Supporting small-scale, environmental entrepreneurs can help tackle energy, agriculture and food security challenges and support the transition to a green economy. This was the message delivered at the SEED Symposium held in Pretoria, South Africa, on March 29, which celebrated outstanding grassroots social and environmental businesses in Africa and other regions.

Participants in the symposium included SEED Awards winners, representatives from the United Nations, the government,business sector, civil society and academia.

With the growing interest in looking beyond traditional business models toward those that incorporate social, environmental and economic benefits, the focus has been placed largely on bigger businesses and corporations which, due to their sheer size and global reach, can undoubtedly be major players in shifting toward a green economy.

However, in many of the world's developed and developing regions it is small, medium and micro enterprises that constitute the economic engine; social and environmental enterprises can make considerable contributions to their local economy and local communities. Their innovation, concern about pollution, food security, energy and greenhouse gases and interests in improving conditions at the local level potentially make them influential actors in mitigating carbon emissions, facilitating adaptation to climate change and moving toward sustainable business models.

The symposium was opened by Mapula Tshangela from the Department of Environmental Affairs who said, "South Africa's approach is to ensure that green economy action in the context of sustainable development builds on existing best processes, programs, initiatives and indigenous knowledge in key sectors for a just transition toward a resource efficient, low carbon and pro-employment growth path; and that government alone cannot manage and fund a just transition to a green economy and that the private sector and civil society must play a fundamental role."

With the significance of the green economy globally, and its prominence in the June UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Brazil, Nick Nuttall, Spokesperson for the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) who was speaking at the symposium said, "The world is beset by challenges from climate change and food insecurity to high youth unemployment and poverty."

"Yet equally the world is alight with opportunities many of which are illuminated by the fresh thinking, determination, vision and courage of the social enterprises involved in the SEED initiative."

The role of the green economy in development and poverty alleviation was underlined by UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in South Africa Agostinho Zacarias,"United Nations continues to offer support to countries that want to strengthen national green economy efforts and to support them align these with poverty eradication efforts and other national priorities. The key strategic and policy issues that UN pursues in regard to this endeavor are: shaping the shift to a global pro-poor green economy paradigm; measuring success of a pro-poor green economy with macro indicators; supporting countries to shift to a green economy; supporting implementation through aid coordination and improved development effectiveness and strengthening the interface between research and policy making."

The symposium provided a platform to explore how to further the contribution that SMMEs can make to the green economy. It also showcased the 2011 SEED Award Winners - small, medium and micro social and environmental enterprises that have played their part in delivering sustainable goods and services especially in Africa, in many cases against all odds.

But these positive examples nevertheless disguise the fact, as the discussions at the symposium revealed, that many of them struggle to gain access to know-how, expertise, financial opportunities and networks. Many start-up enterprises especially in developing countries have no national support networks to fall back on and struggle with non-conducive policy environments. All of this hinders them in becoming more effective, visible and recognized green economy drivers and in realizing their potential.