The NGO Save Our Planet officially launched the Community Botanical Gardens for Medicinal Plant Conservation project, known as JARCOMED, this Thursday in N’Dali. Supported by the Re-Earth Initiative, this one-year project will be deployed in the communes of N’Dali and Tchaourou, with the ambition of preserving Benin’s medicinal biodiversity and traditional knowledge.
The inauguration ceremony, co-chaired by the Mayor of N’Dali and the President of Save Our Planet, Ms. Aichatou Balla, had a dual purpose: the official launch of JARCOMED and the collective validation of results from focus groups previously organized in the two communes.
In his opening speech, the Mayor of N’Dali, Daouda SAKA MERE, underscored the fundamental importance of this initiative: « On this important day, it is with great honor and deep satisfaction that I stand before you to officially launch the JARCOMED project. Our land, our environment, and the knowledge they hold constitute an invaluable heritage. »
He insisted on the relevance of the chosen approach: « This is why the initiative led by the NGO Save Our Planet, in partnership with all of you, resonates strongly. It does not come from outside to impose a solution on us, but it builds on your knowledge, your experience, and your commitment. This is a project by and for the community. »
A Launch Under the Banner of Institutional and Community Commitment
Reaffirming the total support of local authorities, the Mayor declared: « I wish to reaffirm our total institutional support for this initiative. We will ensure to facilitate the necessary steps, secure the sites that will be chosen together, and accompany this project towards its full success. »
In her address, Ms. Aichatou Balla, President of Save Our Planet, presented the project’s philosophy: « We firmly believe that solutions to the great challenges of our time whether climate change, biodiversity loss, or inequalities in access to healthcare can only be sustainable if they are locally rooted, community-driven, and respectful of ancestral knowledge. »
She described JARCOMED as a response to « a simple but alarming observation: all over the world, and right here, plants with unique medicinal virtues are disappearing, taking with them centuries of knowledge and an essential part of our natural and cultural heritage. »
The Botanical Garden: More Than Just a Cultivation Space
The Mayor shared his transformative vision for the project: « This garden will be much more than a cultivation space. It will be: a place of memory, where our children can learn the names and virtues of plants that our elders know so well; a tool of resilience, to preserve our autonomy in the face of health and environmental challenges ; a lever for development, by creating sustainable opportunities for our community. »
Concrete Results Validated by the Community
The ceremony served as the framework for the official validation of conclusions from participatory consultations. Participants approved the priority list of 30 species of medicinal plants threatened with extinction, as well as the specific sites to host the botanical gardens in N’Dali and Tchaourou.
« Your contributions during the focus groups have already traced the first paths, »reminded Ms. Balla, emphasizing that « the NGO Save Our Planet does not position itself as a lecturer or a solo executor. Our role is that of a facilitator, an accompanist, and a partner. »
A Call for Collective Action
The Mayor issued « a solemn call to each one of you: healers, farmers, youth, women, men, all holders of knowledge or a will to act. Get fully involved. Your voice matters. Your choices will guide the actions to come. »
He concluded on a note of collective ambition: « Together, let’s make this JARCOMED project a collective success, which can inspire far beyond our borders, » before officially declaring the project open in the territory.
An Initiative Welcomed by Communities
Participants from N’Dali and Tchaourou unanimously praised the project’s relevance and the participatory methodology employed. « This initiative comes at the right time. It will allow us to strengthen our medicinal biodiversity and improve our well-being through sustainable access to these resources, » testified a traditional healer present.
Thanks to this preparatory work and the joint commitment of the authorities, the NGO, and the communities, the JARCOMED project starts on solid foundations, promising to preserve a precious natural and cultural heritage for current and future generations.
Hornella Adogbo-Medagbe