Green alternatives can transform Africa’s agri-food systems and generate significant benefits
Agriculture is the mainstay of most African economies, with nearly 65 per cent of the population contributing to the sector. Under stress from climate change, this engine of growth and substance for millions is besieged, posing a serious threat to Africa’s development.
Year after year, frequent and severe natural hazards have been degrading resources, reducing agricultural yields, causing food shortages, spreading pests and diseases, forcing population displacements, and sparking civil conflicts.
The good news is that solutions are emerging.
Resource-efficient, green, environmentally friendly alternatives can transform Africa’s agri-food systems and generate significant benefits on a variety of levels.
However, success hinges on a complex and fragile balance among the vision, interests, needs and priorities of different actors, including those who operate on the margins of various development processes, including young people in various African regions.
African youth, if provided with relevant and suitable resources and opportunities, are likely to enhance farming communities’ capacity to adapt to the climate crises.
African youth will have to confront the growing environmental challenges and seize every opportunity to advocate for a safer, healthier, and secure planet.
Today, African youth are participating in research; technology development and entrepreneurship; policy and advocacy; and social equality related to climate change.
Growing numbers of youth are pitching innovative ideas, identifying funding sources and launching projects and enterprises that are providing effective solutions. Among these young people include the following:
Amy Bodian
Amy is a passionate Senegalese crop scientist who dedicates her efforts to the development of genetic resources and selection programmes that deal with climate change.
Her research focuses on the varietal improvement of Niebé – a high-protein legume and the second most important crop in Senegal.
Amy believes that promoting varieties better adapted to climate change will significantly increase Niebé yields and contribute to food and nutrition security for thousands of households in Senegal.
She supports the facilitation of smallholder farmers’ access to improved Niebé varieties. She also encourages women to organize themselves collectively for income-generating activities around the transformation of the crop.
Elias Gaveta
Elias from Malawi is a young environmental activist who is passionate about human dignity and co-existence with nature. He is the founder of Conservation Arts Malawi, which promotes creative and cultural platforms for policy lobbying and inclusive participation in climate actions.
He also is an ambassador to the Global Youth Climate Network (GYCN), which is a World Bank Group initiative. According to Elias, increasing support for the creation and consolidation of youth networks will provide additional impetus to the continental efforts to fight climate change.
Driven by his desire to mobilize youth in Malawi, he led several actions over the past five years. Through Conservation Art Malawi, Elias trained more than 100 youths in green entrepreneurship and organized clean-up campaigns. The trainees developed multi-media materials and hosted weekly TV programs on environmental awareness and management.
In 2021, he contributed to the working group on Climate Education for Women and Youth and co-authored Chapter 7 of the GYCN Climate Action Position Paper.
Rokiatou Traoré Balema
She founded the Herou Alliance, a Malian-based social enterprise focused on the transformation, marketing, and commercialization of moringa products for local consumption and exports.
While studying in Turkey, she discovered Moringa tree’s nutritive and medicinal properties and realized that its enormous potential had been largely unexploited in Mali. She knew that Moringa, a drought-tolerant plant, could be a model sustainable crop in Mali, a country affected by severe desertification.
Through her vision to make lives of rural people better, she launched several programmes to train women groups and young people in the techniques of production, processing, and packaging of 100 per cent natural moringa products.
Rokiatou’s success in promoting and making Moringa accessible, has been celebrated in Mali and abroad as a green innovation in agri-preneurship. She is proud to contribute to creating positive and enduring change for people in Mali and elsewhere.
These young champions of change, and many others, are inspiring youth to get involved in climate actions by developing top-notch research and sound innovations and generating new businesses and jobs that can benefit all Africans.
To become effective role models for their peers, their communities and leaders, youth in Africa need more access to learning, networking, and business opportunities. Even though these have been lacking for a long time, promising developments are taking shape, such as the One Planet Fellowship.
One Planet Fellowship
The One Planet Fellowship initiative, launched in September 2019 in Nairobi, Kenya, is one of the specific Actions Under the One Planet Summit Coalitions, that focuses on mobilizing researchers and young people to work for the climate.
A $20 million career development initiative, One Planet Fellowship brings together an inter-generational network of African and European scientists to collaborate and lead technological advances on the multi-dimensional impacts of climate change on agri-food systems in Africa.
Since the initiative started, 270 young scientists and entrepreneurs, including Amy, Elias, and Rokiatou, have been participating in its programmes, and sharing inspiring stories in numerous forums.
To ensure their full participation in this effort, young Africans must be intentional in promoting peer-learning and knowledge sharing, and in developing the skills that will enable them to engage effectively with policy makers on climate change.
Amplifying voices of youth
Clearly, African youth will have to confront the growing environmental challenges and seize every opportunity to advocate for a safer, healthier, and secure planet.
To ensure their full participation in this effort, young Africans must be intentional in promoting peer-learning and knowledge sharing, and in developing the skills that will enable them to engage effectively with policy makers on climate change.
We “adults” must see to it that our dynamic and enthusiastic youth get access to the educational resources, experiences, and opportunities to apply their full talents and energies for steering the African continent towards a green and sustainable future.
Michèle Mbo’o-Tchouawou is the Deputy Director, African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) hosted by World Agroforestry, Nairobi, Kenya.