TAF Project (Tropical Agroforestry)
TAF Project (Tropical Agroforestry)
Who are we?
Thibault Martino (21), Justin Rousset (21), and Léa Pouget (22), three students in their final year of the Bio-Eco Bachelor’s program at the Fds. All three of us plan to pursue a Master’s degree in tropical plant ecology and/or agricultural systems, which will allow us to acquire new skills for our respective professional projects.
=> Thibault plans to build his future by working with local communities to develop sustainable agriculture based on agroforestry and agroecology techniques.
=> Justin is interested in the management and conservation of tropical natural areas, a source of biodiversity essential to understanding ecosystems.
=> Léa would like to get involved in applied research, working to balance biodiversity with community forest use.
Check out the whole project by clicking here!!!
A description of our project
Despite the pandemic, the world keeps moving forward, and our problems won’t solve themselves: our consumption patterns—particularly our relationship with food and its production—are an ecological and humanitarian disaster. They generate a significant impact of pollutants on biodiversity, disrupt the climate, and even affect our own health (UN 2017,Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food).This is a global issue, but it affects developing countries all the more, particularly tropical countries. Indeed, in these regions, the effects of our overproduction are felt more acutely, which greatly impacts populations that are already economically vulnerable.
However, solutions do exist:
Agroecology and agroforestryare two farming methods thatallow for the coexistence ofbiodiversity conservation(and even the use of the services it provides) andfood production, whileenabling farmers to diversify and secure their production. Combined witha fair economy, thiscangreatly improve farmers’ living conditions.
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That iswhy the three of us, as EBO students, have decided to spend next year immersing ourselves in real-world conditions on the ground to gain a true understanding of the current ecological and socioeconomic challenges. We’ll do all this by using our acquired knowledge and, of course, our hard work to help carry out environmental and community-based projects, with the goal of fostering a lasting exchange of technical and cultural knowledge between here and there.
The project will therefore run throughout the year in collaboration with four different NGOs, all of which are dedicated to improving the living conditions of local communities and addressing environmental issues (such as establishing and managing experimental plots and conducting biodiversity surveys). It will take place in India, Madagascar, Togo, and Colombia in order to explore the three different tropical regions as well as the various technical and cultural approaches associated with each location.
The project will be carried out in collaboration with the University of Montpellier’sUniverlacité programto facilitate exchanges between young people from the countries visited and young people in Montpellier.
Upon the project's return, several conferences will be held, along with photo exhibitions documenting the journey.
If you’d like to learn more (and why not support us?), we invite you tovisit our Facebook pageand our Instagram page à@projet.taf.Pour. For more detailed information, please contact us atprojet.taf@outlook.fr.