EBDA in September 2022
The World Goetheanum Forum 2022
Genuinely transforming the economy, two days workshop in Dornach, Switzerland. The forum posed the question of how we can strengthen the living and promote systems and initiative approaches? Justus Harm was hosting the Economy of Love at the workshop there. Presenting the EoL standard and its benefits for promoting the farmers income and lifestyle and its role in mitigating climate change crisis by implementing sustainable and regenerative agriculture.
Sekem Partnership with Terra Carta
Sekem has successfully signed up as an official Terra Carta supporter as a part of the sustainable markets initiative. The Terra Carta is a mandate that places sustainability at the heart of the private sector. Through sustainable agriculture, sekem and terra carta hope to improve the role of agriculture in combating climate change, bring people and the environment together, ensure a lasting impact and tangible legacy for this generation, and engage with and support the Terra Carta appeal for the global transition.
EBDA took part in Sahara Exhibition, Egypt 2022
Sahara is the commercial heart and crop production hub for Egypt and the MENA region. The 34th edition of the international agricultural exhibition for Africa and the Middle East. With Heliopolis University, EBDA shared the stand and took place there for 4 days in order to make people aware of Biodynamic agriculture and know more about the EBDA (Demeter Egypt), Economy of Love criteria and standard and know the EoL carbon credits for emission reductions and more. There we received and hosted hundreds of visitors from different countries and regions and different sectors, all were interested in our work and services and got passionate about biodynamic agriculture and Economy of Love standard as well.
A farm visit with Husk company
Husk produces BIOCHAR from rice husk (plants) that instead of being burnt, are transformed through a smokeless process into a carbon rich format. In doing so, Husk avoids greenhouse gas emissions and the resulting biochar brings life back to degraded soils. In order to collaborate with each other, we did several meetings and hosted the guests in the guesthouse for a farm visit in sekem farm Sharqia. In the farm they met Angela Hofmann, Amr sabahy and Hend Hany to discuss more about the raw material and texture of their product and what are the benefits of applying it. There they took a farm tour with Hend to guide them, they knew about sekem history and how Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish started implementing his vision towards making Egyptian farmers implement and follow organic farming methodology and practices, they visited ISIS factory and saw all production lines and importing and exporting products and packaging processes. With Dr. Amr they went to the compost site to see the compost piles and know more about how they will implement and examine their product on the compost.
An agreement between the EBDA and Lebanese company for Organic Cotton
EBDA Director Justus Harm and Eng. Attia Sobhy met with a Lebanese company that is supporting the conversion of many more Egyptian farmers from conventional to cultivate Biodynamically and implement Economy of Love standard criterias. In order to reduce carbon emissions and raise the levels of carbon sequestration and regenerate the soil and go sustainable with fairness and good income for the farmers in a whole transparent supply chain.
Carbon Footprint Center Got the ISO 14064 certification!
It’s a pleasure to announce that the Carbon Footprint center is successfully certified on ISO 14064.2. For quantification, monitoring, and reporting of GHG. The Carbon Footprint Center in Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development is now certified from the international organization for standardization (ISO 14064) as a proof for their high quality of monitoring and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions reductions or removal enhancements.
Our partner farmers started the harvest season !
We are delighted to share with you our excitement about starting the harvest season of the dates. Our partners and member farmers are glad to harvest healthy organic dates in their farms. They expressed their gratitude and happiness when they saw their efforts and commitment for going organic farming well.
Presenting the EoL approach to Virginia-Tech University!
Fatma Roshdy, member of the Economy of Love team, presented the EoL standard and its sustainable approach in a meeting with the University of Virginia-Tech located in the USA, visiting SEKEM in July. Mrs. Fatma introduced the standard and the EoL components, explaining more about the EoL carbon credits and how this standard with its services and carbon credits is supporting smallholder farmers and plays a vital role in enhancing their income and well-being.
A roundtable discussion in Heliopolis University
Heliopolis University hosted a roundtable discussion on “Agricultural carbon credits: Enhancing smallholder farmers’ resilience towards climate change.” The round table discussion aimed to enhance agriculture’s role in facing climate change and strengthen cooperation and improve farmers’ incomes through climate-smart agricultural practices, where sekem group’s Model for Agricultural Carbon Credits applies the sustainable agriculture system in Egypt, including all indicators that aim to reduce carbon emissions in agricultural activities. The round table is one of the Heliopolis University activities to prepare for COP27 that will be held in Sharm el-sheikh, Egypt in November 2022. It has been attended by representatives of FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), UNDP Egypt (United Nations Development Program), ICARDA; International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, AOAD (the Arab Organization for Agriculture Development) and SCALA project (Scaling up Climate Ambition on Land Use and Agriculture through Nationally Determined Contributions and National Adaptation Plans) in addition to our partners from CFC (Carbon Footprint Center), EBDA (Demeter Egypt), COAE (Center of Organic Agriculture) and Economy of Love standard.
EBDA hosted a one day training for RDNA suppliers
In order to expand knowledge and spread our mission and vision, EBDA coordinated a one-day training at Heliopolis University for RDNA suppliers and people who got interested in the Egyptian Biodynamic Association and its services. The training’s main focus was introducing the EBDA and how to be a member of the association. What are the benefits from being a member of the association and why choose the EBDA, all discussed and explained by Mr. Ibrahim Saad. Ms. Aya Mamdouh explained the Economy of Love standard and what are the benefits from getting certified as EoL, as well as Ms. Aya explained and gave an overview of the new EoL carbon credits certification. Eventually, there was a session with Eng. Mohammed Fouad from the carbon footprint center, as he explained for the attendees what is the Carbon Footprint Center (CFC) , what are the benefits from being a partner with the CFC, How they measure carbon sequestration and emission. He also clarified how you get the carbon credits certificates in collaboration with the EBDA and EoL.
