Vote for the youth speakers submissions – Part 6

Effect of different watering regimes on performance of six rangeland grass species: Primary productivity, water use efficiency and forage quality in dry lands of Kenya.

Lack of adequate rainfall for pastures the drylands has led to livestock feed shortages resulting to high livestock mortalities due to starvation threatening pastoral livelihoods. This is further exacerbated by climate change, land use changes and population increase. Several options exist to deal with feed shortages in the drylands.

These include supplemental feeding with concentrates during the dry seasons to meet the nutritional imbalances. However, this is an expensive undertaking, which is mostly not a viable option for any production systems despite being out of reach for the poor pastoralist, hence the option of established pastures under irrigation.

A study was conducted in Drylands of Kenya, irrigation of six grass species under different watering schedules to evaluate their performance. The study seeked to evaluate practicality of irrigated range pasture to provide fodder banks for pastoralists. This will conserve the environment better than crop cultivation and improve livelihoods.

Results show potential business opportunity for youth in pasture production and benefit pastoral livelihoods by providing USD 8620 or sustain 14 tropical livestock units (TLUs) for three months.

Vania Santoso, 21, is the first Indonesian youth elected as Youth Millenium Development Ambassador. After being First Winner of Volvo Adventure by UNEP 2007 in Sweden, Vania has now developed Ecopreneurship Empowerment with real multi-benefits for societies, followed by national and international recognitions that increase trusts.

“Conserve Culture, Conserve Biodiversity” is one of her initiatives to plant trees with children and youths while wearing traditional clothes. This aims to make young generations enjoy doing and growing green lifestyle. Cooperated with private sector, Vania has succeeded approaching villagers to join actively in “Trees for Life” to plant functional trees. Students are involved to teach villagers how to make traditional herbal medicine for first-aid as villagers’ gains. This reforestation program has received government support, wherein the best practitioners will receive free land certificate after periodic monitoring.

Together with Research and Development team of AV Peduli that she founded in 2005, she has developed innovations, like economical herbal tea product as cancer prevention therapy from Adenium that has passed East Java Health Laboratory test. Through her entertainment background, she has participated building and promoting mangrove eco-tourism in Surabaya with youth senses on making unique media, such as environmental VCD songs, environmental calendar, etc.

I am a Costa Rican 28 years old professional of international cooperation.

I have been involved in a Regional Program for Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture, since the beginning of this year.
This is a Program funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), managed by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and installed within the Central American Council for Agriculture (CAC).

At the moment I am the Coordinator of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation and the responsible of following up the activities and tracking the indicators established for this Program, one of which is promoting the participation of young people and other vulnerable populations in the process of exchanging knowledge and experiences regarding sustainable agriculture.

I am also working as a professor for the National University in Costa Rica and I will be glad to share my experience in this Program and the necessity of involving young people in programs for development.

Gita is a full-fledged lawyer who never lets go of her environmental roots. After completing her LL.M on Climate Change & Energy at CEPMLP, University of Dundee – UK as Chevening Scholar, she is working with the REDD+ Presidential Unit in developing funding instrument for REDD+.

Outside of her profession, her passion begins with Tunas Nusa Foundation in 1996. Tunas Nusa focuses on infusing environmental consciousness through education. Her recent works include rejuvenating Lembang City in West Bandung into Eco-Edu City with programs in junior high schools and martial art centers (padepokan silat). She established ‘SiDalang’ project in 2011 and is a speaker in ‘Youth Vote Green’ roadshow campaign in universities across Indonesia with Wimar Witoelar.

SiDalang #WasteUpcycle Project
The program introduces waste management to industry by turning their waste into useful products made by young women and mothers (14-35 yo) in vulnerable areas of Jakarta trained by SiDalang team.

The program is actively operating in two locations in Jakarta & Bekasi with more than 30 young women and mothers involved. This project has also been adopted as one the strategy of Indonesia Plastic Diet campaign co-founded by Gita. The model is relevant to tackle waste management issues in various cities of the world and can be replicated using similar approach.

I participated in various international forums and conventions youth, advocating issues such as population, environment, democracy, citizenship, among others.

I received the state youth award 2012 and have presented to Mexico in different international events in the field of youth. As the first world youth in Bari, Italy. The World Youth Conference in Mexico. Young Latin American Bicentennial in Bogota, Colombia, among others. I am part of the youth platform of UNESCO and the Inter-American Development Bank.

Today, the planet is suffering the ravages of industrialization and globalization process leading to full neglect of the natural world in which we live.

Young people who will be the next global leaders in the future, must break with all kinds of paradigms that prevent the formulation of better policies in order to preserve the environment. Also carry the responsibility for dealing with serious issues related to climate change affecting the world today.
Future generations can not afford to treat such important issues like these with absolute warmth as they have been doing different sectors of society today.

You need to think with a mind of “sustainability”. The planet will not suffer attacks on their heritage.
The idea of this proposal, it is not to remind young people of the “Global Landscapes Forum” how bad things have been done on climate change and sustainable future, it will be shared to the young people gathered in the forum, how the inclusion of youth in conservation of natural resources has impacted the Mexican society and how governments, businesses and civil society have responded positively to the initiatives and proposals made by young people across Mexico.

The idea is to motivate young people gathered that, to return home, start working in favor of climate change and the environment, through the testimony and experience of youth in Mexico has had about the subject.

I am a youth from Zambia running an organisation called “Chawama Community Development Trust”. I am the initiator of a community based project called the Green Cycle.

The project is based in a peri-Urban community which is densely populated with over 70% of the population living in abject poverty. Our community is faced with vast challenges turning it into community prone severe waterborne diseases.

The project was designed in a manner that enables youths to add value to the development process of their community at the same time generate income as a mode of employment promotion. The project is called the “Green Cycle” because it involves the youths in community tree planting and maintenance in community open spaces, promotion of backyard gardening as a way of promoting attractive landscapes, accessing nutritious food and generating income.

The youths are also involved in the collection of plastics for sale to recycling companies linked to the project. This means that the community is made green, there is reduction in the burning and disposal of plastics into the community drainages and community responsibility to plant and maintain trees is developed.

I was born in a small town near from Bogotá, Colombia. When I was 16 years old I traveled to the capital city to study for my own. I’m an environmental administrator with additional studies in Geographic Information Systems, and with interest and some works in environmental economics.

When I was 18 years old I did volunteer work in a Natural National Park of Colombia, one of the most amazing ecosystems in the world, the Páramo. This ecosystem provides the 70% of water consumption of the principal cities in the country, is home to a lot of endemic species, but also, is highly vulnerable to the climate change and the human pressure (mining, livestock and agriculture).

I worked hard to get a job (I was 20 years old) that contributes with the preservation of the Páramo, and I started to work with the National Institute of Biological Research Alexander von Humboldt. At the beginning I had a small task: collect technical information available for a National diagnostic of the human pressures and the actions implemented by the local authorities to resolve those problems.

After this experience, I joined the group in charge to define the cartographic limits of this ecosystem in all over the country because of the National law that prohibits the development of mining and agricultural activities within these strategic areas.

This work was awarded with the Alejandro Angel Escobar prize, which is the most important prize in Colombia for science research.

It also support political decisions, like stop an open pit mining project that threatened a large area of Páramo in the in the northeast of the country.

(this submission was received in French)

Quoique le problème d’insécurité et de faible accès à la terre concerne les communautés rurales pauvres en général, les communautés autochtones restent les plus touchées. Elles sont victimes des politiques et pratiques de gouvernance foncières non inclusives. Leur culture, leur mode de vie et leur faible représentation dans les systèmes de l’Etat font d’elles des communautés socialement, économiquement et politiquement marginalisées.

La situation particulière des populations pygmées résulte du fait qu’elles sont généralement chasseurs-cueilleurs et les terres qu’elles occupent et en dépendent sont considérées comme terres n’appartenant à personne. Ces terres sont donc de plus en plus vendues aux nouveaux investisseurs ou expropriées aux fins des projets. Cette dépossession continue des populations pygmées constitue une menace réelle pour leur survie socio-économique et culturelle.

Ces changements et la perception de la terre comme ressource rare, ont remodelé les débats sur les politiques foncières locales et ont placé l’accès à la terre au sommet de l’agenda politique national. Malgré les progrès importants réalisés dans la formulation de la politique foncière au niveau national, les nouvelles politiques foncières ne génèrent pas encore de bénéfices réels aux groupes vulnérables. Ceci résulte du fait que dans plusieurs localités du pays, ces nouvelles politiques sont mal appliquées empêchant ainsi l’accès équitable et sécurisé à la terre par les groupes vulnérables.

Codrin Paveliuc-Olariu is the Chair of the YPARD Steering Committee and Founder/President of YPLD. An experienced policy designer, strategist and communicator, Codrin holds a PhD in Management and Marketing in Agriculture. From working with public and private organizations at international level in developing strategies to lobbying for sustainable development and youth rights, Codrin is now working on changing the world by designing new ways of ensuring food security. Codrin is currently a Postdoctoral fellow at Gembloux Agro Bio Tech in Belgium where he is developing a “Global Agricultural Policy”. Recently, he was named by Forbes Romania as a 2013 “30 under 30” most prominent youth.

Codrin Paveliuc-Olariu is a Postdoctoral fellow at Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, Belgium, where he is working on the project “A Global Agricultural Policy: how to feed the world?”. A PhD in Management and marketing in agriculture, he has focused his education and career on developing and implementing better development policies, working as an adviser for governments and think tanks and being a part of civil society networks around the globe. He led the European Focal point of the RoadtoRio+20 Coalition and is an observer on behalf of YPLD with the MGCY (Major Group of Children and Youth) of UNEP.

Description of the talk:
I would like to present the way the youth civil society movement in the past years has helped shape the natural resource management sector, starting with the Rio+20 youth movement, the COP(s) movements in the past year, and how these have helped youth become a decision maker.

I want to speak about how the youth movement has grown in the past years that it has now reached a point where decision makers such as the UNFCCC, the UNEP or the UN General Assembly call for youth input on important policies such as the SDG`s. It will be a talk from my personal perspective. I participated in the youth movement for Rio+20, coordinated over 100 NGO accredited at European level with the EcoSoc for Rio+20. I also work with the MGCY in UNEP and have seen real changes on how they take youth input into consideration.

Of course the end of the talk will be a call for action (for both youth and policy makers) to continue this shift of involving youth in decision making

Born in Goma, I have a bachelor’s degree in environmental law. I participated in several courses on climate change around the world in Cameroon, DRC, Kenya and other conferences and training held in Johannesburg, Sweden, Qatar, Turkey, …

I coordinate for over 4 years OBJECTIVES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT is a non-profit organization for Congolese rights led by youth ages 20 to 35
We work in the field of climate change specifically in the governance of the REDD+ mechanism in the DRC through education, raising awareness and promoting the defense of protected areas.

Project: Community Jatropha cultivation for erosion control, reforestration and poverty reduction in Eastern DR Congo

The Congolese Government is engaged in REDD+ and other international forestry and climate programs. The need for increased climate change mitigation and adaptation can be seen in the vulnerability of the formerly called global reserve for the ecosystem and biodiversity.

It is in this context that it makes a great deal of sense to popularize the cultivation of Jatropha, a perennial plant of the family Euphorbiaceous whose seeds contain 35% inedible oil.It can be used as edible, as a direct replacement for lighting oil, for soap-making, for bio-fuels or for medicinal. This culture, if well exploited would contribute to significantly to sustainable development through reforestation of war-torn land as well as increased local access to bio-fuel energy.

Indeed, the use of jatropha oil as biodiesel for small-scale activities can promote income-generating agricultural transformation. Moreover, the cultivation of jatropha can create direct economic opportunities for women and girls as well as indirect opportunities and increased safety by way of reducing the need for dangerous and time-intensive firewood collection.

Presently, I’m a student of Economics and Business Faculty, Universitas Padjadjaran. I was born in a village in West Java Province, Indonesia. My parents are farmer with less income. I have three brothers, and all of them also work as farmer.

When I was child, I must work to get money to fulfill daily necessity, pay cost of my school and buy school books. I could study at the university because of scholarship from Indonesian government.

Indonesia is a big country, and has much natural resources. In reality, Indonesian farmers have no good welfare, because they are have no good education. Education is important, educated people can make efficiency of natural resource management, know more about market information, and improve the welfare of people.

The important thing is: how to improve the care of educated youth to help other youth who didn’t get a chance to get an education? We can make an association, like “the children of farmers”, to show that background of family is not a barrier to get good education, and it can inspiring other people. In the real life, we can make community service or charity programs, and soft skills training to improve competitiveness of farmers.

I am a youth advocate for the last 12 years, consultant, Founder/Coordinator of “Amboh Young Farmer Common Initiative Group (AMYOFACIG), Board member, AFRICAphonie NGO Buea- Cameroon, Member Cameroon National Youth Council,…

Climate change is a call of concern to many indigenous farmers in rural areas of Cameroon and the world at large. Its impact is a major challenge, especially to small scale farmers who constitute the poor and vulnerable youth groups. Cameroon youth’s (below 30 years) makes up 72% of its population.

In view of the potential of farmland, pasture, timber resources and water, a transition to commercial agriculture and value-added products derived from natural resources could gradually absorb the unemployed youth and those in the informal sector in the medium and long term. To mitigate its effects, tree planting, School/Community education and awareness raising on the important of biodiversity conservation is of paramount important to fight against this issue of climate Change.

I am a thought leader from Colombia. I am a 21 old forestry engineering student and I have been fully involved with some of the negotiations related to climate change and as a result of my constant efforts to work for a better future in which the youths can be able to take decisions and generate solutions for the environmental problems we are facing today, are my participation in some major meetings such us Stockholm+40, Rio+20, UNFFF (Forum on forest, preparation meeting in Brazil) among others mainly related to the management of the forest.

I would like to talk about the entrepreneurship skills of a very special group composed mainly by forestry students, which from different approaches and scales are trying to generate environmental solutions to fight against the impacts of climate change and to fight against the monopolies and economic interests created around the management of the environment in Colombia.

I would like to show how some successfully experiences of companies and organizations created by us, the youths, are getting bigger and stronger in the achievement of different objectives related with the involvement of the youths in the generation of effective environmental solutions.

Red tree, El Cachicamo, Barranquilla+20 and Nativa are the names of the 4 different organizations that me and my friends are working on today and we would like to show the world what we are, what we want and what we are doing right now for a better future for all of us

Regin finished his elementary education at Obrero Elementary School in the year 2004. He attended his secondary education at Agusan National High School and graduated on 2008. He finished with honor, a two year course with a degree of Forest Ranger Certificate on 2010 at Mindanao State University-Main Campus, Marawi City. Currently he is about to finished his Bachelor of Science degree in Forestry this year.

Since he attended college, he was able to join semi-academic youth groups that are environmental and peace building organizations aimed at producing a catalyst of change for a healthy and peaceful environment like Forestry Ecological Society and Ranao Interfaith Youth Organization. He has also worked as facilitator in conducting Tree Growing Activities, Free Seminars and Forums for the youth, educational campaigns at some of the remote areas here in Mindanao (Southern part of Philippines). Most of those seminars are geared towards environmental awareness and interfaith dialogue. He has also served various positions such as Educational Committee Head, Secretary, and currently the Ministry Head of a youth based religious organization.

Description of the Talk:
The core of my message is the role of the youth towards peace building and environmental preservation, conservation, and protection. Bringing out the hidden potentials of the youth, as the means or tool to help achieved the roles of the youth and the importance of the youth as the hope of the future. Awaken the idealistic mind of the youth by thinking globally and Acting Locally towards resource conservation. Most importantly, I would like to testify through my experience, that indeed there is unity amidst diversity.