WILLAGRI
Rabat hosted the second African Youth Biodiversity Summit organized by the Global Youth Biodiversity Network, its local representation MYBN, the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), and the Post-2020 Biodiversity Framework program supported by the European Union. This event was endorsed by the Moroccan Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development and gathered young Africans, including Bienzy Aymar PARE, who leads a biodiversity conservation project in Burkina Faso titled “Environmental Education (EE) for Agroecological Vegetable Production for Burkinabe Students.”
This initiative is being implemented in the commune of Fada N’Gourma in the eastern part of Burkina Faso. This commune has experienced an influx of over 100,000 people displaced due to the security and humanitarian crisis in the region, leading to local biodiversity degradation.
The project aims to educate younger generations about sustainable resource management and greater resilience to environmental challenges. The initiative takes place within a school framework and involves teachers, students, and parents, who are trained in two main areas:
1. Agroecological production, from seed creation to the production of natural fertilizers and pesticides.
2. Preparation of vegetable products for local consumption.
While provisionally supported by the “Vivre au Village” (VIVAVI) association, this project requires additional funding to become sustainable, replicable, and scalable in other schools. Once developed, it will address numerous challenges facing the African continent, including the right to healthy food, self-sufficiency, youth empowerment, and climate change mitigation.
Source: African Youth Biodiversity Summit – Rabat (September 2023)