March/April 2016

Dear Readers,

In the 1970s, by introducing a parasitic wasp, he saved the cassava harvests and the lives of 20 million Africans. Dr Hans Rudolf Herren, an eminent expert on world food, is our guest for this issue. He claims that agroecology can feed humanity providing that we radically rethink our systems of organization and he reminds us, just as in the credo of our Foundation, that everything on the planet is connected: production, consumption, health, education, climate, etc. He pointed out that 'what is new about the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is that they encourage us to move away from a silo mentality', and highlighted the importance of taking action before it is too late. We cannot but endorse his position.

In the last 11 years, the Foundation has funded 240 projects, with a commitment of over 22 million euros. But on the ground, it shows clearly that we should rapidly try to find the wherewithal to go further and faster, to fund even more projects ensuring the sustainable human development that respects our precious planet.

That is why I am calling on all of you, foundations and philanthropists, to join forces with us and be a part of our initiatives, remembering that all donations, go directly and exclusively to our projects. Fondation Ensemble, which is state-approved, selects and monitors these projects but charges no fees.

Together we can always go further... And at the current rate of climate change, this is a matter of great urgency!

Jacqueline Délia Brémond
Co-Founder/Co-Chair

‘What is new about the SDG's is that they encourage us to move away from a silo mentality.’

On 9 December 2015, at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 21), Dr Hans Rudolf Herren gave a talk on 'Climate and Food', jointly organized by Fondation Ensemble. We wanted to take the discussion further. Dr Herren is one of the world's leading experts on biological pest control and has been awarded many prestigious international prizes, including the 1995 World Food Prize and the 2013 Right Livelihood Award, better known as the 'Alternative Nobel Prize'. Founder of the Biovision Foundation in 1998, Dr Herren shares with us his vision: that of a world with enough healthy food for all, produced by healthy people in a healthy environment. A necessary voice against the backdrop of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development …

*SDG's: Sustainable Development Goals

Read the interview here

When you support the Foundation,
you support our projects and nothing else…

Fondation Ensemble does not aim to raise funds from the general public.
However, in order to fund more projects, we are seeking partners or philanthropists who share our values and wish to invest with confidence, safe in the knowledge that all our projects benefit from a stringent and transparent selection and monitoring process.

For donations starting from € 3000, you can sponsor a 'Threatened Animal Species' project of your choice. You will receive personalized follow-up on the project. To support a particular threatened species, download the donation form here.

You may also choose to make a bigger contribution by co-funding a larger-scale project. To find out more and to see our current co-funding partnerships sought, click here.

To find out more about how the Foundation works:

• Learn about our Board of Experts: here

• Learn about our project selection and monitoring process: here

Two new projects funded by the Foundation

Two agreements were signed by the Foundation at the beginning of this year

The first is for an 'Électriciens sans Frontières' (Electricians without Borders) project that aims to bring a solar electrification model to 12 isolated villages in northern Laos. Find out more about the project here.

The second is for a project managed by Conservation International in the sustainable fishing sector. It aims to protect the mangroves and to ensure an income for local communities in the Gulf of Guayaquil, Ecuador.  Find out more about the project here.

Fondation Ensemble means: 240 projects funded since 2004, 5 million beneficiaries, 180 partners, over 22 million euros committed.
Find out about all our funded projects here.

How can human beings and wild animals be reconciled when they share the same land?

Raids on fields and destruction of crops are frequent sources of Human/Wildlife conflict. While the damage is often inflicted by elephants, they are not the only animal to cause problems. Crop damage has serious consequences for local communities … Find out more here about one of the techniques used by Awely's scientific teams to limit conflicts between local communities and the herbivorous wild animals that live nearby.

DOWNLOAD THE TECHNICAL FACTSHEET

Jean-Marie Pelt, one of the Foundation's first friends

Jean-Marie Pelt, Emeritus Professor of Plant Biology and Pharmacology, President of the European Institute of Ecology and member of the Foundation's Board of Experts passed away on 23 December 2015. The Foundation's Board of Directors and team will never forget the valuable contribution he made to our Board of Experts. As a tribute to him, we are republishing the interview he gave us in March 2010, the wonderful title of which should be a constant reminder in the mind of every responsible human being.

‘Let's develop an affectionate relationship with nature
that goes beyond mere respect.’

Read the interview with Jean-Marie Pelt in our March 2010 Newsletter here.

Editor-in-chief: Olivier Braunsteffer
Graphic design and text: Brigitte Galliot, Benjamin Gicquaud
The Foundation wishes to thank its partners for the photographic material included in this issue.

Fondation Ensemble - 1 rue de Fleurus, 75006 PARIS.