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THE PART-ECOLOGY MORINGA PROJECT
A new type of trading economics: highly ecological, fair and empowering
(download the "Food Forest Program" here)
Moringa Oleifera leaves are extremely rich in protein, vitamins and minerals like no other fruit or vegetable. Its medicinal properties and enormous vitamins are combined to energy giving properties.
Mazao is an NGO focusing on rural development and food security using the approach of agro-ecology, social business and participatory education to develop activities that generate welfare in a long-term perspective.
The part-ecology label represents a new type of international trading highly ecological, fair and empowering. It certifies that a food product has been produce within an particular type of holistic food system which results in very low externalities and very high benefits for all stakeholders across the whole value chain.
*Part-ecology label is not yet legally registered. At the moment it only represents a set of practices carried out by the organisation and it isn't by any means a legal certification.
The Moringa Project
A win-win collaboration benefiting the people
The partnership of MAZAO and Salloga results in a win-win collaboration serving the population in the North and in the South as it:
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Provides quality food supplement products to make a positive impact on the physical well-being of its consumers in high income countries.
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Significantly contributes to poverty alleviation and well-being by its suppliers in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In the countries of production, Mazao NGO fosters participatory agro-ecological food systems, whereas Salloga Ltd bridges these productions to an international demand.
What do people in Europe and East-Asia get?
This business provides unique food supplement, Moringa tea (including mixed products), and cosmetic products without any harmful chemical, 100% Natural and Organic healthy tea, supplement capsules, and cosmetic oils and shampoos of high quality at affordable prices. The “part-ecology label” assures agro-ecological production, which is one of the most powerful tool to reverse climate change. Conversely to conventional agriculture which is highly responsible for Co2 emission, agro-ecology does not pollute and reversely it absorbs a larger amount of Co2 from atmosphere. Consumers would not only buy a healthy product but one that saves the planet.
What do people in DRC get?
The Democratic Republic of Congo is extremely rich in natural resources, but political instability, lack of infrastructure, deep rooted corruption, and centuries of both commercial and colonial extraction and exploitation have limited holistic development. Based on a population of 78 Million people in the DRC, it is estimated that around 6.3 million are in need of humanitarian assistance. 4 Million children of less than 5 years old suffer from acute malnutrition of which about 2 Million are at risk of death on the next few months.
While economic development had taken off little by little in DRC, development in the provinces like Kalemie, where MAZAO has its head office, has remained at subsistence level because of poor market access and limited government attention. However, there is an abundance of natural resources, the reason why one of these natural resources, such as Moringa Oleifera, that thrives abundantly everywhere in the region will soon be one of natural resources under developed productive assets.
The development impact of our project:
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Improving the quality of life of congoleses
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Creating jobs and providing incomes for farmers and locals
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Common funds for communities to establish activities that bring welfare
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Empower communities as to become more resilient to change through participative education
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Enhance the agro-ecological farming techniques, increase "farming to farming pedagogy" , to maintain the richness of the land for today and for tomorrow future generations.
More about the Moringa project
Moringa tree are grown by small family farms of several villages located at 2-4 KM from the city of Kalemie. Moringa is an agroforestry practice, moringa is grow together with banana and papaya trees in a way to allow the association with vegetable growing, including beans, peanuts and amaranth. The fields are enormously rich in plant and animal biodiversity, and most of the area are wild and have never been farmed before.
After three months of sowing, when the tree have reached maturity, the leaves are ready to be harvested, but Moringa is a perennial tree and continues to be harvested every month. The leaves are picked by hand and transported to the village early in the morning, at the coolest hours and before the sun is not direct to avoid damaging the nutritional value of the plant. Producing Moringa is a very interesting income-generating activity for these families because it requires very little investment and time and generates a good income.
The Salloga Ltd 20% earned profit is given back to Mazao who uses to the money to create common funds for each community of producer and one for the team that processes the leaves. Thorough a participative process, the group exchange ideas, needs and visions and step by step select some “limit situations” that everyone has in common. The group then gradually think out and express some specific actions to be undertaken to go beyond this limitation. The money of common fund is use, in a systematic and organized way to support the selected actions.
Another complementary way in which the fund can be use is as a rotatory saving. The group agrees to lend the whole money to a person or a group of people that use the money for the benefit of its family. This can be to finance income generating activities or to sustain specific family costs for whatever purpose she\he wishes. The subsequent common fund, the money will be allocated to other members and so on in rotation. This system enable each member to access a larger sum of money at once and invest in activities that they would not be otherwise able.
Some of the revenue is also use to carry out local campaigns of Moringa health benefit awareness. The conventional international approaches tries to fight malnutrition with imported enriched food and medication. Whereas Moringa leaves can be produced locally by peasant families at literally zero cost. The highly nutritional value, its easy access and production can play a useful part in preventing malnutrition as well as to improve general health for children and pregnant or breast feeding women, making it a sustainable solution to the problem.
PART-ECOLOGY FOOD SYSTEMS
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Beyond the fair-trade (Truly fair): Farmers and people who process Moringa leaves are paid a fixed and fair price at first. But the profit of each stakeholder does not ends here. In fact 20% of the profit earned by Salloga are returned to farmers and processors, in different ways, through a particular participatory approach to decision making.
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Agro-ecology & Agro-forestry: Producing in an agro-ecological way includes a zero or minimum soil disturbance, permanent covers with mulch and synergetic association\rotation of crops. This includes fruit trees and vegetables. This approach maintains and improves soil fertility, enhances biodiversity, reduces the use of water, seeds and energy while increasing the quality and quantity of production.
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A solution to global warming: “A powerful solution to the climate change crisis is right under our feet, in the ground. By harnessing the immense power of photosynthesis, we can convert atmospheric carbon, a problem, in soil carbon, a solution. Today science proves that by changing to forms of regenerative agriculture such as agroecology, agroforestry, cover crops, holistic grazing and permaculture, allows us to securely store carbon's excess in the soil.” Centre for food safety.
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Organic: Moringa is grown organically without pesticides or chemical fertilizers, plants are feeding themselves through the natural recycling of biomass and the nutrients in the soil. Indeed, the use of chemical fertilizers by farmer families is extremely rare across D.R.Congo.
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Participatory approach and Resilience Thinking: Mazao performs « Participatory learning cycles » at all levels of the chain by bringing together producers, the processing team and communities. Participants are encouraged to share their knowledge on issues both technical and social and find solutions to problems which are common to everyone. Exchange is not based on debate, but using creative and artistic activities and also participatory theater. This approach facilitates inter-communication amongst different groups, empowerement, resilience thinking and community organization and cohesion.
More about the Moringa tree: Nutritional Value of Moringa dried leaves
Dried Moringa contains, at equal weight:
17 times more CALCIUM than yogurt
1.5 times more PROTEINS than beef
4 times more POTASSIUM than bananas
6 times more FIBERS than figs
6 times more IRON than spinach
4 times more MAGNESIUM than chocolate
0.5 times more VITAMIN C than oranges
2 times more VITAMIN A than carrots