Mediation:
Paula Costa & Valter Ziantoni (Preta Terra)
Panelists:
Adam Newman (Favela INC)
Ben Valks (Black Jaguar Foundation)
Christine Gould (Thought for Food - TFF)
Pedro Boareto (FAO)
LESSON: Youth are that now taking a kinder look towards our landscapes, and rebuilding their relationship earth and nature. should be at the front row to
Paula Costa and Valter Ziantoni, founders of Pretaterra, an initiative which encompasses agroforestry with a broad, innovative and collaborative look. They develop replicable designs of regenerative systems, combining scientific data, empirical information and traditional knowledge with technological innovations, building a new system that is sustainable, resilient, and long-lasting.
The following speaker was Adam Newman, founder of Favela INC, a hub of social innovation and entrepreneurship that helps low-income communities cultivate self-sustainable organizations in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, through customized education, incubation and mentorship. Currently favelas are 15% of the urban settlements in one of the biggest cities in Brazil, and according to the World Bank Report,20 Brazil has one of the most unbalanced income distributions of the world. Urbanisation along with rural migration and the rising income inequality have produced a geographical concentration of poverty, particularly in the metropolitan areas of the country. On the latest project, called Agrofavela, workshops focused on organic agriculture, nutritional education, and health. At the end of the workshop, the participants become entities to work in an agroforestry project at the Vidigal Favela, at Sitiê Ecopark, a regenerated area of 8,500m2 meters that previously was an informal garbage dump Today, the park, with the support of Favela Inc, they developed its potential as a tourist attraction, environmental education site, and as a productive agroforestry, while developing plans to secure its financial future and create jobs in the community. They secured for Sitie a donation of 1,000 açai seeds and an agreement that the future harvest be purchased by a juice company.
The following speaker was Ben Walks, founder of Black Jaguar Foundation, which has an ambition project to restore the Araguaia corridor - 2.600 km long and up to 40 km wide - in the heart of Brazil. The concept was created in 2008 by the Jaguar Conservation Fund (JCF), a Brazilian organization headed by the renowned Dr. Leandro Silveira. He is one of the world’s leading jaguar conservationists. One of JCF’s tasks is to map the distribution of the five key species and to study the jaguar ecology in the Corridor Zone. The BJF is an active contributor to the Corridor project, carrying out crucial tasks exclusively dedicated to forest restoration. Less known than the Amazon rainforest, the Cerrado savanna is a vital and complex ecosystem that makes up 20% of the Brazilian territory. Two thirds of the Araguaia Corridor Zone is Cerrado savanna. It is said to be the richest savanna in the world in terms of biodiversity with more than 10,000 plant species and its large rivers, endemic fauna and unique forests make it as precious as the Amazon rainforest. On his vision, it is our mission as the ones that have the knowledge to use it to empower the landowners and farmers, and work in collaboration with them and show them that restauration can help them recover their lands, as they are currently struggling with droughts and reduction on their crops.
The following speaker was Christine Gould, founder of Thought for Food (TFF), an ecosystem that fosters innovation in food and agriculture. They work with young people for two reasons: Millennials and GenZs represent the largest demographics alive. By the numbers, they are also the most diverse, tech-savvy, well-educated, globally-connected, and socially-conscious generations the world has ever seen. Our food systems require a shakeup and young people can lead the change we need, just in time. They engage next-gen innovators globally. Their track record is strong. In 8 years, TFF helped launch 60+ startups that collectively raised $200M+, accelerated 5K+ new deep-tech ventures and built a global community of 20K+ Millennial and GenZ innovators from 170+ countries across the globe. On her perspective, it is important to find new ways of connecting the consumer with the farmer and food producer, and this can be done by supporting them in telling their stories and boosting their self esteem and valuing their work, and escalated with technology.
The following speaker was Pedro Boareto, focal point for regional youth in rural settlements in Latin America for FAO, the Food and Agriculture Organization for the United Nations. FAO is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Their goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. With over 194 member states, FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide. We believe that everyone can play a part in ending hunger. Pedro mentioned the report produced by FAO in 2014 about the relation of youth & agriculture. The publication provides real life examples on how to re-engage youth in agriculture. It shows how tailor-made educational programmes can provide rural youth with the skills and insights needed to engage in farming and adopt environmentally friendly production methods. Many of the initiatives and approaches reported in this study originate from the youth themselves. He also brought the Seminar on Learning from Youth Training Models in Latin America and the Caribbean: Considerations and Lessons for Youth in Rural Areas. Investing in the education and training of young rural people is becoming ever more important as the challenges associated with adopting sustainable, climate-smart production methods and linking up with marketing opportunities in modern value chains are growing. Check out the recording of the seminar here.
See the record of the talk below:
About the Day of the Climate Professional:
The Day of the Climate Professional (DCP), celebrated on November 24, is an annual date to celebrate and catalyse the professionals accelerating solutions to the climate crisis. The 2020 inaugural edition was marked by an all-day virtual summit—networking activities, workshops, keynote presentations, interactive Q&As, and more—fostering reflections and actions on the interdisciplinary of climate change, its urgency, and the importance of working to tackle it through varied professions and sectors of society. Learn More.
