Presentation
Presentation
« Le debut des haricots » is a Belgian NGO that works for the protection of the environment. It was created in 2005 and its activities are divided into different lines of action.
Primarily, our aim is to inform and raise awareness about the pollution inherent to the industrial system. In this respect, we chose the food thematic as our central focus. Our main field of action is to contribute to recreating the links between consumers and local organic farmers, who offer produce that can thereby contribute to human, environmental and societal health at a just price. We pursue this aim by organising encounters and workshops, open dinners and by actively supporting the creation of alternative distribution systems, such community supported agriculture schemes. These are (mostly urban) citizens who set up groups that autonomously run a regular purchase of produce from one or more local producers. Consumers agree to purchase an entire year's produce, thereby sharing the risk with the farmer. Self- production is another important axis. By creating urban organic collective gardens in the city or in the periphery, we try to show that it is possible to have a busy life, while, at the same time, being able to produce part of your food yourself, offering another way for the citizens to reclaim their food production/autonomy. Moreover, the Bio- indication and Jardin des Couleurs projects were created to raise the awareness of young people in disadvantaged city schools. Bio- indication is a project that shows children how to grow tobacco plants, which are then used to measure pollution levels in the air. This gives the children an idea of the quality of their surroundings- what they breathe, drink or eat. The project Jardin des Couleurs raises awareness about environmental issues and the food economy. It teaches children and adults basic gardening skills (in our community gardens or by building vegetable gardens in their schools), as well as engaging them in a more theoretical debate on the links between our daily actions and our ecological footprint. With its different projects, the NGO multiplies its links with other Belgian and international organisations, for example Planète-Science in France, as well as our friends from Quebec (Action Communiterre, le Santropol, Equiterre,...)
