TAF (Tropical Agroforestry) Project
TAF (Tropical Agroforestry) Project
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 career paths.
=> Thibault plans to build his future by working alongside local communities to develop sustainable agriculture based on agroforestry and agroecology techniques.
=> Justin is interested in the management and conservation of tropical natural areas, which are a source of biodiversity essential to understanding ecosystems.
=> Léa would like to get involved in applied research aimed at striking a balance between biodiversity and community use of the forest.
Check out the entire 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—and tropical countries in particular—even more acutely. Indeed, in these regions, the effects of our overproduction are felt more acutely, which has a significant impact on populations that are already economically vulnerable.
However, solutions do exist:
Agroecology and agroforestryare two farming methods thatallow for the coexistence ofpreserving biodiversity(and even making use of the services it provides us) andfood production, whileenabling farmers to diversify and secure their production. When 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 actual ecosystem and socioeconomic challenges we face. We’ll do all this by applying the knowledge we’ve acquired—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 (establishment and management of experimental plots, biodiversity surveys, etc.). 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 an exchange between young people from the countries visited and young people from Montpellier.
Upon the project's return, several conferences will be held, along with photography exhibitions documenting this journey.
If you'd like to learn more (and why not support us?), we invite you tovisit our Facebook pageand our Instagram page at à@projet.taf.Pour.For more detailed information, please contact us atprojet.taf@outlook.fr.