Finalists and Winners

Finalists and Winners
2012
The Winners are . . .
Dear friends of the
One World Award,
this year’s OWA (One World Award) award ceremony marks the
end of the third OWA application process.
Once created to reward individuals and institutions for their
commitment for a more human and sustainable globalization and to encourage
people around the world to double their efforts for a more just development, the
purpose and the contents of the OWA are even more important today than before.
It seems as if the world is staggering from one crisis into the next. Financial
problems, environmental catastrophes and regional (civil) wars in various places
dominate the incessant daily news input. The global population increases a billion at a time and the struggle for survival of the very poor on the one hand and
the increasing egotism of the rich countries on the other side accelerate the
destructive exploitation of the Earth’s resources.
Scarcity of drinking water and the staggering losses of fertile soils due to erosion
and building developments as well as industrialization will make a sufficient
food supply increasingly difficult in the future.
These menaces scare people and foster discouragement. This effect is comprehensible and understandable but it also aggravates negative developments. The
short-sightedness of political decision makers further compounds the situation.
The turn-around of this apparently unstoppable demise requires the courage
and activity of as many people as possible. With the OWA we want to make
our humble contribution for a better world. Find inspiration in the OWA for a
more conscious behavior and take on responsibility within the complex context
of a globalized world. Globalization is not all negative as it provides a growing
number of people with a sufficient and sustainable subsistence.
I would like to extend my gratefulness to our friends from our OWA partner
IFOAM and to the members of the jury who make this award possible with their
voluntary effort.
And I would like to thank all those who applied to the OWA by submitting their
projects but who could not be considered for the award this time. My heartfelt
congratulations go to all finalists and the laureate of the OWA 2012!
A GREETING FROM THE IFOAM PRESIDENT
Andre Leu
The One World Award celebrates inspirational achievements of individuals
and their communities showing how powerful personal initiatives based
on our values and principles of sustainable and organic agriculture can be.
The impressive stories of the finalists and the winners equally encourage
men and women in those communities and people in the rest of the world.
IFOAM is proud to be partner and patron of the One World Award and to be
among the jury members who selected the 2012 award recipients. It is also
our great honor to have once again selected the winner of the One World
Lifetime Achievement Award which goes to the Brazilian organic pioneer
and soil scientist Ms. Ana Maria Primavesi.
Our planet has around one billion undernourished people, all of them are
too poor to either produce sufficient amounts of food or to buy enough
food for their families. 80% of the hungry are farmers or landless rural
laborers and the majority of these people produce organic by default. In
this situation, efforts are imperative to support the transition to organic by
design. UN studies have confirmed the effectiveness of ecological and social intensification of traditional farming methods.
At a time when troubling news from around the world promote anxiety,
uncertainty, and pessimism, the applicants of the One World Award 2012
show us how happiness and wellbeing can be created in real life even under the most difficult circumstances. All applicants deserve our attention,
our respect and our admiration. It was not an easy task to limit the choice
to the finalists from Turkey, Nicaragua, India an Cuba.
IFOAM especially applauds the winner, Major Jun from the Philippines
who proves that it does not always take non-governmental organizations to
respond to people’s needs and make a huge difference in their lives. Thank
you and congratulations!
For more information about the OWA: www.one-world-award.eu
Joseph Wilhelm
Initiator of the One World Award,
Founder and Managing Director of RAPUNZEL Naturkost
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Andre Leu
IFOAM President
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ONE WORLD AWARD
Globalization seems to have made the world a smaller place; at the same time
there is a growing demand for space and the fear of losing vital resources is increasing. Many people perceive globalization as a global, more or less openly
conducted competition at all levels of society. There is, however, also a different
way. Globalization can also have positive effects. Global communication networks, worldwide trade and transport routes offer the possibility for more and
more people to participate in global knowledge and prosperity. The way HOW
this is achieved is the central question ...
Objectives of the One World Award ...
• To promote globalization in a way that is not only oriented on profit
maximization, but on the three pillars of sustainability: ecology, social aspects,
economic welfare.
• To recognize outstanding engagement and creative projects that promote
environment protection and fair living conditions.
• To encourage more involvement for a happy, liveable future and a peaceful
society.
Who is behind it all?
The fact that we all live in one world inspired Joseph Wilhelm, German organic
pioneer and Managing Director of Rapunzel, to establish this international
award.
Rapunzel (“Organics with Love”) was founded almost 40 years ago and sources
its organic and fair trade raw materials worldwide. Inspired by the experience
and success of its pioneering Hand in Hand fair trade program, Joseph Wilhelm
and Rapunzel established the OWA initiative.
With the “International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements“ (IFOAM),
the global umbrella organization of organic agriculture, the OWA has found
an ideal partner and patron. IFOAM represents more than 830 membership
organizations and institutions in more than 110 countries around the world (for
more information: www.ifoam.org).
The coordinator and chair of the jury of the OWA initiative is Bernward Geier
(COLABORA – lets work together) who served as IFOAM Director for 18 years.
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The winners are...?
The One World Award (OWA) honors people and their projects that
make the world a better place; OWA laureates are dedicated people
who give positive and innovative examples of globalization - people
who make the future worth living.
Nominations for the international ONE WORLD AWARD can be submitted worldwide. The nomination documents must fulfill certain criteria.
Five finalist candidates are preselected and visited by the OWA jury
chair. Based on the submitted nomination documents, the on-site visit
report and a video film with the nominees, the international OWA jury
selects the OWA laureate from the finalists.
Each finalist receives a certificate and a 2,000 Euro cash price. The OWA
laureate receives the beautiful and unique OWA statue and a 25,000
Euro cash prize.
A second OWA, the “Lifetime Achievement
Award” is presented to a person who
pioneered and actively worked on the implementation of the OWA goals.
The OWA laureate 2012 was selected in
a jury meeting on June 6th. At this meeting, the jury also confirmed the decision
of IFOAM who selected the winner of the
“Lifetime Achievement Award”.
The four finalists and the two OWA laureates were honored on September 14, 2012
at a gala event in Legau/Allgäu.
Besides
the finalists,
the laureates,
Vandana Shiva from the OWA jury, the
OWA initiator Joseph Wilhelm and IFOAM
Director Markus Arbenz, approximately
700 guests came to the festive event and
celebrated the four finalists and the OWA
laureates.
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THE LIFETIME
ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Prof. Dr. Ana Maria Primavesi from Brazil
... was born on October 3, 1920 in Styria in Austria. She attended the University
of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna where she met and fell in love
with the Sudeten German Dr. Artur von Primavesi. The two married in 1946 and
in 1949 they emigrated to Brazil after Dr. Primavesi was dispossessed by the
Russians.
In Brazil, the Primavesi family (three children) earned their living in agriculture. Very soon Ana started writing practical guide books on topics such as soil
erosion control. Her books became very popular. In 1955 they took on the seemingly impossible task of growing the first Brazilian quality wheat on very acid,
depleted soil. Thanks to hard work and a consequent application of innovative,
biological soil improvement methods, they managed to harvest the first wheat
after three years. The major success factors were the build-up of the soil’s humus
content and the cultivation of various, soil-nourishing intermediate crops. This
way, they increased the biological activity of the soil and re-established the soil’s
water, nutrient and temperature balance. In 1960 the University of Santa Maria,
in the state Rio Grande do Sul, invited Ana and Artur to set up and operate
the soon world-renowned Soil Institute. In 1968, Ana and Artur organized the
2nd Latin American Biological Soil Congress and established the first graduate
course for biodynamic-ecological soil management in Brazil.
Ana Primavesi has published and authored 94 scientific articles in Brazilian
and international journals. In addition she has written 11 textbooks and contributed to numerous other publications. Her most influential work is her book
„Ecological Soil Management“ (Manejo ecológico do solo) that revolutionized
the tropical ecological agriculture in Latin America. The book postulates that a
healthy soil is the prerequisite for healthy plants
that will in turn contribute to
men’s health. In this book, Ana
Primavesi makes a case for soil
management that is based on
rich organic matter covering the
soil with a multitude of plants and
plant residues, offering good wind
protection and supporting plant
rootage. She underlines the impor6
tance of re-establishing the balance between soil, soil organisms, plants, animals and humans. Moreover, the protection of small family farming structures as
well as the fate of the farming people and their culture have always been major
concerns of Ana Primavesi.
Ana Primavesi has given more than 500 lectures and courses at universities,
institutes or congresses and has inspired her audiences around the world.
Throughout the years, she remained true to her teaching and working principles; she regenerated land for the production of food and also looked critically
into the practice of organic agriculture. She always campaigned consequently
and uncompromisingly for ecological farming methods and showed through her
work how these methods could be implemented.
Ana Primavesi co-founded several farming organizations such as „Agricultura
Orgânica do Brasil“ (AAO) or „Movimento Agro-Ecológico da América Latina“
(MAELA). She played a key role in building up the IFOAM-movement in Latin
America. Until today at the age of 92 Ana has stayed very active and is still
sharing her broad knowledge and her commitment with others also in the new media for example in internet blogs,
on the Youtube platform or in the documentary film
“Good Food – Bad Food” that was released in 2012.
Quotes from Ana Maria Primavesi
„The fight against poverty is indispensable and
is directly linked to the improvement of the soil
and the use of ecological agricultural methods“
„People cannot be healthy without healthy soils
and well-nourished plants“
Ana is an honorary member of numerous ecological
movements and has received many awards, among others the Award of the
Brazilian Agricultural Ministry. The Maela award that is issued every two years is
named after her - „Ana Primavesi Award“.
Ana Maria Primavesi is highly regarded not only because of her extensive knowledge and the clever advice that she gives other people. Moreover, she also has
the talent to inspire people in a kind and loveable way. With her innovative
ideas, her decisive actions and her witty explanations she has had a strong influence on the organic movement throughout Latin America and therefore belongs
to the global pioneers of organic agriculture.
Contact: [email protected]
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THE WINNER IS …
MAYOR JUN, VISIONARY MAJOR IN THE
REGION DUMINGAG/PHILIPPINES
NACIANCENO MEJOS PACALIOGA
... is known in his hometown as Mayor Jun. He must have spent a happy childhood
on his family’s farm because the passion for agriculture has accompanied Mayor Jun
ever since. After his studies he started his professional career as a community organizer, but he always envisioned that he could best help society as a politician. His
first political engagement was the town council of Dumingag. After 9 years as deputy
mayor, he was elected mayor in 2007 in a very tight election race. In the center of
his political campaign stood the development of organic agriculture as one pillar of
an integrated concept for a sustainable rural development. His opponent running
for mayor was a businessman working in the agrochemical industry! Despite manipulations by his opponent Mayor Jun won the election by a narrow margin of a few
hundred votes. After successfully implementing his program he was reelected mayor
in a landslide victory in 2010. The energy for his extraordinary commitment and his
unfailing efforts he draws from the work on his own, 3 hectare big farm.
Mayor Jun is responsible for about 50,000 people living in 44 villages. In many of the
villages, some of which are very difficult to reach, the inhabitants belong to the indigenous Subanan tribe. The economic situation in Dumingag, however, is his greatest
challenge as 90% of the people there live below the Philippine poverty level.
Together with the municipal employees and the people of Dumingag, the “Genuine
People’s Agenda” (GPA) was developed as the basis for the sustainable development
program. The program encompasses 15 strategic items such as the development of
organic agriculture or the improvement of health services, environmental protection,
security, peace and tourism.
The implementation of the development agenda already begins in nurseries and in schools. All teachers are
trained in the basic principles of organic cultivation and organic agriculture was incorporated in the curricula
as a mandatory subject. Biological
cultivation not only expanded into
the teaching schedule of the agricultural technical college but the entire
college was converted to “organic”.
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Practical workshops on organic agriculture are organized in all the villages. Once the
farmers’ interest for this farming method has been stirred they are offered intensive
training courses at the Center for Organic Agriculture.
The enthusiasm for organic cultivation has even spilled over to the local military station. The garrison gives the impression of being an organic farm rather than a military
outpost. Organic agriculture literally enlivens the otherwise rather dull, daily routine
of the soldiers.
The implementation of the GPA in the villages is coordinated by village development
workers. The organic farmers have formed their own organization as well as their own marketing cooperative.
All these activities have
led to an impressive track
record. Today, the food supply has been secured among
other things through the cultivation of 98 different, local
rice varieties that no longer
need to be purchased from
multi-national seed corporations. An interesting indicator
for the degree to which the
program has been implemented
so far is the fact that only 2 of
formerly 10 local pesticide traders are still in business. During the first developmental
phase, the number of organic farmers increased from only 20 to 500.
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The goal of the current project phase is to convert all remaining conventional farms
in Dumingag to organic. This also includes a marketing campaign boosting natural
products in the local market. The center of town features an “organic village” with
a farmers’ market, an organic restaurant, a health center and a store for local artisan
products.
The GPA includes numerous projects with the focus on poverty alleviation such as
the installation of vermiculture compost units, tree nurseries, fish ponds, mills, solar
drying plants, the cultivation of commercially used forests and the planting of rubber
trees. Particularly successful are integrated systems that include the cultivation of
rice and duck breeding and/or fish breeding. For local women many small businesses were set up such as handicraft shops or production shops for herbal medicines
and cosmetic products. The new perspectives motivated many people who had left
Dumingag to find work in the big cities but ended up in the slums instead to return
to their villages.
A great emphasis is put on the conservation of the
cultural heritage. The traditional lifestyle of the
Subanan tribe is protected and supported. When
one watches the kids in the village nurseries who
learn how to express in their dances the beauty of
nature and agriculture and the necessity to protect these values, one gets a glimpse of a beautiful synthesis between “agro” and “culture”.
There are still other areas in which Dumingag is
successfully “different” thanks to the GPA. Especially worth mentioning is the success of the non-smoking campaign and the program for crime prevention. Despite the extreme poverty situation the crime rate is nearly zero. A big effort
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is placed on maintaining the town and the village surroundings orderly and clean.
In Dumingag one also encounters hardly any car speeding and traffic chaos that is
otherwise ubiquitous in the Philippines. 30 km speed limit zones have been set up
all over town.
Without question, Mayor Jun is a very unusual mayor also because he has the courage to confront the risks of his policy. In one situation, he was subjected to extreme
political pressure when he refused to implement a heavily-subsidized government
program that was part of a so-called aid program where farmers were to receive
chemical-synthetical fertilizers and hybrid seeds. The rapid decline of the market for
agrochemicals in the wake of the conversion to biological agriculture also meant
trouble for Mayor Jun. Rather dangerous is his consequent fight against corruption.
When he refused to grant a license to a gold mining company for the extraction of
gold he was offered several million Pesos bribe money. After declining the bribe, the
municipality is infiltrated by armed gold miners who are apparently supported by the
gold mining company.
Success and courage of the
charismatic mayor have also
brought him approval. Two
years ago, he received the
national award for the best
implementation of a rural development concept. Dumingag
is the national model town
for poverty alleviation and du11
THE OWA JURY‘S RATIONALE
Mayor Jun’s projects and impressive achievements are an extraordinary and highly inspiring example of sustainability “in the
field”. The synergies created by combining the three pillars of
sustainability are “best practice” at its best. Remarkable is also
that the missing fourth pillar in the definition of sustainability -the
cultural dimension- is cultivated and nurtured in the community
of Dumingag.
ring the last two years, the community was awarded the price of the World Health
Organization (WHO) for the most successful non-smoking campaign.
Dumingag is an extraordinary town that became a beacon for sustainable, rural
development within 5 years only. If mayors and politicians in regions around the
world would follow the example of Mayor Jun and the people of the municipality a
breakthrough for the desperately needed, socially and ecologically sustainable development could be reached.
The jury is impressed how Mayor Jun’s dedication and charisma
encourages the people to take up their fate and develop together
their community. The Jury recognizes with admiration the commitment of the people who meet the objectives and realize the
ambitious goals of their “Genuine People’s Agenda”.
Mayor Jun shows in a unique way what good government means
in practice which deserves not only worldwide attention, but
should also inspire politicians and local/regional governments to
follow his example in their own ways .
Awarding Mayor Jun and the citizens of
Dumingag with the OWA 2012 reflects
the goal of the OWA objective to encourage people to (more) involvement for
a happy liveable future and a peaceful
society.
Mayor Jun, the institutions and the
people of Dumingag proove that organic agriculture is a perfect fundation for
a holistic sustainable regional development which not only leads to ecological
harmony and economic prosperity, but
For more information: http://dumingaggpa.wordpress.com
Contact: [email protected]
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to “all inclusive” welfare and well being.
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THE ONE WORLD AWARD
FINALISTS
NAZMI ILICALI ORGANIC PIONEER
FROM ANATOLIA/TURKEY
NAZMI ILICALI
… spent his childhood on a farm in
Eastern Anatolia. He started his professional career as teacher for literature
and later became a school headmaster.
But he always maintained a close and
practicing connection to farming. In the
alpine region of Eastern Anatolia where
winters may last up to 9 months, farming
is a constant struggle. In order to stop
the massive rural exodus in the region,
Nazmi Ilicali started to organize farmers about 12 years
ago. Out of this developed DATÜB, an organization representing the interests of
farmers making their living with livestock husbandry. Today, DATÜB has more
than 5,500 members. The next step was the foundation of the Organic Grain
Growers Association ORTUB and the national Organic Farmers Organization
OGUF with over 10,000 farmers.
The co-operation between the different farmers associations is very successful
and follows the slogan “Conserving diversity, healing Mother Earth and forming
sustainable, healthy communities”.
In the year 2005, Nazmi Ilicali initiated his most successful project as of yet. In
cooperation with a large city-owned bakery in Istanbul, he managed to close a
five-year contract for the supply with organic grain. With this contract he was
able to almost double the farmers’ income and provide them a long-term perspective. This motivated several hundred farming families to return to their native villages from the cities and to take up farming once again.
With his most current project he provides a new perspective for 400 dairy farmers in 42 villages. When the organic dairy plant starts in fall 2012, mostly
women will find new jobs there. With his great experience, Nazmi Ilicali was
predestined to coordinate the development of the Anatolian standard for organic
cultivation which also serves as standard for all of Turkey.
With his next project, he is planning to build
up an organic seed bank with a focus on
traditional varieties. The seed bank will be
named after Victor Ananias, the deceased
OWA finalist from 2008.
“Organic Nazmi” as he is called in Turkey
is a pioneer of organic agriculture. With his
medial presence and his lobbying efforts for
the organic idea he has become an important
cornerstone in the dynamic development of
the organic agriculture in Turkey.
For more information: www.dogtarbesbis.org.tr, www.ortub.org,
www.oguf.org
Contact: [email protected]
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PREMANJALI RAO AND THE ORGANIZATION
CRENIEO FROM INDIA
PREMANJALI RAO
… worked as a teacher on a Caribbean island after completing her studies
in literature and educational science. Upon returning to her native land,
she became involved in the Centre for Research on New Economic Order
(CRENIEO) where she founded a school for impoverished fishermen families and members from underprivileged castes in 1987. Ever since, Mrs.
Rao has been committed to the challenge of improving the living conditions of coastal people in the Pulicat Lake region. The work of CRENIEO is
based on the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and a scientific analysis of the
situation of the poor, resulting in the participatory development of joint
projects that are tailored to the needs of the marginalized population.
The projects cover many areas of a sustainable rural development strategy.
One major ecological focus is the restoration of the biodiversity and mangrove forests. In the 2004 tsunami, the lack of mangroves had devastating
consequences, especially for the fishermen.
Another focus of the project is on environmental education for school
children and adults as well on the promotion of organic agriculture. For
food and income security women self-support groups have been empowered to generate their own income by running small businesses or agri-
cultural enterprises. The income
helps the women to escape the
poverty trap.
Women in 58 villages have formed almost 350 self-support
groups which have improved
their family livelihood. So far 4,000 children have attended the Pulicat
School that is also known as a pioneer in environmental education and
700 boys and girls have received a professional education. More than 200
organic house gardens help to supply food to a lot of people. A forest
protection and tree-planting program in 30 villages made an important
contribution to re-establishing the ecological balance in the region. The
various projects reach more than 10,000 people.
The work of Premanjali Rao and CRENIEO is very diverse. With its focus
on the alleviation of poverty and the protection of the environment, the
projects set a successful and powerful example for sustainable development.
For more information: www.crenieo.org
Contact: [email protected]
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HUMBERTO RIOS, SCIENTIST
AND ARTIST FROM CUBA
HUMBERTO RIOS LABRADA
… has many talents and facets. In his role as a scientist he excelled as a successful plant breeder and pioneer of organic agriculture. However, his scientific
life is also closely related to his talents for the arts. He has published poems and
songs about biodiversity and the traditional knowledge of the farmers; currently
he is writing a novel about the risks of genetic manipulation.
Humberto discovered that the “industrial” plant breeding model rapidly destroyed the biodiversity and the environment in Cuba and thus he developed a
completely different strategy. Already in his pilot projects he not only involved
the farmers in the research but also enabled them to become plant breeders.
With his work he impressively managed to bridge the gap between traditional
and scientific knowledge, an approach that challenged conventional science.
As a consequence, Humberto Rios could continue his work only under the most
difficult circumstances.
The economic crisis in the wake of the collapse of the Socialist Countries forced
him to raise needed funds by giving concerts. His strategy of grassroots activities
also became an important element for the rural democracy movement.
Today, his network includes more than 50,000 farming campesinos of which
2,000 are actively seed breeding and/or propagating. While industrial agriculture had reduced the available bean varieties to only 5 varieties, about 200
bean varieties can now be found in the 120 seed banks that Humberto founded.
Today, 70 rice varieties are once again available in Cuba and while the corn
varieties in Cuba had dwindled to one variety only, farmers now have access to
40 different corn varieties.
The success of PIAL, the organization that Humberto founded has stirred worldwide interest. After being
successfully implemented in Chiapas/
Mexico, the expansion of the activities
to other countries is currently underway. In Mexico individuals and people
linked to the conventional seed industry attempted to impede by force his
initiative that helps farmers become
independent seed breeders and savers.
This however did not stop Humberto
Rios. The next project is already planned for Bolivia. Humberto Rios and the seed-network are an inspiration not only
to the campesinos in Latin America but to all farmers around the world who can
participate in the experience and traditional farming know-how.
For more information: http://www.goldmanprize.org/2010/islands
Contact: [email protected]
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ELBA RIVERA URBINA, TEACHER AND
ORGANIC ACTIVIST FROM NICARAGUA
ELBA RIVERA URBINA
... grew up on a typical smallholder‘s farm in Nicaragua. As first born
of 8 she had to take care of her siblings and help with the farm work
while dreaming to become a secretary. Only at the age of 18 she
learned how to read and write and just 5 years later, she graduated
with a high-school diploma as the school‘s best student.
She and her German husband founded Finca La Esperanzita, the first Nicaraguan
organic farm. Until today, she is teaching various courses at the farm. Elba is
the educator of “Sano Y Salvo” (Healthy and Safe Eco-Farmers‘ Association), an
organization that she co-founded.
Her farmer capacity building strategy is a healthy balance of „learning by doing“
inspired by Paolo Freire and Montessori. The training is based on ecological agroforestry bringing together soil, water, climate, poverty eradication and the whole
family‘s role in agriculture and respect for life and diversity.
At the age of 28 she came to Germany and got MA degrees in educational and
in political science at Tübingen University. Returning to Nicaragua she founded
the school „Jan Amos Comenius“ that became a pioneer school especially due to its extensive environmental education curriculum and child focused
Montessori approach.Elba Rivera fights for „education with quality“ confronting
one of Latin America‘s worst school systems. She is Vice-President of Nicaragua‘s
Forum of Education and Human
Development. She is the only Latin
American in OXFAM International‘s
“Women‘s 8 (W8)” group that was
formed as a counterpart to the G8
Summit of the most powerful countries. She traveled around the world to campaign for the right for good education.
She met and talked to high-ranking politicians, princesses and queens, media,
Northern NGOs etc. and spoke at a number of international conferences. At home
she continues her grassroots work.
Committed to the international organic movement she was involved in the IFOAM
Latin America - Caribbean Group and the IFOAM Farmers Group (INOFO). She
also has been co-founder and Vice-President of the national organic umbrella
organization MAONIC.
She considers it important and finds it most satisfying to educate tomorrow‘s leaders, to create and re-enforce environmental awareness among the campesino
and indigenous families in the remote countryside. She is dedicated and highly
successful in making things work – a fact that is especially difficult under today‘s
global conditions and the political situation in Nicaragua, a country that faces
tremendous problems such as foreign dependency, corruption and lack of law
enforcement. Elba Rivera is an inspiring example for a person who combines two
great personal passions for the benefit of people and nature.
For more information: www.youtube.com/watch?v=weguT3wim9s
Contact: [email protected]
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RAPUNZEL NATURKOST Organics with love
When Joseph Wilhelm and his former wife Jennifer Vermeulen
started to mix muesli in a bathtub 40 years ago, they would have
never thought that Rapunzel would develop into an international organic food manufacturer.
Like all big stories, the Rapunzel story also started out small. The focus of Joseph
Wilhelm back then was the production of muesli and nutspreads and the procurement and distribution of healthy food products such as bread, fruit and vegetable from
organic cultivation. Today, Rapunzel markets every year
about 28,000 tons of organic food around the world
and produces more than 450 products, half of which
are processed or manufactured in Legau/Allgäu.
The biggest challenge of such a development is the challenge of remaining true to
one’s principles. Joseph Wilhelm managed to do just that! All his actions are still inspired by the basic idea of promoting and supporting organic agriculture – beyond
Germany and Europe.
Especially important was the procurement
of raw materials in sufficiently high organic
quality. To this end, Joseph Wilhelm founded
the so-called Rapunzel projects. In 1976, the
first Rapunzel project started in Turkey with
organic dried fruit and nuts; a few years later,
organic coconuts started to be grown in Sri
Lanka.
Along the entire value chain, from the field to the
finished product, Rapunzel advises farmers
and producers – until a joint venture can
be formed. But also social and political aspects are taken into consideration. Today,
Rapunzel procures organic raw materials from nearly 40 countries worldwide and the
organic Rapunzel products can be bought in almost as many countries.
Since its foundation, Rapunzel has been combining economic success and social
responsibility for customers, employees and suppliers. Particular attention is paid to the
relations with producers from the so-called “developing countries”.
This was the motivation for the first HAND IN HANDprojects that connect organic agriculture and fair trade.
Since the 1990s, the range of products that is marketed
under the HAND IN HAND-label has increased to 90
products.
Part of the purchase price of HAND IN
HAND-products is donated to a fund that is
administered by the German Environmental
Aid (DUH).
Since 1998, 154 projects around the world
were supported with a total sum of almost
655,000 Euro.
In Tanzania, for example, a classroom was
built for the children of coffee growers and
in Bolivia the fund money was used to
equip houses with water tanks and solar
panels.
HAND IN HAND PRODUCTS
With this commitment, Rapunzel improves the living conditions in developing
countries and demonstrates that consumers can choose to take responsibility for the
producers’ situation through their food purchases.
During the many years of cooperation with the HAND IN HAND-partners and
through the many projects that were funded by Rapunzel, a new idea began to grow.
Joseph Wilhelm initiated the ONE WORLD AWARD.
This award honors people and initiatives who are committed to make globalization
a positive experience and who help to make the world a little bit better day after day.
The award should also be encouragement that everyone can contribute his or her part
to this great goal.
Presentation of the 2nd. One World Award 2010 in Legau
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INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION
OF ORGANIC AGRICULTURE MOVEMENTS
Founded in 1972, IFOAM is the (only) worldwide
umbrella organization of the organic agriculture
movement, uniting 830 member organizations in
110 countries. Among IFOAM’s affiliates are, for
example, organic farmers’ associations, organizations from the organic food
industry, NGOs, government institutions, organic networks, research institutions, as well as certifiers.
IFOAM‘s mission is leading, uniting and assisting the organic movement in
its full diversity. The organization’s goal is the worldwide adoption of ecologically, socially and economically sound systems. Democratically organized,
it represents the common interest of the organic movement based on the four
principles of organic agriculture: health, ecology, fairness and care.
With its dual identity of umbrella organization and global action network,
IFOAM unites positions, implements projects and offers services to its clients
that are relevant to the organic movement and for the achievement of its goals.
It has identified five pillars of actions on which it rests its long term strategy:
• Organic Umbrella – Uniting the Organic Movement
• Organic Advocacy – Promoting Sustainability in Agriculture
• Organic Value Chain – Facilitating Production and Trade
• Organic Programs – Assisting Organic Development
• IFOAM Academy – Building Organic Leaders’ Capacity
DAO DROSTE
THE CREATOR OF THE
ONE WORLD AWARD STATUE
Cosmopolitan, Taoist, free-lance artist (paintings, sculptures, installations and
video art), former chemist with a doctor’s degree ...
As a matter of fact, Dao Droste always wanted to be an artist. But when she
graduated from high school there was war in her native country Vietnam
and nobody there needed any artists. So young Dao went to Germany and
studied chemistry in Stuttgart and Heidelberg. After passing all exams she
was „so unhappy about not being examined any longer“ that she went on to
earn a doctor’s degree – with distinction. Not until 15 years after her arrival in
Lüneburg, Lower Saxony, she started to dedicate herself to her original passion:
installations, sculptures, paintings. In Eppelheim near Heidelberg she opened
her own studio where she celebrates this year her 25th anniversary as an artist.
„The Way“ is the translation of her first name. And it perfectly fits this tender
woman. She is a Taoist being convinced „that you have to accept what is and
that you have to always be fully present in the moment without thinking of what
might come next“. And you have to always be open for balance, reconciliation
and your own intuition.
Her Far Eastern roots can not only be felt in her personality, but also in her
artwork which has become part of renowned public and private collections.
While her family lives scattered across four continents, Vietnam has always
remained the spiritual home of the artist. But what does home mean? She calls
herself a cosmopolitan and knows: „I can only survive with this attitude“.
The OWA statue symbolizes the life-giving power of „Mother Nature“. The colorful
areas representing the continents and the oceans and additional blue bands flow
across Dao Droste’s typical female torso forming a unity of everything – a symbol
for harmony between man and Earth and for a type of globalization that takes on
responsibility. The new, larger than life One World “mother” statue sent out this
message on the stage of the International UN Conference 2011 in Bonn and the
Green Me Gala on the occasion of the Berlinale 2012. Now, the statue has finally
come to Rapunzel in Legau for the celebration of the 3rd OWA Gala.
Source: Nicole Heß (Stadtmagazin MEIER)
For more information: www.daodroste.de
For more information about IFOAM, see www.ifoam.org.
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THE JURY
OF THE ONE WORLD AWARD
Vandana Shiva | Indien
Vandana Shiva was born in 1952. She studied in Canada and
holds a doctorate in physics. After returning to India, she set up
her own research lab in her mother’s cowshed. Since the 1970s
Vandana Shiva has worked as an environmental activist and
eco-feminist.
She sees her work and struggle for the poor in the tradition of
Mahatma Gandhi. In an interview on the consequences of globalization, the German news magazine “Stern” called her the
“Voice of the Poor”. She is a globally accepted authority on issues like biodiversity,
seed saving, genetic engineering, globalization and climate change. Vandana Shiva
has received numerous international awards and recognitions among others also
the Right Livelihood Award.
Nnimmo Bassey | Nigeria
Nnimmo Bassey was born in 1958. In the 1980s he started to get
involved in human rights issues and was elected to the Board of
Directors of the Nigerian Civil Rights Organization. In 1993, he
co-founded the organization Environmental Rights Action (ERA),
a Nigerian non-governmental organization campaigning for environmental and civil rights issues in his homeland. Bassey is chairman of the association Friends of the Earth International. The British
Time magazine featured him 2009 as one of their „Heroes of the
Environment“. 2010 Nnimmo Bassey was honored with the Right Livelihood Award. In
Africa, he is one of the most influential activists for environmental causes and human
rights issues.
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Roberto Ugas | Peru
The Peruvian agronomist studied in Peru, The Netherlands and
Japan. He is a lecturer and researcher for horticulture at the
Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina (National University for
Agricultural Science in La Molina) and works as a consultant
in rural development, agroecology, agrobiodiversity and organic agriculture. Roberto Ugas is main advisor to Peru‘s National
Association of Ecological Farmers (ANPE) and is a member of
the National Commission for Organic Products (CONAPO), the
advisory board that drafted the first organic regulation in the country. Ugas is a member of GALCI, IFOAM‘s regional Latin American group and for 15 years was involved
with IFOAM‘s Accreditation Program that he presided together with IOAS for several
years.
Joseph Wilhelm | Deutschland
The organic pioneer and activist is founder and Managing Director
of RAPUNZEL Naturkost. Joseph Wilhelm started his agricultural
career on his parents’ farm in the Swabian village of Großaitingen.
Already as a teen he traveled extensively. In 1974, after completing
a training in bio-dynamic agriculture, he and Jennifer Vermeulen
opened one of Germany’s first organic food stores with an organic
market garden and a wood stove bakery. Soon after, he founded
the food processing and wholesale company Rapunzel. With the
Rapunzel Turkey project, Joseph Wilhelm established one of the largest organic cultivation and food processing projects in Turkey. The combination of fair trade and organic
cultivation is another major concern of his activities. Joseph Wilhelm commits himself
to the struggle against genetic engineering with his campaign “Genfrei Gehen” – the
march for a GMO-free world. In 2008, he initiated the OWA.
Bernward Geier | Deutschland
Bernward Geier was born in 1953. After finishing his compulsory
community service in a slum in Washington D.C., he studied
cultural history in Mexico and agriculture at the University of
Kassel. He worked five years in Kassel as scientist and lecturer
in the department of organic agriculture. From 1986 until 2005
he was the director of IFOAM, the global umbrella organization of organic agriculture. Bernward Geier is journalist, political
activist, member of the Future of Food Commission and active
Slow Food member. He lives on a small organic farm and runs the consulting firm
COLABORA – let’s work together. He is OWA coordinator and chairman of the OWA
jury.
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Call for Nominations
for the OWA 2014
Information on how to submit a nomination
can be found at:
www.one-world-award.de
or can be requested from:
[email protected]
Fax: +49-(0)8330-529-1501
IMPRESSUM
Publisher: RAPUNZEL Naturkost
Editor: Gila Kriegisch
Texts: Gila Kriegisch, Bernward Geier & Markus Arbenz
Layout: Gila Kriegisch & vierpunkt Grafik-Design
Photographs: Bernward Geier und RAPUNZEL Naturkost
Printer: Uhl, Bad Grönenbach
Edition: 2,000 Stück
Copyright: ©RAPUNZEL Naturkost, September 2012
Complementary copies can be ordered from: RAPUNZEL Naturkost,
Rapunzelstr.1, 87764 Legau, Germany.
Phone: (+49) 8330 / 529 - 0 • Fax: (+49) 8330 / 529 - 1188
E-Mail: [email protected]
www.rapunzel.de
www.one-world-award.de
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