Vote for the youth speakers submissions – Part 4

I am a 21-year old Nigerian with an extra-ordinary vision for sustainable development in Nigeria and Africa. I received two bachelor’s degrees in Environmental Studies and Geography from the University of Colorado – Boulder. I also founded Bailiff Africa: an online platform focused on education and innovation for Africa’s sustainable development. We celebrated our first anniversary in September and have become the Voice of Green in Africa. I love to write, read books, travel and sing.

My talk, with the working title, “Why we’re Not Talking Enough Trash”, relates ‘trash’ to Nigeria’s most pertinent environmental issues. Many times, we fail to educate properly on environmental catastrophes and the unsustainable aspects of development because we do not directly tailor the message to Nigerian realities.

However, this talk will put Nigerian faces on environmental issues, and proffer Nigerian-relevant solutions to improve environmental education. Our Bailiff Africa project will be used as an example. I want to give this engaging talk because this platform is dedicated to telling the stories that matter and it is an opportunity to use my powerful communication skills to address issues from a youth perspective.

The Bakajuan Project, a mangrove forestation project is the flagship activity of the Association of Filipino Forestry Students – University of the Philippines Los Baños (AFFS-UPLB).

It hails its name from the tagalog term of Mangrove- “Bakawan” and incorporating the participation of Filipino citizens by inculcating the word “Juan” (a representation of Filipinos) thus “BakaJuan”.

The project aims to strengthen public awareness and knowledge on the benefits of the mangrove forests; increase the level of awareness of fisher folks on the role of mangroves in fish production; encourage active local community involvement in the rehabilitation, restoration and management programs of mangrove areas; and contribute to the effective protection and conservation of mangrove ecosystems.

Thousands of propagules have been planted with help of local community and volunteer local and international students. Recently, the project has been concluded as one of the finalist for the Philippines 11 search for Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations.

Julius Ceasar M. Perez is a senior BS Forestry student at the University of the Philippines Los Banos. He got involved in various research and environmental projects. In the last two years, he participated in exchange programs and conferences in Japan, China, Indonesia and Brazil. More info)

Aqdar is 38 years old, a social enterpreneur working to facilitate Access to Finance (A2F), Market (A2M), and Technology (A2T) for smallholder farmers in South Sulawesi province, Indonesia. A climate champion of British Council Indonesia 2010 and a finalist of Kusala Swadaya 2011 (social enterpreneurship award).

The talk will be about “Bankable Integrated Farming”. This project is to utilize farming wastes like corn cobs, cocoa husks, paddy straws which are fermented to be cattle feed while the dung of the cattle is the source of biogas not only for daily fuels but also for organic fertilizers.

Benefits for the environment and sanitation:

1. Mitigating carbon emission by reducing application of chemical fertilizers, promoting biogas as energy, and utilizing the commonly-burnt farming wastes.
2. Reducing the spread of diseases due to ill managed cow dung.

Benefits for smallholder farmers:
1. Improving farmers’ income
2. Utilizing farming wastes to be cattle feed.
3. Utilizing biogas for daily fuel
4. Saving more money and applying a more enviromentally-friendly farming
5. Diversfying farming income
6. Better change to financial support from banks.

Benefits for the banks:
1. Reducing risk of nonperforming loan.
2. Having more bankable debtors.

I have co-authored in 2 publications in Proceedings of the Third RUFORUM Biennial Regional Conference on Partnerships and Networking for Strengthening Agricultural Innovation and Higher Education in Africa, held 24 – 28 September 2012, Entebbe, Uganda. RUFORUM Working Document Series No. 7. Pg 375-382 on papers titled:
– Development of integrated Striga management package to improve maize production in Western Kenya.
– University Outreach Support To Farmer Associations in Western Kenya: The case of The Ruforum ‘s Community Action Research project (CARP) at Moi University.

I have submitted a paper to be presented and published in the 11th African Crop Science Society Conference to be held in Entebbe, Uganda from 14th October 2013. I have also been trained of Fusarium oxysporum FK3 maize seed coating and use of Gro plus as seed coating agents in Real IPM company, Kenya.

About the MSc. research:
Maize is an important crop in the Kenya but is adversely affected by Striga hermonthica weed that reduces yields considerably, especially in Western Kenya. We were involved in a community action research project with farmers in Western Kenya in an effort to find sustainable ways of producing food, and Striga management was one of the critical areas that was considered.

The weed has threatened an estimated approximately 44 million hectares of arable land and affecting the livelihoods of more than 100 million farmers (Mignouna et al., 2013). Food production losses due to Striga in African countries range from 20% to 90%, amounting to over 10 million tons of food lost annually. Several technologies have been developed to manage the weeds but have been used singly, and this has made it difficult to eliminate the weed.

The aim of the research was therefore to integrate strategies for managing Striga weed which involved the coating seeds with a pathogen that specifically targeted striga, Fusarium oxysporum, Foxy FK3, and a phosphorus and potassium based seed coating agents that helped manage the weeds. The experiment was set up in soya bean maize intercrop system, which enabled suicidal germination of Striga through the action of soya beans. biomass and numbers and maize performance in western Kenya

The economic benefits obtained from the management of striga using the integrated technologies was assessed, and the proven effective technologies promoted in for adoption in the region .

CARP related activities participation
Training during field days- Bungoma in July 2012 and October 2012, Vihiga in July 2012 and in December 2012, and Teso in June 2012 and October 2012. Participated in Bungoma show held in December 2012.

Conducted continuous training to farmers on maize seed coating during the time when I have been carrying out my field trials on Striga management. The trainings have been on Striga weed and its effect on maize, current technologies that are available in management of the weed including IR maize and the use of legumes and the possibility and applicability of combining several of these technologies in management of the weed to improve on yields of maize.

Seed bulking with farmer associations-It involves seed multiplication without compromising on the quality of the seed

Most Significant Change of the CARPs
My participation in field days has helped me better understand the challenges that the different farmers face and has enabled me engage more with the farmers. This has assisted me in having a hands-on experience in tackling crop production challenges, and also finding solutions that are tailor-made to suit farmers’ needs.
The workshops on action research have enabled me to know how to conduct research that is farmer centered and that tackles real issues and challenges at farm level.

Benefits of my research to: communities, Government bodies, CBOs, NGOs (local & international) and farmers
I have worked directly with 5 farmers associated /affiliated to 3 FAs; Bungoma Small Scale Farmers Forum (BUSSFO) in Bungoma, AFDEP in Teso and MFAGRO in Vihiga and whose farms I carried out my research in.

Indirectly I have worked with individual farmers with whom I have carried out trainings during field days and when doing my research (400 in Bungoma, 300 in Teso and 300 in Vihiga) who have appreciated the technologies in striga management and intend want to take up to manage the weed in their farms.

I have also worked with BUSSFO in the maize seed bulking endeavor in an effort to multiply open pollinated maize which is tolerant to striga. The intention is to produce the seed and later coat it using striga antagonists (Fusarium oxysporum fsp strigae and Gro plus-P based seed coating fertilizers, and later distribute the seeds to farmers who have striga in their farms.

Current stage of research
Submitted my M.Sc thesis titled ‘ Integrating Striga management Strategies to Improve Maize production in Western Kenya.

Challenges in the course of the research/participation in CARP activities
The recently diagnosed Maize Necrotic Lethal Disease virus (MNLD) affected my results for season 2 in 2012, and yields for the seed bulking activity at the Bungoma site. We consulted with the Ministry of Agriculture on the disease and what became clear was that the disease was viral and could not be eliminated.

The only available option was to control the vectors of the disease (aphids and thrips) to prevent / minimize the spread and wait for the disease to subside after one or two cropping seasons as had been observed in other parts of Kenya.

Flooding problems in long rains of 2013 also at Bungoma became a problem in the site that we chose in 2013. We are however determined to see our activity through and therefore we dug drainage channels to allow drainage of excess water from this site. To salvage the seed bulking activity, we have replanted and expect good yields this season (season 1).Re-planting has already been done.

I am 23 years old from Nigeria. A fish farmer and student of animal science major at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri Imo State.

I am youth who has efficiently continued to champion the involvement of youths in agricultural production and development, ventured into fish farming to increase agricultural production capacity and combat the high rate of unemployment amongst youths in my country developed fish farms for families in private homes, social groups and co-operative societies since 2009 till present also through my membership organization has expanded this program to the establishment of over 100 operating and potential start-up fish farmers within and across my host communities over the last three years.

The problems encountered by most start-up farmers included the lack of access to farming land and also the high intensive capital requirement to construct ponds for the fish farming establishment. I and members of my team designed and developed the prototype “Collapsible Mobile Fish pond” based on the use of a durable polyethylene sheet material produced to ensure water retention for fish farming purposes and also made it mobile in other for easy relocation of the pond to another area.

This cost effective equipment solved the problem of lack of access to farm land, saving land space and also the availability of a much cheaper alternative pond for the same purpose. This has since received wide spread acceptance and replicated nationwide through the massive production of the mobile pond in different shapes and sizes for all small/medium scale fish farming operations.

Adopting the Social Entrepreneurship Advocacy model, successfully held fish farming seminar targeted mostly at youths state wide and the response has been overwhelming, thereby leading to massive increase of youths in fish farming agriculture for both private and commercial purposes. This concept has helped to bridge the wide age gap of aged fish farmers and young farmers thereby increasing the production capacity and ensuring sustainability.

In the bid to enhance the final production process, I designed yet another innovative machine the “Mobile Solar Fish Dryer” which is currently at its developmental stages. This machine is aimed at improving the fish farming production to ensure safer and healthier products are delivered thereby reducing losses encountered in fish farming production.

I am driven by the passion to continue increase agricultural food production and involvement of youths as a means of wealth creation, financial stability and employment.

Become a speaker in the GLFCOP19 in Poland looms large in my mind because I really want to share my spirit in running environmental reclamation project in Indonesia.

Feel fazed to find the degraded farming lands as the result of brick making industries, since 2009 together with local youth organization, I instituted a breakthrough of Eco-Social Project called Agroforestry Project.

The goal of this project is to recover land’s fertility, which has been damaged by bricks industry so that farm land’s fertility and productivity is recovered. Agroforestry give the benefit not only from the crop but also the short term investment from the woods of the trees. This agroforestry method would become a project model to be re-implemented in all damaged farm land areas so that farmers’ welfare would be increased.

Agroforestry Project was chosen as (1) the winner of British Council E-Idea Competition 2011, (2) the Indonesia Young Muslim Creation Award 2012, (3) World Champion in What is Out There? Competition by the SCIEF, in Madrid, Spain.

On the other hand, I am involved as Project leader in the Project called “My Tree, My Saving for Education”. Currently, we cover school fees for 362 students by this social project.

I am a Nigerian and graduate of Economics from the University of Calabar,Nigeria.

I am an agripreneur and also involved in youth advocacy in agriculture and empowerment. I am a member of YPARD and National youth council in Nigeria and a ‘youth champion’

I run an enterprise called Bonifab Nigeria Limited. It is an small firm that promotes youth involvement in agriculture and we also process plantain into flour.

Over the years in my community, I have empowered and encouraged youths in agriculture. Some youths who hitherto were unemployed and had no idea of the benefits and economic value they can derive in agriculture now make a living out of it.

This has been possible by my organization with the support of my local government-Idanre in Ondo state Nigeria.
A total of about 25 youths in my community have been trained and empowered in the processing of plantain into flour which is one of the things we do in our firm.

These youths, 25 in number were assisted in getting sealer machines by the then care taker of the local government council, Mr Akinnayajo. This sealer machine is used to seal the sachet bags for plantain flour or chips by these youths.

This has empowered them economically, as some of them now could go back to school and purchase some books,though education is free at primary level.

The need to engage youths in agriculture as a means to reducing poverty,unemployment and hunger is key to economic transformation of any country.

Recently at a Livestock toolkit conference in Kampala organised by ILRI,i spoke on engaging youths in agriculture along the value chain system. Some youths may not be attracted to agriculture but with the use of ICT, we have been able to bring youths together. This has been able to boost the involvement of youths in agriculture and agricultural activities through the use of various social media networks.

At the moment, I am working with 5 youths who are graduates, on agricultural value chain system.

I have also been able to create jobs along the value chain for some youths in the communities where we source for plantain before it is processed into flour. These youths are involved in the peeling,cutting,drying and sometimes the packaging of the flour. At the end of each activity, they get paid and this is done on weekly basis. The little money they get from this activity is used to take care of some basic needs,as most of them are from poor homes with illiterate parents,who also are poor farmers.

For me it is a thing of Joy when I see youths I have been privileged to support in having a source of livelihood. I get motivated to do more and to encourage more youths in agriculture; especially those who are unemployed, rather than waiting for a white collar job.

I believe agriculture has a future amongst our youths,with the right role model and support at all levels,more youths will become self reliant. Hunger, poverty and unemployment will be a thing of the past or reduce drastically,especially if agriculture is taken as a career path.

I am a 33 year old environmentalist from Nepal.

For the past 10 years I am actively involved in making a volunteer network of young individuals to contribute to the natural resource management and environment education of Nepal.

I started this network with 10 volunteer friends when I was doing my masters with an organization called Wildlife Conservation Nepal in 2003 now it has 600+ registered volunteers. The program has evolved into Nepal Nature School which is a mobile nature school traveling across the country doing on the spot education outreaches, documenting climate change through the eyes of the students,teachers and parents- collaborating with local government education bodies to adapt and mitigate its impact.

It was recipient of DANIDA Minifund along with DFE, a Danish partner which shares Danish outdoor education experiences from which we draw inspiration.

Today as the Program Manager, with the support of my team we have launched 5 “child to home to community model” of bio briquettes, improved cooking stoves, water harvesting, vermicomposting and organic gardening involving more than 500 youth and 200 households in rural areas of Nepal.

With nature through lens, a photography event every year more than 100 young amateur photographers participate who are sensitized on nature conservation through the tool of photography. In 2012 Department of Education endorsed OFFICIAL LOCAL CURRICULUM designed and implemented by us with local schools on Environment and Culture for two districts one in lowlands and another in the mountains of Nepal.

Today 2000 students are following this new curriculum based on outdoor experience and hands on activities supplemented by handbooks.

I am a Jordanian student currently studying Civil and Structural Engineering.

I had never been aware of the opportunities or issues that surrounded this industry. I knew from a field trip with the Friends of the Environment NGO that this market in demand of sociality that is still widely missing in my country.

This lead me to become a young entrepreneur and the CEO and Co-Founder of “Sun Pioneers”, a company which is aimed in Enabling and Qualifying Bedouin Women in Jordan aims at training the Bedouin women in Jordan in assembling and maintaining the solar cells.

Along with the help of the Kelley School Of Business at Indiana State University, I along with 3 other members created a project where we are able to enables women of disadvantaged communities to be qualified, also it aims at making poor people independent, opening doors for women in the society to work, and reduces unemployment. All that will be throughout opening the center to qualify and train Jordanian and Arab women.

The pollution in Jordan is an undeniable issue that doesn’t appear to be decreasing and with 96 % of fuel being imported to Jordan, though we have an endless source of Energy 85 % of our days are sunny in which we are able to use in producing enough energy therefore reducing the pollution as the production of solar lantern will spread the awareness in the surroundings. Not only does our project allow us to sustain our environment, it will also allow us to train the women in rural areas to be productive.

Recently I am trying as a young leader to get involved in several advocacy initiatives. I want to be able to inform the public and make them aware of the situations that we face. I hope to discover solutions that haven’t been used before and I hope to become a great advocate for environmental issues.

Currently, we have a started out project and we managed to train and sell our products in rural areas also a platform where ideas and solutions to this issue can be discussed. We hope to expand as we grow to become a national branch that distributes locally our product to reach all the parts of the kingdom . As a conclusion, our main goal is to let youth be a part of the solution in making our environment a better place.

I am Marie Tamoifo. Earlier this year, I was re-elected President of REJEFAC, the Central African Forests Youth Network. This is an official voluntary body, linked to COMIFAC, the Central African Forests Commission.

In 1999, I founded an NGO, the Cameroon Green Youth Association, AJVC. We have been quite successful in raising young people’s awareness on sustainable development and community development. In 2005, I was elected african youths spokesperson to represent their voice at the summit between the African Presidents and the President of France, discussing “Youth and the Future of Africa”. At the end, I shared a Press Conference with the Presidents of France and Mali. I challenged the head of states: “If politicians doesn’t take care of youths, youths will take care of politics”. Today this is found thrue.

The youths of Africa are well aware of the issues facing them, their forest, their future, their place in the world. In this talk, I will explore how they want to be empowered by their leaders, what they feel they could do sustainably if enabled to do it, what they are doing to change day to day with less financial support, to make their contribution count for the global climate.

I study Petroleum Engineering at Undergraduate level, and I am a Youth leader with more than four years experience in Youth leadership. Likewise, I am co-founder of the Natural Resources Research Initiative (NRRI-Liberia). I am Executive Director of Guardian Care, and a founding president of NRRI Liberia.

I have been involve with several local and international training including the world bank, and the Liberian CSO relating to the Extractive Sectors, the 4th African Youth Conference on Environment and Sustainable Development (Tunzafrika 2013) Lome, Togo, host by UNEP and YVE Septerber 24-27, 2013, The EU training and the structure dialogue meeting with the Liberian CSO etc.

Thematic Background:
My presentation will deliberate on how I became a campaigner for positive change through Guardian Care, extending to the Universities students led activism organization I founded in Liberia called the Natural Resources Research Initiative (NRRI, Liberia).

I will use practical example of my work, and the success our student group achieved, and how much engagement, meetings, and scarifies it took us to compel the Liberian Government carry out reform on the nation Petroleum policy of Liberia. I will highlight clear reasons why Natural resources need to be properly managed and equally distributed, and why and how youth need to play lead role in the decision making process in natural resources matters.

My Presentation Topics Include:
– Guardian Care’s Sponsorship Plan (3 mins)
– Sponsorship Plans and Challenges: (5 mins)
– The Hands For Hope (H4H) Project/Sustainable Impact (6 mins)
– The (H4H) and Climate Change (8 mins)
– Youth opportunities and unemployment (8)
– Natural Resource Rich Nation, but Corrupt Government (8)
– The Way To Act, and Patient For Responds (8 mins)
– The Success through the Line (5 mins)

I’m a Kenyan citizen from Taita-Taveta County and I am twenty-seven years old.

I am currently working with Wildlife Works as a Community Relations Officer, a position that I have held for 3 years now. Wildlife Works is an international company that engages in environmental conservation and community development and I have been part of the large team of people that have been working on the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project, the worlds first double-validated and verified REDD+ Project.

We are working together as project implementers and community to protect more than 200,000 Hectares of woodland forest. Through this REDD+ project, communities who live close to the forests or depend on the forest, receive revenue to start income generating activities that enable them to tackle some of the focal challenges that affect them.

My job with Wildlife Works is to educate the communities in and around the project area about climate change and the projects that Wildlife Works is initiating in conjunction with the land-owners and communities. It is my job to help make sure that these projects are carried out in a responsible, fair and accountable way so that the people who are looking after the forest receive the best value for their conservation efforts. Through my work I have gained a lot of local exposure and experience about climate change adaptation, suitable rural environmental development projects and the creation of small-industrial enterprises.

It is now my wish to share with my fellow youth, the experiences I’ve encountered and also to tell the whole world about environment conservation and how it has worked for my community and for our project.

I was born in Cotonou (Benin) on 10th December 1990.

From 2008 to 2012, I graduated from the Faculty of Agronomic Sciences (FSA), University of Abomey- Calavi, Benin with a bachelor’s degree in Agribusiness. In 2010, with three other colleagues, I founded an NGO called “Youth Partnership and Agricultural Development”.

Its mission is to help the agricultural sector overcome the new challenges through the protection of environment and natural areas.

In 2012, I undertook to produce organic lettuce and tomato on 0.5 ha; a part of land of my father. I was accompanied in my initiative by two friends of my district. To fertilize the ground, I used droppings of poultry and pork’s excrement because I wanted to make the difference with the others products in the market. I used to spread them myself.

I sold the harvest to the ladies of the surrounding markets. A little time after, they asked me to bring the products again. My neighbors (especially the girls) of my district had always taken me for a girl who would eventually work in the office as my parents but with this initiative their apprehension in my respect changed.

I was born in 1990, Rusape (Zimbabwe). My area of specialization is forestry and was attached at Wattle Company, Zimbabwe during my attachment period (August 2012 to July 2013).

My ambition is to become a global leader in the field of sustainable management of the environment.

My story: Turning an invasive tree species into a source of Energy for the community
Bvuma area is located in the eastern Highland of Zimbabwe were most plantation are located and has been invaded by Acacia mensaii commonly called the wattle tree from the nearby estate, Wattle Company.

The natural biodiversity of the area was now degraded following invasion by wattle, grazing was reduced and villagers were desperate to get rid of this invasive weed. They tried several methods to eradicate the invasive species with no success.

Rancho, a recent Forestry graduate from the area came to their rescue. He focused on the potential benefits from this weed. He designed a low cost brick kiln, and used Acacia mensaii as a feed stock to make charcoal. Some of the bark was sold to tanning companies, and used to make baskets and mats.

The proceeds from selling charcoal and other products were used to purchase land covering ten hectares. The villagers established village project which include growing of bananas, potatoes and sugar cane. The project is now funding for orphans educations education and a newly build preparatory school in the village. The natural biodiversity has now been restored.

Youths of today, let us rise and take the leading role and make a difference in our communities!

Isaac is a 25 year old living man in a vulnerable community. His father practices agrisilviculture where he grows avocado pears, bananas and different crops. However, land shortage for such an activity made Isaac to think of an idea on how he can generate cash in a way that does not need greater pieces of land.

He ventured into honey business in 2006. He used to make bee hives during holidays and now have more than sixty hives. He has lured most of the youth especially those of the youths to emulate his idea. Previously bee hives were made from the barks of msasa but Isaac made a shift to the use of already dried trees from the bushes such as the blood tree (Pterocarpus angolensis) since debarking the tree would result in drying up.
Processors are emerging for instance the Nyanga Honey Processing Plant was established last year in the Tangwena community to process honey locally.

In conclusion, the bee keeping project has improved the livelihoods of the villagers and has inspired some youths to come and join. The youths have got the role to play and lead in today’s environmental issue and projects for sustainable natural resource management.