Biodiversity works!
The basis of all forms of agricultural production is the environment
2009-06-28 / Joseph Lumumba from IUCN NL interviewed by Jasmijn Besorak / Amsterdam, NL
"There is work to do at different levels. At policy level is it important to sharpen the regulations and rules. Especially when this results into certification, there is an incentive for producer organizations to manage the biodiversity in their area.
Furthermore it is important to create incentives for producers to integrate conservation objectives in their work: promote organic farming, use of organic inputs, use indigenous tree species to shade coffee farms for example, introduce environmental friendly certification schemes etc."
What is your background?
I am from Cameroon, I hold an MSc degree in Natural Resources Management. I started my career as a government Agricultural Extension officer in my country. I moved to The Netherlands in 2002 as a student, and later joined the IUCN NL team in 2006; as a program officer for West Africa. We provide financial and technical assistance, mainly to local NGO’s that initiate projects with the aim to protect the environment. Through these NGO’s we aim to empower the civil society and local communities to take care of their environment in a sustainable manner. My job description includes among others project cycle management, backstopping of project implementation and monitoring.
Which are the main environmental hazards caused by agricultural activities?
Well it could be many things. It depends on the commodity. For instance coffee plantations cause environmental hazards mainly by the input they use. Certain minerals fertilizers, inorganic pesticide causes pollution of the soils and ground water. There may be destruction or fragmentation of habitat through establishment of large coffee plantations. This situation is further destructive for the biodiversity because such coffee plantations do not use shade trees. Likewise during processing, waste disposal and energy efficiency can be a concern.
What kind of initiatives help to solve these issues?
There is work to do at different levels. At policy level is it important to sharpen the regulations and rules. Especially when this results into certification, there is an incentive for producer organizations to manage the biodiversity in their area. Furthermore it is important to create incentives for producers to integrate conservation objectives in their work: promote organic farming, use of organic inputs, use indigenous tree species to shade coffee farms for example, introduce environmental friendly certification schemes etc.
What are the benefits for producer organizations to invest in the management and protection of biodiversity next to an economic opportunity?
The obvious benefit is to save the resource base for future generations
through sustainable production. The basis of all forms of agricultural
production is the environment. So striving to protect the environment
is indeed striving to protect livelihoods in general.
What do you think of the many certificates that exist?
I think that for organizations in for example Cameroon it is good that there are many certificates. First there was a monopoly and therefore there was no incentive to do thing better. Now there are many buyers and many certifications. This is better for the way the market works.
Could you name some success stories when it comes to working biodiversity?
In Burkina Faso you have a producer organization, run by women cooperatives, who are producing bio-certified shea butter. This produce wich is used as food locally, enters in the production of many products such chocolate, shower gel etc. Shea trees are intercropped with local crops and provide shade and improves soil fertility through death leaves therefore improving the biodiversity in this area. Shea fruits are collected on farms and from the wild, processed and sold to European markets. The final product, shea butter is exported all over the world. This provides important revenues to these rural women and provides further incentives to protect the shea tree which otherwise may be cut down as fuel wood.
Read more about this producer organization here
Another good example is a project in Niger from farmer managed natural regeneration (FMNR). Niger is hit by draught and as a result a high level of poverty in the 80’ies. They launch a farmer-led reforestation program in the Maradi region to re-green the Sahel. The government initiated a project where the farmers had to maintain and take care of the trees in their farms and provided them access right over those trees. First they all emptied their land so they could place as much crops as possible. Now they learn how valuable it is to take care of these trees because it generates shade and a healthier environment for their crops to grow. This provided both economic incentive (higher yields, availability of wood), less work for women to collect fuel wood which is the best driver for a sustainable project.
IUCN NL aims at contributing from its specific Dutch situation and context to the conservation and sustainable management of nature and natural resources in an international perspective, based on the views, mission and policy of IUCN (or The World Conservation Union), as well as the results and policy recommendations from the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005) of the United Nations. It fills a unique niche in the Dutch social field.