24 November 2022
Local essential services Nutrition and health Entrepreneurship Nutrition Sanitation Water

Three innovative projects in favour of ecological transition

Actualité

The GRET support fund backs innovative projects with strong social, environmental and economic impacts for vulnerable populations. In 2022, its call for annual projects focused on more systematic integration of ecological issues in GRET-led projects, in keeping with the climate strategy approved at the NGO’s General Assembly. The three projects supported demonstrate the diversity of possible levers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GGEs) in sectors of intervention ranging from sanitation to prevention of malnutrition.

Reducing the use of cement and concrete in sanitation infrastructures

In Congo and Senegal, the teams will test eco-design and eco-construction techniques to build latrines and sanitary facilities, using local and bio-sourced materials. Pilot facilities will then be built in each country by existing sanitation operators, mobilising a sample of users, based on the Human-Centred Design method. To favour dissemination of these types of techniques, GRET will conduct a comparative analysis between these methods and conventional construction techniques that use cement and concrete, which have a high level of resource and energy consumption. This comparison will take account of several criteria, such as the cost and quality of infrastructures, their ergonomics, users’ opinions, and, of course, their ecological footprint (carbon footprint and impact on biodiversity in particular).

Based on the results of this analysis, these eco-designed models could be included in the technical catalogues of the sanitation operators in both countries, and distributed locally. They will also be shared among GRET’s international teams working on access to sanitation in eight countries.

Evaluating the environmental impacts of agrifood manufacturing units

In Niger, the Support fund is financing the evaluation of environmental impacts generated by the construction and operation of a fortified infant flour production unit. This study will include measurement of the carbon footprint and analysis of the production unit activities’ impact on biodiversity.

GRET has been working for 25 years to prevent malnutrition, mainly among children and women, by supporting the development, production and distribution of locally manufactured fortified products that are affordable and comply with international quality standards. The impacts of these initiatives on improvement of young children’s food and health, and on local economic development have been acknowledged, but their effects on climate or biodiversity had not yet been evaluated by GRET.

By strengthening the GRET nutrition teams’ skills, this study therefore presents a significant lever to ultimately improve the ecological impact of some ten small and medium businesses being supported by GRET in the Sahel, and to help them adapt to the effects of climate change.

Improving cooking methods in schools and community centres

In Madagascar, the Support fund is providing finance to a project in the semi-arid Androy region, which has been experiencing recurrent droughts generating severe food crises. In this region, families and socio-community organisations use wood and charcoal to cook food, which has direct impacts on deforestation and GGEs, as well as on women’s health. In order to respond to these issues, the fund is supporting the development of improved cooking methods in schools and centres for mothers  and children, and actions to raise families’ awareness on ecological issues related to cooking and food. The initiative will focus on reducing time spent searching for fuel, especially for girls.

The project will lead to the production of guidelines to improve cooking techniques in future nutrition programmes. It will also make it possible to enrich the database on eco-construction materials in developing countries, in order to promote the implementation of new projects in this area.

Since it was set up in 2011, the Support fund has financed 37 projects from its own funds or thanks to the support of partners and donors.

Depuis sa création en 2011, le fonds a accompagné 37 projets, sur ses fonds propres ou grâce au soutien de partenaires et donateurs.