Collaboration and partnership key to a sustainable future – Divine Ntiokam

• Women in Agriculture for Sustainable Africa (WASA) is a group of young dynamic women who are passionate about agriculture and transformation of agricultural produce in order to increase shelve- life of farm products and to add value for better profit margin. 70% of the farming population in Africa are women, in which about 40% are women above 35 years of age and 30% are women below 30 years of age. The goals of WASA include;

1. Is to reduce poverty, hunger, improve health standard by producing healthy food which addresses the SDG number 1,2,3 & 4.
2. Reduce the unemployment rate in our local communities SDG 8
3. Do agriculture in a way that is friendly to the environment SDG 13,14,15
4. Encourage youths to be agricpreneurs through setting up of individual agricbusinesses

• The GCSAYN Education Exchange Program (CEEP) is about enhancing student-student, student-teacher and student-lecturer mobility across all our Centres of Excellence hosted within universities. This programme is expected to enable countries to strengthen their educational systems through partnering with stakeholders, development partners, civil society organizations and private sectors aiming towards achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with specific interest in enhancing the achievement of SDG4 (Quality education).
• Internships (6 months): We have our internship running with 131 interns around the globe. Our internship program involves training of young minds tailored to climate smart practices, they practice activities from their workplans and we collect submission of reports as follow up from them.
• Mentorship program (3 months): The mentorship program is a three (3) month intensive online course programme that elaborates on climate-smart agricultural practices, agribusiness systems and other environmental sustainability related subjects. This is scheduled for participants who sign up and are already project bearers in the agricultural sector. This is to equip them with the relevant skill in climate-smart agriculture so they can be productive in a changing climate to feed a growing population guaranteeing food security. Objectives of the mentorship program include;
  1. To build the capacity of youth in the climate-smart agricultural
  2. To bridge the food insecurity gap
  3. To provide an avenue for all to have the opportunity for quality education irrespective of their educational background, location or age.
• Agribusiness Hub: Agribusiness is the application of business principles to agricultural production, it is complex than agriculture because it is not limited to production but encompasses an entire value chain. Agriculture is as old as man; becoming a way of life especially in rural area and was characterized with low productivity.  Though agribusiness is becoming a household name in 21st century, the term was introduced by Davis and Goldberg in 1957.

• Additional programs in development include a Livestock, Fisheries and Aquaculture Project, GCSAYN Health Advancement Programme (CHAP), the Climate Hackathon, the African Youth for the SDGs Training (AYSDGT) and Children and Youth in Agriculture (CYA).

To find out more about these programs and to get involved, you can contact [email protected].

How did you integrate what you learned from the Food Systems Summit Dialogues?

At Climate Smart Agriculture Youth Network, we have had opportunity to participate in the Food Systems Summit Dialogues, aimed at discussing the challenges and opportunities of our global food systems. Through our participation, we get involved and ventilated about the complexities of the food systems, and how various stakeholders can work together to create a more sustainable and equitable food system.

While incorporating the dialogues into our mission and vision at GCSAYN, we are focused on;

• A holistic and systems-based approach, which includes consideration of the entire food system, from production to consumption, and the interconnections between various components of the system to identify potential opportunities for intervention and collaboration.
• Paying attention to the perspectives and needs of various stakeholders, including farmers, consumers, policymakers, and NGOs. With this we recognized the importance of engaging with diverse groups to ensure that all voices are heard and that solutions are effective and inclusive.

To conclude this, we are actively exploring the key innovative and sustainable solutions to address the challenges of the food systems. This included looking at regenerative and also climate smart agriculture practices, circular economy models, and local food systems that can help reduce the environmental impact of food production and increase access to healthy and nutritious food.

Can you tell us more about the collective skills in your team and how you work together to grow engagement?

We have researchers and academicians from different centres of excellence from different regions such as The University of Kabianga, Egerton University, RVIST, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology and many others, also we have professionals from reputable and allied organizations like the United Nations;  They are experts towards topics for Climate Smart Agriculture, Climate Change and Technology Matters. In, fact one of our members by the name Suzy TRESOR is doing magnificient, Her, Specialty is on Agriculture and Information Communication Technology (ICT) i.e Climate Information Services, CIS, Youth Coding Workshops (Agri-codeexpo), Empowering Women in Technology plus E-Commerce Platform from United States, West Virginia.

Regarding our collective assignments, it’s extremely intense and more vigorous I must say. Hence, as a team we are very ambitious about our objectives as to educate children and youth on the effects of climate change in agriculture and the role of sustainable practices in reaching 2030 Agenda goals.

We have weekly meetings on Mondays and Fridays for Secretariat Members and Mondays for the Communication team under a team lead, Mr. Stephen Armah.

Above all; I conduct weekly trainings for our interns via an online platform – either a zoom meeting or a google meet. The one who presents and give lectures are the experts on a particular topic at the alignment of Global Climate Smart Agriculture Youth Network (GCSAYN). I am really so proud of our interns, they are participating so much in spreading awareness about the SDG goals, hence, it is our role again for us to motivate the young people by educating and equipping them with work opportunities so that agriculture becomes a working career.

I’m glad to announce that we will be launching our virtual training and learning management platform officially by April 19th, 2023 and this will up the level of the willingness of the young people to take up the charge.

Working on sustainable development can be complex with many people having different perspectives, how do you approach this through your organisation?

The primary objective of GCSAYN is to create awareness and build the capabilities of young people on CSA concepts to strengthen their abilities to adapt and mitigate emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) while sustainably increasing agricultural productivity and food security.

We work hand in hand with many great organizations which focus is to help in the improvement of our eco-system.

Within our organization, there is unity and cooperation, we believe in the power of team work. We aimed at creating awareness and interpreting to the public concerning the 17 SDGs.

We heard about your recent accreditation with the UN, what does this mean for your organisation?

Truly, GCSAYN was approved under the 17 Civil Society Organisations for Association according to United Nations Department. (view press release) We are gladder on the great news which gives us further motivation to communicate and inspire climate action. This accreditation means we receive grounds passes to United Nations official meetings, events and information sessions at Headquarters in New York and the eligibility to propose and lead civil society briefings organized by the United Nations Department of Global Communications.

What are some goals that you have this year?

• To work with communication experts under research via UN Volunteers.
• To support the translation of the Sustainable Development Goals into Swahili Language.
• To fulfill and make the most of the SDG’s as possible, this is by enhancing gender equality through empowering women.
• To educate farmers on climate change and informing them about drought resistant crops.
• Through programs from different institutions in the world, we aim to plant as many trees as possible.

Are you on track to achieve your goals?

We prioritize innovation and experimentation. We recognize that sustainable development requires new and innovative approaches, and that there is often no one “right” solution.

We are working to experiment with new ideas, test new approaches, and learn from our successes and failures with transparency and accountability.

We strive to be transparent about our goals, strategies, and outcomes, and to engage in ongoing dialogue with stakeholders to ensure that our work is aligned with their needs and priorities.

We are achieving our goals by setting deadlines and tracking our progress.

Also, we set clear milestones and regularly self-evaluating to see how you’re progressing toward your desired results. This has helped us to determine and even having improvement to effectively hit these goals.

What is one piece of advice you would give to an emerging leader, looking to engage with the SDGs?

One piece of advice I would give to an emerging leader looking to engage with the SDGs is to prioritize collaboration and partnership. The SDGs require a collective effort from all stakeholders, including government, private sector, civil society, and individuals, to achieve the ambitious goals set forth.

As a leader, it is essential to build strong partnerships and work collaboratively with diverse groups to create a sustainable future. This involves listening to and valuing the perspectives of others, fostering open communication, and building trust. By prioritizing collaboration and partnership, emerging leaders can leverage the collective power of multiple stakeholders to make progress towards achieving the SDGs.

Recognition: I also want to take this opportunity to thank David Nabarro, UN DSG Amina Mohammed, Amb Hans, Dr Abebe Gabriel, Dr Martin Frick, DDG FAO Maria Samedo, Dr Adebisi Araba, Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, Amb. Stephane Gompertz, Amb. Ertharin Cousin, Amb. Lasconi Medi Moungui, Ms. Robynne Anderson, Ms. Claire O’Kane, Margarita Astralga, Dr Richard Munang, Inger Anderson and Dr. Anne Woodfine for their mentorship and support and recognize that Mme. Juliet CHINENYE EJEZI, our Global Chair for WASA, is now part of the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development (BIFAD) Subcommittee on Systematic Solutions for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in Agriculture, Nutrition and Food Systems (see news on USAID).

Biography of Divine Ntiokam

Divine Ntiokam is from Cameroon. He has over 15 years of experience in youth entrepreneurship, advocacy and mobilization of youth interested in agriculture. In May 2014, he established the Climate Smart Agriculture Youth Network Global (GCSAYN), which is now operational in more than one hundred and seventy (170) countries. His background includes international exposure in youth mainstreaming, notably participating in the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development since inception where, to ensure “Leave No One Behind”, he coordinated and facilitated the translation of the Global Goals into over sixty (60) local languages, as well as transcription into Braille for the visually impaired.

For the SDGs to be for youth with youth, Divine designed a program entitled: African Youth for the SDGs training (AYSDGT) where youth are trained to better comprehend and own the SDGs in their local languages. He has hands-on experience and training developing and managing youth projects. He is a committed team builder, reaching out to youth in urban and rural areas with French and English networking abilities, which has been key to helping the CSAYN become operational.

Links to Summit Dialogues convened by or with support from Divine Ntiokam and the GCSAYN

• ‘ENSURING FOOD SECURITY THROUGH APICULTURE’.
• Leveraging the Potential of Youth to Transform Global Food Systems.
• Transforming Food Systems; Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health.
• Programme d’appui des jeunes dans l’agroalimentaire et la promotion de l’agriculture intelligente face au climat.
• The Role of Rural Women in the Transforming Food Systems towards Achieving the Economic Creativity for Sustainable Development.
• DEALING WITH INEQUALITIES IN FOOD SYSTEMS: Conceptualizing A Right-based Approach to Food Systems Transformation.
• The role of Traditional Rulers in the Transformation of the Broken Food Systems.

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