Abouleish Helmy
Organization: Sekem Group
Year Founded: 1977
Country: Egypt
Website: www.sekem.com
The SEKEM Initiative combines economic, social and cultural institutions - ranging from organic farming to academic research and medical centres – to foster sustainable development of the individual, society and nature. Focus: Agriculture, Education, Enterprise Development, Environment, Health and Rural Development Geographic Area of Impact: Egypt Model: Social Business Number of Direct Beneficiaries: 30.000 (2009) Annual Budget: US$ 15 Million (all commercial and non-commercial institutions) Percentage Earned Revenue: 97,8 % Recognition: Schwab Fellows of the World Economic Forum Background Egypt faces problems of overpopulation, environmental degradation, inadequate education and healthcare. Agriculture occupies 40% of the workforce, yet remains the least developed sector of the economy. Costs of agricultural production have increased while the resource base has diminished. Today, Egypt is one of the world’s largest importers of food. Because the country’s problems are interrelated, SEKEM has built a thriving social and cultural base to address Egypt’s crumbling health, as well as its educational and cultural development capacities. Innovation and Activities SEKEM is the first initiative to develop biodynamic farming methods in Egypt. These methods are based on the premise that organic cultivation builds up fertile soil structures, improves agro-biodiversity and does not produce any unusable waste. All products of the system can be sold, used in processing or re-used in cultivation. SEKEM’s strong commitment to innovative development led to the nationwide application of biodynamic methods to control pests and improve crop yields. For example, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, SEKEM deployed a new system of plant protection in cotton, reducing total pesticide intake to less than 10% and leading to a ban on crop dusting in Egypt. SEKEM has grown exponentially in the last decade to become a nationally renowned enterprise and market leader in organic consumer goods. Today, more than half of its overall sales are domestic, as Egyptians have become more aware of the benefits of organic products. Furthermore it has established reliable links with European and US customers in the export trade. The Entrepreneurs SEKEM is the vision of Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish, an Egyptian pharmacologist. He achieved his doctorate in medical chemistry in Austria, where he worked initially in research and development. Years later, on his return to Egypt, the country's pressing problems in education, overpopulation and pollution overwhelmed him. His deep concern for his country led him to take up the biodynamic farming method and implement it for the first time on desert land. For this unique approach, SEKEM was awarded the Right Livelihood Award, also known as the Alternative Nobel Prize, in 2003. SEKEM’s Managing Director, Helmy Abouleish, has joined his father’s quest for sustainable development, building SEKEM into one of the leading entrepreneurial corporations for the 21st Century. In dialogue with national and international politicians and economists he is fostering responsible competitiveness, social entrepreneurship and the abatement of the huge problems of the 21st century, such as climate change and food security. In 2007 Helmy Abouleish established the EcoTec Holding, which invests in ecological technologies and green business ideas in Egypt.
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