On Friday, July 12th, SEKEM and the Egyptian Biodynamic Association (EBDA) were announced as joint recipients of the 2024 Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity. The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation recognized the organization’s efforts in advocating biodynamic agriculture and enabling local farmers in Egypt to transition to regenerative biodynamic practices. The other two winners are Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) (India), a state-wide program supporting smallholder farmers, predominantly women, in switching to natural farming, and Rattan Lal (USA/India), a scientist who pioneered a soil-centric approach to agriculture.
SEKEM, a leading Egyptian social enterprise focused on sustainable development, and the Egyptian Biodynamic Association (EBDA), the leading organic and biodynamic agriculture association in Egypt and the Middle East have been transforming the lives of people in Egypt for over 47 years through biodynamic agriculture, social initiatives, and economic development.
The Jury of the Gulbenkian Prize, chaired by Dr. Angela Merkel, selected SEKEM and the EBDA as joint winners with APCNF and Rattan Lal out of 181 nominations, with nominees from 117 nationalities – the highest number of nominations and representing the most geographically diverse locations ever. The winners were chosen for their varying approaches to regenerative agriculture, including biodynamic and organic farming practices, which have been proven in different geographical regions with challenging climatic conditions. This year’s winners demonstrate how regenerative agriculture benefits communities, farmers, economies and the planet.
Angela Merkel, President of the jury says: “Access to high-quality food is of existential importance to everyone. Climate change and the resulting global warming have led to an increase in extreme weather events and are endangering food security around the world. This presents everyone engaged in the agriculture sphere with particular challenges. This year’s winners have demonstrated in an exemplary fashion how climate-resilient and sustainable food systems can be developed and put into practice.”
Commenting on SEKEM’s recognition, Helmy Abouleish, CEO of SEKEM Group, commented: “We are honored to be selected as one of the recipients of the 2024 Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity, alongside our partners at the Egyptian Biodynamic Association (EBDA). Over the past 47 years, we have proven that biodynamic agriculture can develop living soils in the desert, enabling the production of a diverse array of crops in Egypt, improving livelihoods, and enabling the potential unfolding of many people. This prestigious award comes as an acknowledgment of our ”Economy of Love” model, showcasing its growing recognition on the global stage as a viable solution to climate change. By empowering farmers and strengthening our food systems, this model has the potential to improve countless lives. We are happy about this recognition, seeing that the world is starting to recognize solutions for a transformation towards a sustainable future.”
Furthermore, Justus Harm, Co-Executive Director of the EBDA stated: “We are deeply grateful to receive the 2024 Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity together with Andhra Pradesh Community Managed Natural Farming and Dr. Rattan Lal. This recognition highlights the critical role that biodynamic agriculture plays in addressing global food security, mitigation and adaptation as well as farm resilience, and ecosystem regeneration. We are committed to scaling these farming practices, supporting our farmers, and promoting the holistic Economy of Love approach benefiting farming communities in Egypt and beyond.”
António Feijó, President of the Board of Trustees of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, says: “We are honored to recognize the recipients for pioneering work in sustainable agriculture and offering innovative solutions to global food security, climate resilience, and ecosystem protection. Each winner has demonstrated exceptional commitment to transforming agricultural practices, proving that sustainable models can thrive in diverse and challenging environments. Their work also demonstrates the co-benefits of sustainable agriculture for communities as well as the planet. We believe their stories will inspire others to apply similar approaches in other regions and help us build a sustainable future for all.”
For the fifth year in a row, the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity is rewarding individuals and organizations who are leading society’s efforts to tackle the biggest challenges facing humanity today: climate change and nature loss. Some previous winners of this prize are Greta Thunberg; the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy; the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); Bandi “Apai Janggut”, customary community leader (Indonesia), Cécile Bibiane Ndjebet, activist and agronomist (Cameroon) and Lélia Wanick Salgado, environmentalist, designer and scenographer (Brazil).
Established in 1977, SEKEM’s inception is rooted in biodynamic farming – rejuvenating arid land and local society. 30 years ago, SEKEM co-founded the Egyptian Biodynamic Association (EBDA), an independent association that developed the Economy of Love Standard, which is highly inspired by the SEKEM vision. Both SEKEM and EBDA are focused on scaling biodynamic agriculture, promoting a holistic transformation of farming communities. Through the Economy of Love Standard, SEKEM and the EBDA are enabling farmers to transition from conventional to a more profitable biodynamic, regenerative farming model while supporting community development. To date, it has supported over 10,000 farmers and converted over 40,000 acres of land.
