Blog / 1 October 2011

Small can be big

In different parts of the factory he shows me the production processes of pressing and filtering the oil. With the waste product of the seeds his Tanzanian workers produce pallets that can be used in cooking stoves and long bricks that can replace charcoal in firing up big ovens. The jatropha oil is sold to a Dutch company which makes jet (bio)fuel and the bricks Diligent sells to a local orphanage and to restaurants and hotels in the city. Jan tells me that Diligent sells everything they produce within the month, that is why he wants to increase the production and processing for next year.

When we get to his office Jan explains how Diligent only buys jatropha seeds from small scale famers who use jatropha mainly as hedge plants, for every kilo of seeds Diligent gives 300 Tsh. Until now Diligent worked with collectors, they collected the seeds from the farmers and were also taking care of the payment. The problem with this method is that it is always unclear how much the farmers actually get and how much sticks to the collector. Therefore Diligent started working with the Tanzanian NGO Faida MaLi. Faida MaLi sets up groups of farmers from the same village. These farmer groups choose a head farmer from amongst their midst; the head farmer is the one who takes care of the selling of seeds to Diligent. Because the head farmer is a part of the group, the process of selling and distributing the money is very transparent.

On my way back from the factory, Jan asks me what stands out most to me on my first visit to Tanzania. I reply him that what has become very clear to me, is how dissatisfied people in Holland are. Jan smiles and says that I hit the nail right on the head, it is exactly the reason why he came to Arusha six years ago.

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Transformative Practice

Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration

In various countries in the Sahel, vast tracts of degraded land have been restored by the local population by nurturing what spontaneously springs from the soil. They do this using a method called 'Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR)'.
Letter / 30 September 2022

CSO letter to the Netherlands on urgently implementing COP26 Commitment

Last year at COP26, the Netherlands, alongside 38 other governments and institutions, committed to the Glasgow Statement on International Public Support for the Clean Energy Transition. By signing this statement, the Netherlands has committed to ending new direct public support for the international unabated fossil fuel energy sector by the end of 2022- a commitment it has yet to deliver.

With this letter, 20 civil society organisations call on the Netherlands to announce its implementation policies for the Glasgow Statement ahead of the Export Finance for Future (E3F) Summit on the 3 November. The E3F Summit is a critical opportunity for the Netherlands to uphold the commitments made in Glasgow last year, alongside all other E3F members.

The recent E3F transparency report highlighted that Netherlands insured 6x more fossil fuel transactions than renewables from 2015-2020, with 3 billion EUR in fossil fuel transactions compared to only 0.5 billion EUR in renewables. This demonstrates that a fossil-fuel exclusion policy for Dutch export support is urgent, and essential, to align the Netherlands with its Glasgow commitment and the Paris Agreement.
Transformative Practice

Agroecology

Agroecology is a diverse set of agricultural practices, a field of science and a social movement. It aims to transform food systems towards greater ecological sustainability, social justice, and resilience. Both ENDS and CSO-partners around the world support farmers and pastoralists practising agroecology, both on the ground and in gathering political and financial support.
Press release / 27 September 2022

Call to Dutch investors: get out of TotalEnergies

Utrecht/Amsterdam, 27 September 2022 - On Wednesday 28 September, Dutch civil society organisations will organise a protest at the offices of oil giant TotalEnergies in The Hague, drawing attention to the problems surrounding the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) in Uganda. They are calling on investors to get out of TotalEnergies because of this project, which is causing human rights violations and serious environmental pollution. Two weeks ago the European Parliament passed a resolution against the human rights violations linked to EACOP.
Letter / 22 September 2022

Letter to Dutch investors in TotalEnergies about EACOP project

A coalition of 13 Dutch organisations calls on investors like banks, pension funds and insurers to divest from TotalEnergies because of its EACOP project in Uganda and Tanzania. This new pipeline is causing human rights abuses, increased poverty, environmental pollution and climate change, and also TotalEnergies is using loopholes in the tax system to avoid taxes.

The letters has been send, among others, to the banks ABN AMRO, ING and Van Lanschot Kempen, pension funds ABP, BPL, PFZW, PMT and PNO media and the insurers Aegon, Allianz and Nationale Nederlanden. Together, the Dutch investors own shares and obligations worth more than 2.1 billion euros.
Event / 22 September 2022, 13:00 - 14:30

Showcasing transformative approaches for women’s land rights

Both ENDS and the Land Portal Foundation invite you to the third webinar in the Whose Land? Inclusive Pathways to Land Governance series. This third Whose Land? webinar will showcase gender transformative approaches on women's land rights. Gender transformative approaches are defined by women acting as agents of change, transforming structural barriers and redefining gender norms. These approaches facilitate the participation of women in land governance decision-making processes, but require closing the land data gender gap.

Register here
Publication / 29 August 2022

Turning the tankers around
News / 26 August 2022

Fires in the Paraná Delta show urgent need for a Wetlands Law

In Argentina, the wetlands of the Paraná Delta are burning. The fires, caused by human activity and aggrevated by climate change, clearly show the wetlands need protection. The Argentinian organisations that form part of the Wetlands without Borders programme are therefore calling for a strong "Ley de Humedales", a Wetlands Law.
Publication / 23 August 2022

Annual Report 2021
News / 22 August 2022

Complaint to development banks about the Nachtigal dam in Cameroon

Both ENDS partner IFI Synergy has filed a complaint to the World Bank on behalf of local inhabitants about the Nachtigal dam in Cameroon. The dam is causing considerable problems for local communities and local people feel that the compensation they receive is inadequate. They also feel that they were insufficiently informed and consulted before construction of the dam started.
News / 12 August 2022

In Memoriam: Sandra Smithey

This week we heard the sad news from Flint, Michigan, that Sandra Smithey has passed away. Sandra was for many years our pillar of support at the CS Mott Foundation. The foundation has supported the work of Both ENDS and of partners like Casa Fund and the NGO Forum on the ADB for more than 20 years, both financially and with its wide-ranging knowledge. One of Sandra’s ambitions was to make international money flows, such as development funding via the World Bank but also, for example, export credit insurance, fairer and more sustainable.
Press release / 8 August 2022

Indigenous knowledge and languages crucial in the fight against climate change

Amsterdam, 8 August 2022 – In most countries around the world, the extensive knowledge of Indigenous peoples on nature, food, health, cultural traditions and Indigenous languages receives insufficient appreciation and attention in education and policy. The Indigenous-Led Education (ILED) Network believes that this must change. To mark the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples on 9 August, the ILED Network is calling for more support for the transfer of this Indigenous knowledge, which also plays a major role in resolving the biodiversity and climate crises.
Publication / 7 July 2022

On the power of and lack of democratic control of the CETA committees
Letter / 30 June 2022

Open letter to the European Commission concerning plant variety rights in the Free Trade Agreement with Indonesia

Today, almost 90 organisations and networks from around the world, including Both ENDS, sent a letter to the European Commission to urge the EU to stop including UPOV91 in Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). The main objective of UPOV91 is to further erode traditional seeds rights and to regulate local seed markets in the interest of internationally operating seed companies.

This matter is urgent because currently, the EU and Indonesia are negotiating an FTA. Including UPOV91 in this FTA means that Indonesia will have to change its policies, which will take away the farmers' rights to:

- breed, save and exchange all seeds and other planting material
- participate in decisions concerning seed improvement/ breeding, selection, quality standards, pricing, production, distribution and diversity
- customary practice especially in regard to indigenous seed
- be protected from being sold fake and inappropriate seed
- have a true choice between the use of certified and seed from fellow farmer managed seed systems.
Press release / 30 June 2022

Civil society calls upon EU and Indonesia to respect the rights of Indonesia’s farmers

89 NGOs and farmers' organisations from Indonesia, the EU and around the world sent open letters to the EU Commission and the Indonesian government today, calling on them to refrain from any clause that restrict farmers' rights in a future free trade agreement.
Letter / 30 June 2022

Open letter to the Indonesian Government concerning plant variety rights in the Free Trade Agreement with Indonesia

On behalf of almost 90 CSO's and networks including Both ENDS, IGJ has sent a letter to the Indonesian government about the free trade agreement with the European Union. In this agreement, the EU pushes Indonesia to align its plant variety protection laws with UPOV 91, which would threaten farmers' access to seeds, food souvereignty and agrobiodiversity. The main objective of UPOV91 is to further erode traditional seeds rights and to regulate local seed markets in the interest of internationally operating seed companies.

Including UPOV91 in this FTA means that Indonesia will have to change its policies, which will take away the farmers' rights to:

- breed, save and exchange all seeds and other planting material
- participate in decisions concerning seed improvement/ breeding, selection, quality standards, pricing, production, distribution and diversity
- customary practice especially in regard to indigenous seed
- be protected from being sold fake and inappropriate seed
- have a true choice between the use of certified and seed from fellow farmer managed seed systems

The joint organisations therefore call upon the Indonesian government to resist the ask of the EU to comply with UPOV 91.
News / 28 June 2022

In solidarity with daughter of murdered Indigenous leader

On Tuesday 28 June, the Honduran organisation COPINH and the Global Justice Association filed a complaint with the public prosecutor in the Netherlands against Dutch development bank FMO. For COPINH, this is part of their continued efforts to bring to justice those involved in the murder of their leader Berta Cáceres. FMO financed the Agua Zarca project in Honduras in 2014. The new complaint is based on documents indicating that FMO's money has been used improperly.
Event / 19 June 2022, 12:30

"Stop Fossil Finance" block Climate March

Still, more funds are spent on the fossil industry than on sustainable solutions. Banks, pension funds, insurers and governments keep investing in fossil infrastructure which endangers people and the environment. Therefore we call on financial institutions to stop funding the climate crisis.

Join our "Stop Fossil Finance" block at the next climate march!
External link / 15 June 2022

Open letter to Trade Ministers at the World Trade Organization (WTO)

Joint CSO call to all WTO Trade Ministers to not accept the current draft of Ministerial Decision on the TRIPS Agreement and demand a real Waiver
Event / 14 June 2022, 15:00 - 16:30

Empowering civil society and communities through open land data

Both ENDS and the Land Portal Foundation invite you to the second webinar in the Whose Land? Inclusive Pathways to Land Governance series, which will focus on the opportunities and constraints of civil society organizations (CSOs) and local communities in advocating for more open land data and in harnessing its power for improved land governance.