferred by the populations in your project area. Next to each one provide the reasons given by the populations for choosing them, and link them to the quality of life of the community. Indicate the economic aspects linked to them. Under which of the Millennium Goals, if any, would they fall ?

4. Research.

On one page make a list of project level activities freely and independently preferred by the populations in your project area. Next to each one provide the reasons given by the populations for choosing them, and link them to the quality of life of the community. Indicate the economic aspects linked to them. Under which of the Millennium Goals, if any, would they fall ?

5. Opinion.

Write a one-page analysis on the relationship between the Millennium Goals and the activities preferred by the populations to achieve a better quality of life..

◄ ►

◄ Eighth block : Section 4 : Achievement of the Millennium Goals.

◄ Eighth block: Economic aspects.

◄ Main index for the Diploma in Integrated Development (Dip. Int. Dev.)

◄ List of key words.

◄ List of references.

◄ Course chart.

◄ Technical aspects.

◄ Courses available.

◄ Homepage Bakens Verzet

"Money is not the key that opens the gates of the market but the bolt that bars them."

Gesell, Silvio, The Natural Economic Order, revised English edition, Peter Owen, London 1958, page 228.

“Poverty is created scarcity”

Wahu Kaara, point 8 of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty, 58^th annual NGO Conference, United Nations, New York 7^th September 2005.

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