Feature Story

GEF-supported upstream agriculture investment fund is the first of its kind in Africa

Esther Wandia is an avocado convert.

Two years ago, the single mother of four decided to set up a tree nursery on her farm in Makomboki, in a hilly area north of Nairobi known for its tea production.

She began by selling her pigs and installing a two-meter-deep water harvesting pan next to her chicken coop. Then, using that collected rainwater, she started growing and grafting Hass avocado seedlings for sale to neighboring farmers.

More than 90 percent of rice is produced and consumed in Asia. Prior to the green revolution in the 1960s, India was home to more than 100,000 rice varieties, encompassing a stunning diversity in taste, nutrition, pest-resistance, and crucially in this age of climate change and natural disasters, adaptability to a range of conditions.

Joshua Wowo discovered and secured 1,400 boxes of DDT in Papua New Guinea’s East New Britain Province. Now he waits for the day when his township’s toxic timebomb will finally be defused.

Mayra Monge has dedicated much of her life to researching and planting native trees in the verdant biodiverse powerhouse of Costa Rica. Through her work, she has cultivated a love and awareness of nature for hundreds of students to take a stand against the challenges of the climate crisis and loss of biodiversity in her native land. 

Pedro Colombari owns a farm with five thousand pigs in the small town of São Miguel do Iguaçu in the southern Brazilian state of Paraná. He started producing biogas in 2006 and uses it to supply his farm with electricity.

“It’s easy to produce biogas in pig farming. The system is very simple,” says Colombari. “The system works by gravity. In the morning, the pigs’ waste gradually slides towards the biodigester through pipes.”

In some ways India could be considered a test case for the rest of the world, as it works out how to feed its population of 1.3 billion people in a sustainable way. The challenge is to achieve this feat without degrading the land, soil and water resources, destroying the country’s rich diversity of flora and fauna, or causing serious smog in cities like Delhi.

‘’For years, we were suffering from inflamed sinuses and unable to breathe,” said Monir Abdo, a resident of El-Saf, a city about 50 kilometers away from Egypt’s capital of Cairo. “I had to have an operation done. The bad smell was continuous, day and night. It got worse during summer.’’ 

‘’Now the pesticides are removed,” he continued, “our health is better. Finally, my children are able to study without being distracted by nasty smells and breathing difficulties.’’ 

Since the beginning of this century Viet Nam has experienced years of rapid economic growth, driven mainly by the processing and manufacturing sectors. By 2013, the government had established 173 industrial zones, with an average of 90 companies in each zone. Basic environmental legislation had been passed but regulation and enforcement capacity was weak.

Manuel Sebastião Afonço has a lot to take care of: nearly 1 million hectares, to be exact.

As administrator of Quiçama National Park, a sprawling territory near Angola’s capital Luanda, he is responsible for protecting wildlife including elephants, giraffes, zebras, impala, and other animals that are increasing draws for visitors as the country seeks to build an ecotourism sector.

Novus’s branding is recognizable to customers in Ukraine from afar. The supermarket chain’s corporate colour is bright green – and with good reason.

“It really sums up well our company ethos, since we care a lot about the environment,” said Mark Petkevich, CEO of Novus. “We want to offer the best and freshest products to our customers, while also ensuring that we have a low carbon footprint.”