Recognising the value of Aldabra Atoll’s terrestrial and marine ecosystems, Aldabra was declared a special reserve in 1981 by the Seychelles government. Later on, due to its outstanding universal values, Aldabra was proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982. This meant that there was no extraction of the resources, no destruction of habitat and legal protection of the marine protected area. This legislative and legal framework provides the basis and support for protection of Aldabra and its biodiversity. Since then, green turtle nesting habitat have therefore been protected from development and destruction and green turtles on Aldabra, on land and in the sea, have been protected against poaching. In 2018, the marine protected area around Aldabra has been extended and covers now the whole Aldabra group inclusive Cosmoledo, Astove and Assumption. This represents an increased by 74,400 square kilometres of waters in this area, further strengthening the legal protection of the nesting habitat in Seychelles’ Outer islands.

Global warming and climate-change is a global issue and solutions to avert climate change from tipping over and slow down global warming should likewise be global in nature.   

"While we are relatively small individually…I believe that working together for a greater purpose, we can achieve our goals; many in body and one in mind." Ken Lee, Lotus Foods.

 ZIDOFA's attainment of near completed status for the targetted closed-loop organic SRI rice value chain in the span of just two years despite the absence of a resident sponsoring NGO or support organization is attributable to its strategic partnerships with both private organizations and government agencies.  As such, the various components of the value chain, mainly infrastructure, logistical and equipment support were granted by varying organizations and agencies.

At the start of the project, ZIDOFA submitted the Project Plan to as many private and government entities as possible and a year after project start, also submitted Executive Briefs to heads of agencies outlining the milestones, achievements and constraints met by the farmers.  As such, by year two, the concerned organizations and agencies were well aware of the project and eventually became project partners thereby setting an unprecedented model for convergence.

To make sure the project stayed on track to its aim and commitment to provide safe, affordable and healthy food for consumers, restore, protect and conserve biodiversity and to promote farmers' welfare, ZIDOFA farmers were actively engaged in the creation of ZIDOFA's Mission and Vision Statements by conducting a Strategic Plannig workshop by CORE, Philippines.  Additionally, a Communications Planning workshop was conducted by leading communications and media experts to ensure that ZIDOFA members were on the same page on how to market SRI as well as its flagship product, the Oregena (abbreviation for Organic REGENerative Agriculture) line of organic SRI Rices.
 

The ZIDOFA Mission: To advance holistic, farmer-managed and environment-friendly programs utilizing leading edge processes promoting quality agricultural and aquaculture products

The ZIDOFA Vision: ZIDOFA envisions itself as a reputable producer of quality and globally competitive organic agriculture and aquaculture products. It envisions a resilient and productive community where families are healthy,  happy and living harmoniously in a sustainable environment.

As ZIDOFA farmers trained on SRI, training for organic fertilizer manufacture was also incorporated so that the organic inputs can be available once the cropping cycle started as and such, the farmers can focus on the SRI agronomic management principles instead of having to still worry about making organic inputs. 

As the ZIDOFA farmers started planting and cultivating their organic SRI rice plants, ZIDOFA was already seeking market linkages with potential customers for the upcoming harvested paddy rice and the eventual milled organic paddy rice. 

All throughout the chain of activities, ZIDOFA was aggressively joining national and regional exhibits as well as trade fairs in order to promote SRI and to increase public awareness on the benefits of organic pigmented rice as part of consumer diet. The environmental ramifications of organic-based SRI was also highlighted with ZIDOFA adopting the following tagline "That Farmers, Soils and Oceans May Live" in all its communications engagements including social media. 

All throught the cropping year, ZIDOFA submitted project proposals for its needed equipment and infrastructure and persistently followed up on their statuses

Continous seeking of funding sources.

A solidly passionate and comitted core group of farmers which will persevere and persist to advance not only organic-based SRI to other farmers and farming communities but who are consciencious farmers in producing high quality, healthy and affordable organic SRI rice for consumers is one of the keys towards project completion by ZIDOFA. 

The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is a group of agronomic management practices and principles which delivers optimum conditions for rice plants to manifest their fullest potentials for growth and yield.  This climate and enviroment friendly method of rice cultivation uses 50 percent less irrigation water, requires 90 percent less seeds and allows for the cultivation of rice using only organic inputs with zero chemical or synthetic fertilizers.  

SRI ensures that farmers in the group all use the same protocols or method of cultivation, use the same seed varieties and prepare organic inputs using the same formulas and use them in the same dosages.  These ensure that quality of rice grains are consistently of high quality and of the same organic integrity from farmer to farmer. 

Additionally, organic SRI plants exhibit substantial root architectures which allows them to withstand long periods of drought or extreme bouts of wind and rain.  The deeply entrenched roots also allow for maximum uptake of nutriens and water as well as allows the rice plants to sequester deeper in the soil horizon, organic and photosynthetic carbon.  The use of intermittent irrigation also lessens emissions of methane as a Green House Gas and the non-use of fertilizers reduce carbon emissions.

Financing the plantation of trees in poor developing countries is impossible. Banks need collateral but in general there is common land ownership and no kadaster. Often the population register is not complete so banks do not know where the money lender lives. At last trees start to produce after 5 to 7 years and banks want the interest and redemption as of the first year, so the money lender cannot pay its loan. For this reason not enough productive trees are planted, although agroforestry would be the best solution for dry and eroded countries.

The planting of trees in combination with vegetables offers a possibility to microfinance the planting. The trees cause long term cashflow, the vegetables produce food for the family, and they can sell their overproduction which causes the short term cashflow. The short term cashflow enables them to pay their microfinance. The microfinance can be done with a revolving fund.

The vegetables production in combination with the efficient water use, offers a possibility to reforest the world with productive trees. 

The microfinance can be given by a revolving fund. The money lender lends money, repays within a year, the fund can lend it again. This system can repeat itself eternally.

The Groasis Ecological Water Saving Technology consists of 5 building blocks:

1) Growboxx®/Waterboxx® plant cocoon

​intelligent bucket

Provides water to a tree and vegetables while creating a healthy micro-climate. Both boxes use 90% less water and provide a survival rate of +90%.

2) (Bio)Growsafe Telescoprotexx

protects plants

Plant protector against heat, frost, wind, (sand)storms, and grazing animals. Protects plants and speeds up to plant growth. Available in carton or polypropylene.

3) Growmaxx Mycorrhizae

assists and/or replaces fertilizer

Fungi that feed the plant and support a healthy root system. Fertilizers contain salt and in dry soil often burn the roots. Mycorrhizae replace expensive fertilizers (natural alternative) while supporting faster plant.

4) Capillary Drill

elevates planting productivity

Machine used to accelerate making planting holes while leaving the capillary system intact. Digging planting holes by hand takes 15 min/hole (32 – 40 holes/day). Capillary drill makes 6.000 holes per day.

5) Terracedixx

increases water infiltration

Machine is used to make mini-terraces to stimulate increased rainwater infiltration into the soil. Currently just 25% of (rain)water enters the soil in degraded areas, by using the Terracedixx up to 90% is harvested.

CAMGEW, while using apiculture as a tool to conserve the Kilum-Ijim forest, discovered that bee farmers were producing honey from the forest and around the forest but never had a market for their honey and bees wax. Our conservation work could be a failure if CAMGEW could not find a market for their honey and bees wax. Bee farmers could now protect the forest from bushfire, thanks to their beehives found in the forest. CAMGEW had to buy their honey and take it to Bamenda town in order to sell it. CAMGEW created a Honeyshop in Bamenda called NORTH WEST BEE FARMERS MESSENGER (NOWEFAM) to sell Oku White Honey, brown honey, bumble bee honey,  bee suits made in our vocational school, locally made bee smokers, locally made beehives, bee wax and candles made from bees wax. The shop products are available in different quantities for different prices. The Honeyshop provides coffee and tea with honey and some snacks. The shop also sells other home-made items like crafts. It is also a resource centre for bee farmers and would-be bee famers with documents that they come to read on apiculture. Bees wax and honey is sold nationally and internationally. Marketing is challenging, but we are working hard and the future looks bright.

The central core point for this solution is the sustainability concept of intervention. Three main components of sustainability are addressed and exercised by the youth and all chain actors. By this organic honey production fits to the sustainability issues. From our business slogan “No tree, No bee, No honey, No money” one can understand, how it is really in line with sustainability. In our intervention we a have a vision to see happy beekeepers, healthy environment and quality honey. This approach also helps us to get a market for our product.