Integration of sustainable development and organic mango production: The Vambu project

Globalisation and sustainable development are two major and in some cases opposing forces that have gained much popularity and acceptance throughout the world. But can globalisation be sustainable? The goal of the Vambu (Valuing Mangoes in Burkina Faso) project is to take up the challenge and make the concept of sustainable development operational in the real world by creating a new Standard for Ethical and Ecological Production (SEEP). By focusing on organic agriculture and by taking a Production-to-Consumption User-Responsive Systems Research (PCURSR) approach, the project aims at integrating social, ecological and economic constraints into Burkina Faso's bio-food industry. This paper summarises the results of five years of pre-feasibility studies (1993-98) and offers new ideas and directions for the future.