IAFN works with a group of trainers from around the world to facilitate local trainings as part of our capacity building program. If you are interested in organizing a capacity building event with one of the trainers listed below, please send your inquiry to info@analogforestry.org.
BOLIVIA
Miguel Angel Crespo
Country: Bolivia
Languages: Spanish (fluent), English (basic)
BIOGRAPHY:
Miguel Angel studied business administration, followed later by microbiology. This specialization has allowed him to work in biological pest control using microorganisms, most of which are found in Bolivia’s tropical forests, especially in protected areas.
Currently Miguel Angel is Director of PROBIOMA, where he is in charge of the reproduction of microorganisms used for biological control. Since 1998 these microorganisms have been used on more than 400,000 hectares and over 60 crops. The use of microorganisms has confirmed for him the value of forests, which has motivated him to work with analog forestry.
FOCUS AREA:
Biological pest control in tropical ecosystems and nurseries.
Miguel Angel Crespo
LANGUAGES: Spanish (fluent), English (basic)
BIOGRAPHY:
Miguel Angel studied business administration, followed later by microbiology. This specialization has allowed him to work in biological pest control using microorganisms, most of which are found in Bolivia’s tropical forests, especially in protected areas. Currently Miguel Angel is Director of PROBIOMA, where he is in charge of the reproduction of microorganisms used for biological control. Since 1998 these microorganisms have been used on more than 400,000 hectares and over 60 crops. The use of microorganisms has confirmed for him the value of forests, which has motivated him to work with analog forestry.
FOCUS AREA:
Biological pest control in tropical ecosystems and nurseries.
Miguel Angel Crespo
Languages: Spanish (fluent)
CAMEROON
Eric Suika Fonba
Country: Cameroon
Languages: English (fluent)
BIOGRAPHY:
Eric started development work in 1998 with the Centre for promotion of Conservation agriculture (CEPROCA) in Cameroon where he gained valuable skills facilitating change in rural communities. His interest later widened to environmental protection when he became a friend of Limbe Botanic Garden (LBG) in Cameroon. As friend of LBG he gained knowledge on the domestication and conservation of non wood forest products.
He has been putting into practice this knowledge in part of his 14 ha land in his native home village of Ngomrin in North West Cameroon. His aspiration is to convert this land into an ecotourism and learning site where local people can learn hands on how to practice analog forestry. After attending a series of training courses on analog forestry in Cameroon he was later trained as an accredited Analog Forestry trainer in Sri Lanka in 2014.
FOCUS AREA:
Plant domestication, seed collection, nursery management, watershed management, community mobilization.
Youndjie Koleoko Gabriel
Country: Cameroon
Languages:English (fluent) French (fluent)
BIOGRAPHY:
Youndjie Koleoko Gabriel has been working with the NGO CENDEP as the Director (Delegate) and has promoted analog forestry since 2007. His activities have included the rehabilitation of mountainous degraded forest of the North West Province of Cameroon, protection of water catchments using the technique of analog forestry, sensitization and training the local (mostly rural) population on conservation agriculture using the technique of analog forestry, as well as on the use of non-timber forest products in the Congo basin. He has been an analog forestry trainer since 2008.
FOCUS AREA:
Non-timber forest products, Beekeeping, Nursery management, Composting, Protection of water catchments, Processing of forest products
Perry Ndzefemmegho
Country: Cameroon
Languages: English (fluent)
BIOGRAPHY:
Perry started working with AF related projects in 2007 when the organization he works for, Centre for Nursery Development and Eru Propagation (CENDEP) implemented a pilot AF project in the montane forest patches of Northwestern Cameroon with an income generating component that involved the development of the honey sector.
He is interested in plot based ecological surveys, non-timber forest products value chain development (honey & Gnetum spp.,) as well as relating forest carbon to AF projects.
He has sensitized and delivered AF trainings to NGOs in 4 African countries (Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi & Ghana) as well as delivered trainings on Gnetum spp domestication to countries of the Congo Basin (Gabon, CAR, Congo-Brazzaville).
FOCUS AREA:
AF design,
Watershed management,
Tropical ecosystems (forests), Climate Change, NTFPs & value chain development
Wirsiy Eric Fondzenyuy
Country: Cameroon
Languages:English (fluent), French (basic), Lamnso (fluent)
BIOGRAPHY:
Eric has worked for the NGO CENDEP in Cameroon since 2000, where he and his team have been promoting AF as a tool to restore degraded watersheds in the North West Region of Cameroon. He has facilitated as well as participated in the training of community groups in the practice of AF.
Eric has experience in agricultural extension, domestication of wild plant species as well as developing value chains for forest and agricultural products.
FOCUS AREA:
Seed collection, storage and distribution;
plant domestication; water management;
sustainable agriculture
Michael Lyonga Ngoh
Country: Cameroon
Languages: English (fluent), French (basic), Pidgin English (fluent)
BIOGRAPHY:
Ngoh is a Biodiversity professional with a focus on flora diversity, although he has an interest in related taxa such as birds and insects, as well as aspects of ecology (e.g. plant-animal interactions such as pollination ecology). He works for Tropical Plant Exploration Group (TroPEG) – Cameroon, which is a local Cameroonian NGO.
His activity as an AF promoter has been to research and gather vital information on species suitable for Analogue Forestry Systems in Cameroon, Central and West Africa. His has been instrumental in contributing to the Cameroon Analogue Forestry Network (CAFON) data base. He has a passion for creative designing and improving livelihoods, especially using AF techniques.
FOCUS AREA:
Biodiversity High Conservation Value (HCV) Assessment;
Ecosystem Restoration;
Field Botanist (Taxonomist);
Analogue Forestry Design;
Statistical Data Analysis
Roland Ndah Njoh
Country: Cameroon
Languages: English (fluent), French (intermediate)
BIOGRAPHY:
Roland Ndah is a forest ecologist and is working as a forest researcher in Forests, Resources and people (FOREP). He has been involved in several field projects involving seed collection, plant identification, forest restoration, ecosystem evaluation, nursery management.
Roland Ndah has published several papers on plants and their uses in forest communities. He has equally worked on soil nutrients and soil indicators.
FOCUS AREA:
Tropical ecosystems, soil properties, plant population dynamics, uses of plants (NTFPs)
CANADA
Jean Arnold
Country: Canada
Languages: English fluent, Spanish (basic)
BIOGRAPHY:
Jean lives and works in rural New Brunswick, Canada, and is currently President of The Tree Project, an NGO dedicated to Biodiversity Restoration and Community Development. She is also an IFOAM accredited organic inspector.
Jean has extensive experience in organic agriculture, biodiversity restoration and community development, and has been involved in the development of various AF sites in Canada, Honduras, Cuba, Mexico and Costa Rica.
FOCUS AREA:
Organic agriculture, biodiversity restoration, community development
COLOMBIA
Victor Mena
Country: Colombia
Languages: Spanish (fluent)
BIOGRAPHY:
Victor is an Agroforestry Engineer with a Master’s degree in Tropical Agroforestry. He has been a professor and researcher for the Agroforestry Engineering Program at the Technological University of Chocó, Colombia for 15 years and is the leader of the Agroforestry Research Group of the Chocó Humid Tropic (AGROTROPICO).
As a professor, he has trained more than 300 students in Analog Forestry, as a researcher, he has participated in development projects among others in the implementation of Agroforestry Systems (SAF) and quantification of carbon fixation and storage in forests. He is currently formulating a project for the implementation of 100 hectares of analog forests as a strategy for the recovery of areas degraded by mining and for biodiversity conservation.
FOCUS AREA:
Agroforestry and ecosystem services
Carolina Sorzano Lopez
Country: Colombia
Languages: Spanish fluent, English intermediate
BIOGRAPHY:
A biologist from the Javerina University of Colombia with a Specialization in International Resource Management from the Jorge Tadeo Lozano University in the same country. She has been a consultant, advisor and public official on issues related to environmental planning of the territory and planning of protected areas in different Colombian government institutions such as the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, National Natural Parks, the Regional Autonomous Corporation of Cundinamarca and the District Secretary for the Environment of Bogota.
FOCUS AREA:
Advisor to the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) in the Program for Reducing Emissions from Avoided Deforestation – REDD + in Colombia, and currently a consultant for UNDP in the incorporation of the environmental impacts component in productive projects, for the reincorporation of members of the FARC to the social and economic life of the country.
Carlos Felipe Arango
Country: Colombia
Languages: Spanish (fluent)
COSTA RICA
Natalia Picado Palma
Country: Costa Rica
Languages: Spanish (fluent) English (intermediate)
BIOGRAPHY:
“Natalia is a Forestry Engineer, she learnt about Analog Forestry in 2015 and since then she has studied the AF methodology and its implementation. In 2017 she was accredited as a Trainer in AF. She has worked with indigenous communities in the implementation of community organic gardens. She was an assistant in the Forest Unit of the Institute of Forest Research and Services at the National University in Costa Rica. She is studying useful plants in the Tayni Indigenous Reserve and is completing her degree in Forest Management.”
FOCUS AREA:
Agroforestry systems, community forestry, design of productive units, ethnobotany, environmental education, sustainable forest management, urban arboriculture.
Amanda Calvo Santana
Country: Costa Rica
Languages: Spanish and English (fluent)
BIOGRAPHY:
Degree in Biology from the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador (PUCE), with a specialty in Botany from the University of Costa Rica (UCR). She worked in research for the Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory (CIBCM) of the University of Costa Rica. She extended her experience in the field of Botany and Ecology as a Naturalist Guide in the Ecuadorian Amazon for five years in various ecotourism projects with sociocultural significance and environmental conservation. She was certified as an Analog Forestry Trainer as well as a Permaculture Design Certification (PDC) with the New Mexico Permaculture Institute. She is currently in the final phase to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in Teaching from the State Distance University. She is the founder and administrator of the Red de Plantas Medicinales de Costa Rica.
She currently teaches two courses at the Center for International Programs and Studies in Sustainability (CPIES) at Veritas University on “Tropical Botany” and “Agroecology and Sustainable Food Production Systems”. She is part of the work team that is designing and implementing the project of a center for education and research (Biocentro) of the Veritas University in Guanacaste.
FOCUS AREA:
Botany, naturalist guide, permaculture, medicinal plants, agroecology and food production, education and research.
Milo Bekins Faires
Country: Costa Rica
Languages: Spanish (fluent) English (expert)
BIOGRAPHY:
Milo has been a forest farmer for many years in Costa Rica working his AF family farm. The farm, Finca Fila Marucha, produces spices, medicinal plants, fruits, food and essential oils, as well as protecting biodiversity and producing carbon biomass. The farm also serves as an AF demonstration and training site.
Milo served as chairperson of the IAFN from 2005-2014, and has given training workshops in Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Peru, the Philippines, Cuba, Spain, Cameroon, Canada and Australia.
FOCUS AREA:
Essential oil production, AF spice production, composting, nursery management.
Oscar Fonseca
Country: Costa Rica
Languages: Spanish (fluent)
BIOGRAPHY:
Oscar is an accomplished analog forestry trainer with seven years’ experience in the field. He was the Costa Rican coordinator for a demonstration site project at CATIE from 2008 to 2010. Since then, he has trained practitioners throughout Latin America. He currently works with the Costa Rican Environment Ministry.
FOCUS AREA:
Biological corridors, demonstration sites, design, ecological evaluation
Geovanny Quirós
Country: Costa Rica
Languages: English (fluent) Spanish (fluent)
BIOGRAPHY:
Geovanny Quirós Herrera is a Costa Rican Forest Engineer involved in conservation efforts since 198, researching forest species of the native rainforest, ecosystem restoration and landscaping.
FOCUS AREA:
He practices organic agriculture for subsistence on his family farm and is currently involved in organizational processes with small and medium farmers in Costa Rica and active in various local, regional and national organizations. Interested in the conservation of biodiversity, he promotes natural regeneration and nursery production of key species for this noble purpose.
Guido Barrientos Matamoros
Country: Costa Rica
Languages: Spanish (fluent)
BIOGRAPHY:
Guido Barrientos is a biologist, and has training in organic agriculture and biointensive food production methods. He is a trainer in both Permaculture and Analog Forestry, which he sees as complementary to each other. He combines his technical knowledge with his practical training in popular education which helps him in the planning, design and execution of capacity-building activities.
He has developed designs for various sites combining Permaculture with Analog Forestry, and has conducted several courses and workshops on topics related to the regeneration of life support systems in urban and rural settings.t Engineer involved in conservation efforts since 198, researching forest species of the native rainforest, ecosystem restoration and landscaping.
FOCUS AREA:
Compost and regeneration of soil fertility, urban gardens, on-site water management, biological wastewater treatment, rainwater harvesting, construction using plastic bottles, local development and sustainability
José Gabriel Villalta Calvo
Country: Costa Rica
Languages: Spanish (fluent), English (intermediate)
BIOGRAPHY:
José Gabriel is a forestry engineer, having graduated in forest management and restoration, with more than 3 years of NGO experience. He is a forestry official, and supervises more than 70 forestry projects in reforestation, agroforestry systems, forest management and ecosystem protection and conservation. He has experience giving workshops in rural areas, including Huanuco, Peru and Sarapiquí, Costa Rica.
FOCUS AREA:
Payments for environmental services, GIS, development of maps and designs, land use and soil conservation, workshops in rural areas, measurement of biomass and carbon in secondary forests
José Pablo Fernández Quirós
Country: Costa Rica
Languages: Spanish (fluent), English (fluent), French (basic)
BIOGRAPHY:
José Pablo has ten years of experience as a nature tourism guide, offering his services as an interpreter of nature in tropical forests and mangroves, and as a facilitator of environmental education and awareness-raising activities for young people in rural Costa Rican communities.
Since 2009 he also works as a designer of ecological landscapes and permaculture systems, and as a permaculture instructor. . He currently offers talks and workshops through the Costa Rican permaculture network (Red Permanezca). He was responsible for sustainability, environmental education and management of volunteer programs at La Flor Agroecological Farm for two years.
FOCUS AREA:
Payments for environmental services, GIS, development of maps and designs, land use and soil conservation, workshops in rural areas, meaDesign of sustainable urban and rural projects, design and implementation of edible gardens, edible forests and gardens to provide habitat for wild fauna, communicator, educator and facilitator of social dynamics.surement of biomass and carbon in secondary forests
Emel Rodríguez Paniagua
Country: Costa Rica
Languages: Spanish English
BIOGRAPHY:
Emel Rodríguez Paniagua is a Forest Engineer with a degree in Natural Resources Management and Conservation. His home in Costa Rica is Hojancha, Guanacaste , where he works as Regional Director of the Tempisque Conservation Area (ACT), SINAC – Ministry of Environment. He has coordinated many initiatives such as the Biological Corridors program of the Tempisque Conservation Area, research and forestry extension programs in the Chorotega region (CATIE -MINAE), as well as taught courses on environmental management and sustainable development.
FOCUS AREA:
Emel has participated in various professional training courses on biological corridors, agroforestry, national parks, tree nurseries, forest seeds, forest industry, marine coastal areas, environmental impact legislation as well as courses on restoration of riverbanks and fresh water streams.
Julio Rojas Elizondo
Country: Costa Rica
Languages: Spanish
BIOGRAPHY:
“Forest Engineer, Julio has participated as a manager for Biodiversity and Forest Connectivity in the Río Nosara Biological Corridor and as project manager in the Fundación Reserva Agroecológica El Toledo. He has participated in the formulation of community socio-environmental development projects in Monteverde, Costa Rica and has also managed cooperation funds for small NGOs that work on environmental issues in Nicoya, Guanacaste.”
FOCUS AREA:
Agroforestry research, politics and economics. Community development, environmental education, ecological connectivity and landscape fragmentation.
Adriana Pal
Country: Costa Rica
Languages: Spanish (fluent), English (fluent)
BIOGRAPHY:
She is the the founder of Escuela de la Jungla – Permacultura, a non profit project that focuses on empowering and educating rural communities in Costa Rica. Adriana studied Business Administration and has worked in the eco tourism industry for many years.
After falling in love with permaculture in 2012, she started her studies in analog forestry, agroecology and natural medicine. She has designed and taught permaculture programs for both children and adults and currently works as a permaculture consultant in several farms of the southern Nicoya Peninsula, focusing mainly on designing edible, medicinal and productive gardens, soil regeneration and water protection.
On a personal note, since a very young age she´s had a particular passion about trees. She enjoys drawing, photographing or simply admiring them in awe.
FOCUS AREA:
Design of edible, medicinal and useful gardens.
Composting
Agroecology
Medicinal plants
Community Management
Carla Fabiola Padilla Salas
Country: Costa Rica
Languages: Spanish (fluent)
BIOGRAPHY:
By training, Carla has a degree in forestry engineering with a specialty in management and care of urban trees, she has developed experiences of ecological restoration and greening of cities through different techniques and in joint work with local governments and communities; She is implementing university and international cooperation projects with the National University (UNA), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Organization for Tropical Studies (OET).
Additionally, Carla has participated in research projects on integral farms, where she fell in love with these sustainable production systems that are respectful of Mother Earth. She has also worked as an environmental educator in agroecological initiatives, she has received training on gender issues through United Nations platforms and believes that the fulfillment of project goals can occur from a gender and social justice perspective.
FOCUS AREA:
Urban trees, landscape restoration, interurban biological corridors, design of interventions and gardens with native plants, work with multiple actors, environmental education.
Leonardo Rodríguez Quirós
Country: Costa Rica
Languages: Spanish (fluent)
BIOGRAPHY:
Forest engineer, trained in Forest Management. Leo has participated since 2015 in various forest and wildlife monitoring projects in Costa Rica. With an interest in botany, forest and landscape ecology, as well as the sustainable use of forest resources. Leo has also been involved in projects for the design and management of agroforestry systems with cocoa.
In 2018 Leo learned about Analog Forestry, and since then he has been interested in its study, dissemination and application in rural Costa Rican landscapes. He is currently part of the technical team of the Secretariat of the National REDD+ Strategy for Costa Rica.
FOCUS AREA:
Management of natural resources. ecological monitoring. Agroforestry systems. Geographic information systems. Data management. forest ecology.
María Auxiliadora Zúñiga Amador
Country: Costa Rica
Languages: Spanish (expert), English (intermediate)
BIOGRAPHY:
Bachelor and Graduate in Natural Resources Management from the Distance State University (UNED) in Costa Rica, María has a Master's Degree in Management and Restoration of the Natural Environment from the University of Alicante (UA), in Spain. Since 2016 she has been working at the UNED School of Exact and Natural Sciences. She is co-founder and adviser of the Student Network for Ecological Restoration and extensionist of the Permanent Training Program in Didactics of Experimental Sciences (PROCDICE), both programs at the UNED. She is a member of the International Society for Ecological Restoration (SER).
She is a speaker at national and international conferences. She teaches several subjects on ecological restoration and natural resources. In addition, she is the author of several publications on topics related to ecological restoration, landscaping, native plants, erosion control, and plant-pollinator interactions. She has been involved in Analog Forestry projects since 2015.
FOCUS AREA:
Botany, medicinal plants, soils, landscaping, agrosilvopastoral systems, natural science teaching, citizen science, native species seeds, and community development.
CUBA
Orlidia Hechavarria Kindelán
Country: Cuba
Languages: Spanish (fluent) English (intermediate) French (intermediate)
BIOGRAPHY:
Dr. Orlidia Hechavarría is a Professor at the
Instituto de Investigaciones Agro-Forestales (Institute of Agroforestry Research) in Cuba, and has been involved in restoration through AF since 2005.
She has been involved in AF projects in Cuba, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Canada. These projects have included workshops, database creation, farm designs, mapping, maintenance plans, water management designs and the production of publications. In 2013 Dr. Hechavarría was awarded a prize by the Cuban Minsitry of Agriculture for her presentation of the results of one of the restoration projects in Cuba.
FOCUS AREA:
Species selection, AF design, nursery management, urban and suburban agriculture
Wilmer Toriac Arguelle
Country: Cuba
Languages: Spanish (fluent)
BIOGRAPHY:
Wilmer Toriac works at the Instituto de Investigaciones Agro-Forestales (Institute of Agroforestry Research) in Cuba, and has been working with AF since 2007.
He has been involved in ecological restoration projects using AF at four sites in Cuba, and has given workshops on AF mapping, planning, ecological evaluation, database creation, AF as a tool for restoration, reforestation and food sovereignty, as well as on the economic potential and commercialization of AF products.
FOCUS AREA:
Nursery management, seed collection and processing, soil management, family gardens and subsistence farming, compost, vermicompost, agroforestry ecosystems
ECUADOR
Alejandro Solano
Country: Ecuador
Languages: Spanish (expert), english (fluent)
BIOGRAPHY:
He was born and raised in a rural area of the central Pacific of Costa Rica. He obtained his first work experiences in the Monteverde Cloud Forest, and later worked as a naturalist guide in different national parks of the National System of Protected Areas, which led him to develop a deeper interest in nature. This motivated him to study for a degree in Ecology and Sustainable Development at the Universidad Latina de Costa Rica. During her career he met her partner Agustina Arcos, who would motivate him to migrate with her to Ecuador. He has lived in the country for 15 years, where he has dedicated himself to studying birds, working on sustainable development and conservation projects in various reserves managed by the Imaymana Foundation. With his field work, he has managed to gather new information on ornithology and has published nearly 50 scientific articles. His interest in ecological restoration has led him to take and organize several courses on regenerative organic agriculture, the first international course on analog forestry for trainers, and more recently the first international diploma course on organic agriculture. Since 2009 he lives and works in a reserve in the northwest of the province of Pichincha, which he manages together with his partner, and from which they have been sharing his experiences in the agroecological management of national cocoa and similar forests. food.
Oliver Torres
Country: Ecuador
Languages: Spanish (fluent)
BIOGRAPHY:
Oliver Torres is Ecuadorian and has lived in Mashpi, Quito-Ecuador, since 2010. Mashpi is located in the Piedmont rain forest at 550 m.a.s.l., and is the founder of Reserva Pambiliño. Since then, he has worked in the design and implementation of analog forests, construction with bamboo and wood, supported local governments and NGOs in the design and implementation of different conservation and sustainable development policies, and other tools to strengthen education for sustainable development. His passion is to sow and observe how monoculture or degradation areas are gradually transformed into true centers of life for fauna and flora, and also for sustaining human lives. From Pambiliño, Oliver seeks to sow a seed in people so that they receive the inspiration to be more nature. “I am convinced that only in contact with nature can we recover our memory to live with it.”
FOCUS AREA:
Oliver studied Philosophy and Political Science in the United States and France. He also did a Master’s Degree in Socio-Environmental Studies at FLACSO-ECUADOR. The best school has been the Chocó Andino forest, where he is currently an instructor in Analog Forestry and other topics related to ecological restoration, conservation and landscape management. He was trained as an AF instructor in the ToT of May 2015.
Nina Duarte Silveira
Country: Ecuador
Languages: Portuguese (fluent), Spanish (fluent), English (intermediate)
BIOGRAPHY:
Nina is a forestry engineer specialized in tropical agroforestry. She lives and works in the Ecuadorian Chocó bioregion, where she develops practical ecological restoration and agroecology projects. Together with other members of the Fundación Imaymana she is promoting analog forestry in the Northwest of the Pichincha region.
FOCUS AREA:
Ecological restoration, organic production, agroforestry design, management of soils and organic matter.
Angel Suco
Country: Ecuador
Languages: Spanish (fluent)
BIOGRAPHY:
Angel has a higher education in Agriculture, he learnt about Analog Forestry in 1995 through Dr. Ranil Sennanayake.
He has been involved in training Analog Forestry in Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, with NGOs, peasant groups and professionals interested in developing this system.
He works in the Northwest of Pichincha, with national cocoa producers. Angel gives motivational talks to conserve nature and biodiversity through the implementation of Analog Forestry and gives follow-up in Ecuador to established AF plots.
FOCUS AREA:
Community work on ecosystem restoration, in different stages of degradation, management of nurseries, plantations, design of plots with AF
Organic Agriculture, recovery of beneficial microorganisms from the soil.
Protection of water sources
Galo Chiriboga
Country: Ecuador
Languages: Spanish (expert), english (fluent)
BIOGRAPHY:
Ecuadorian, communicator by profession but lover of nature, works for GARN (Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature), he is also coordinator of the Ecuadorian Network of Analog Forestry REFA since the beginning of 2020.
Currently he is focused on the dissemination of the methodology, environmental education for children, communication campaigns and motivating strategic alliances with other organizations and government.
FOCUS AREA:
Media and communication campaigns, environmental education, strategic alliances
Diego Alejandro Tapia Gonzalez
Country: Ecuador
Languages: Spanish (fluent)
BIOGRAPHY:
(Santo Domingo – Ecuador, 1982) Entrepreneurial farmer based on innovation together with his family emphasized the search and investigation of new alternatives for agriculture, thus obtaining important plants such as cinnamon, ishpingo, sweet pepper, cloves , miracle fruit among others. In 2008 he founded an enterprise called “Ecuaforestar – Plantas Maravillosas”, whose aim was initially the production and commercialization of promising plants. Diego has created a productive model where environmentally friendly agricultural production is combined, applying the Analog Forestry system attached to processing technologies to give high added value to the products. In 2019, he collaborated to found the ECUADORIAN NETWORK OF ANALOG FORESTRY (REFA), to teach the methodology of design, principles and implementation of Analog Forestry.
FOCUS AREA:
environment-friendly agriculture, entrepreneurship, innovation, production and commercialization of promising plants, production models in Analog Forestry,essential oils
Nicanor Mejía
Country: Ecuador
Languages: Spanish (fluent)
BIOGRAPHY:
Nicanor Mejía, Ecuadorian, forestry engineer by profession, graduated in 2018. Interested in tree taxonomy and ecosystem restoration.
He has worked on conservation issues since 2015, with different organizations such as Mindo Cloudforest Foundation, KEK-Karlsruher Energie- und Klimaschutzagentur, Red Ecuatoriana de Forestería Análoga, Condesan, Fundación Futuro, among others. Among the main projects are:
- Identification and monitoring of seed trees in the Northwest of Pichincha.
- Collection of native tree seeds.
- Trainer in tree identification workshops
- Description of Capparidastrum estrellae, a new species from northwestern Ecuador.
- Trainer in native tree nurseries
- Classification of botanical samples and management of the database of the National Forest Evaluation of Ecuador
- Evaluation of the populations of Swietenia macrophylla and Cedrela sp in the Ecuadorian Amazon
Nestor Pino
Country: Ecuador
Languages: Spanish (Expert) English (Intermediate)
BIOGRAPHY:
Nestor lives in the province of Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, Ecuador, he is 40 years old, by profession Agronomist and Haute Cuisine Chef, due to health situations he changed his diet and learned to use Non-Conventional Food Plants (PANCS), using organic agriculture for the elaborations of the Menus.
In the kitchen Nestor learned that colors, textures and aromas are very important; and he extracts essential oil from various species of the analog forest, and advises various farmers on different crops that grow within the forest such as: cocoa, cardamom, vanilla, PANCS.
Of all the species, Nestor is very fond of bamboos because he knows that they are very versatile for the menu of humans, animals, kitchen utensils, extracts to nourish other plants, to build furniture, infrastructures, to make paper, to do bio-construction.
Nestor firmly believes that Analog Forestry should be promoted and implemented in existing agricultural systems.
FOCUS AREA:
Beekeeping, PANCS, robotics applied to agriculture, nursery management, holistic cooking, water management, sustainable agriculture, composting, analog forestry design, clean energy, medicinal plants, genetic improvement in plants and animals.
SPAIN
Julio Cantos
Country: Spain
Languages: Spanish (fluent)
BIOGRAPHY:
Julio is an Analog Forestry trainer and Permaculture designer. Trained as an agricultural technician, he works in the design of agroforestry farms and in environmental literacy programs.
He lives on the island of Mallorca and works throughout peninsular Spain.
FOCUS AREA:
Edible and conservation landscaping, phytogeography.
Jaume Tugores Bonnin
Country: Spain
Languages: Catalán (fluent) Spanish (fluent) English (intermediate) German (intermediate) French (basic)
BIOGRAPHY:
An accomplished gardener and permaculturalist, Jaume was introduced to analog forestry in a workshop in Palma de Mallorca in 2011. He has worked with the Analog Forestry Mediterranean group since then, and has been implementing analog forestry on his own land.
FOCUS AREA:
Apiculture, vermicompost, green cover, vertical gardens, native flora, permaculture, dryland gardening, garden design and installation
Debla Rodríguez Almenara
Country: Spain / Canarian Islands
Languages: Spanish, English: expert; Italian, Catalan: intermediate
BIOGRAPHY:
Debla is an environmentalist, with experience in environmental management, dedicating the last 15 years to environmental education and the promotion of organic farming in an educational setting.
She lives and works in Tenerife, Canary Islands, where she collaborates in agroecology training projects with local authorities and enjoys her own analog forest project.
FOCUS AREA:
Ecological production, environmental education, ecological restoration, social participation.
UNITED STATES
Grover Stock RIP 2020
Country: USA
Languages: English (fluent)
BIOGRAPHY:
Grover, in addition to being an IAFN accredited AF trainer, is also a Permaculture Design Course facilitator, and manages his own biodynamic farm.
Grover lives in the Napa Valley in California, and has given AF workshops in North America, Europe and Africa.
FOCUS AREA:
Permaculture, biodynamic farming, soil management, composting.
MEXICO
Rocío Romero Lima
Country: Mexico
Languages:Spanish (fluent), English (basic)
BIOGRAPHY:
Rocío is an Agricultural Engineer, specialized in Agricultural Industries, with a Masters in Edaphology and a Diploma in Tropical Agroecology. She is a University Professor and Researcher as well as trainer in organic agriculture, compost and Analog Forestry. She was involved in the creation and coordination of a Degree in Agroecological Engineering and the Center for Organic Agriculture Research at the Universidad Autónoma Chapingo in Mexico. She has been Technical Secretary for the Chapingo University Environmental Program. She has coordinated the Mexican chapter of the Latin American Agroecological Movement (Movimiento Agroecológicao de América Latina y el Caribe – MAELA).
FOCUS AREA:
Biointensive vegetable production, compost production and evaluation, soil analysis and compost, design and analsis of diversified organic gardens in agroforestry systems, environmental education, family nutrition.
Zuú Salinas
Country: Mexico
Languages:Spanish (fluent)
NICARAGUA
Jael Bildad Cruz Castillo
Country: Nicaragua
Languages:Spanish
BIOGRAPHY:
Jael is a Forest Engineer with a Master's in Agroecology. She currently works as a teacher at the Faculty of Natural Resources and the Environment of the National Agrarian University (UNA). Since she received the first Analog Forestry (AF) workshop in Costa Rica, she became passionate about the subject because it is focused on ecological restoration and it can also be considered as a practice that mitigates the effects of climate change. That is why she took the initiative to put it into practice on a plot of the El Plantel farm, owned by UNA; In this sense, the objective of the FA plot is to increase the amount of flowers available for the beehives that UNA has on said farm, so that only honey species will be established.
FOCUS AREA:
Agroecology, climate change mitigation and adaptation, beekeeping
PARAGUAY
Ana Lucía Soteras Ortíz
Country: Paraguay
Languages:Spanish, Portuguese and English
BIOGRAPHY:
Ana is a Forest Engineer and belongs to the organization FIRE Paraguay (Promotion of Initiatives for the Restoration of the Ecosystems of Paraguay). She is responsible for two parcels; one is located in the Bosque Yvapuruvú ecofarm in the municipality of Altos, Cordillera department, and the other in the municipality of Carlos Antonio López, Itapúa department. The objective of the application sites is to promote the application of Analog Forestry in the communities and establish trials combining species with economic and conservation value. Her vision is to develop farms through comprehensive and sustainable management.
FOCUS AREA:
Conservation of biodiversity integrating economic aspects, application of AF in the field.
PERU
Tatiana Espinosa Q.
Country: Peru
Languages:Spanish (fluent), English (intermediate)
BIOGRAPHY:
Tatiana lives and works in the Amazonian region of Madre de Dios and is President of the association ARBIO Perú, dedicated to promoting productive conservation and the valuing of Amazonian biodiversity. She has extensive experience in forest management in the Peruvian Amazon and in processes of social adaptation to climate change. ARBIO is developing a pilot AF site in Madre de Dios to demonstrate and disseminate the methodology.
FOCUS AREA:
Management and conservation of tropical forests, biodiversity restoration, climate change adaptation, urban arboriculture, wild fauna monitoring, forest censuses.
Rodrigo Carbajal
Country: Peru
Languages:Spanish (fluent)
BIOGRAPHY:
Rodrigo has had a special bond with nature since he was a child. He grew up between rivers and mountains and today lives in the high jungle of Peru. He studied Environmental Engineering at the La Molina National Agrarian University and has had the opportunity to get to know much of Peru. Those trips have taught him that there is still much to be done to achieve true sustainable development. He has participated in audiovisual projects that show environmental problems on the Peruvian coast and jungle. Currently his work is focused on the conservation and restoration of forests. He is part of the founding team of the association "Colectivo Ecológico Amazonía Regenerativa - CEARE", with whom he manages a private conservation area called Potsom Posho'll, located in the Oxapampa Ashaninka Yanesha biosphere reserve, where he develops projects with the communities native Yanesha.
FOCUS AREA:
Conservation and restoration of ecosystems.
Luis Miguel Llerena Bermudez
Country: Peru
Languages:Spanish (fluent)
BIOGRAPHY:
Forest engineer with 15 years of experience in tropical forest management with an emphasis on environmental protection, ecological restoration and conservation. Consultant in restoration programs in areas degraded by mining in the Amazon and for disaster risk management in Andean-coastal basins. Participation in forest management projects with native communities and indigenous peoples in situations of isolation and initial contact. Founding Associate of the Regenerative Amazon Ecological Collective – CEARE
PUERTO RICO
Jeffrey Glogiewicz
Country: Puerto Rico
Languages:Spanish (fluent), English (fluent), Portuguese (basic)
BIOGRAPHY:
Jeffrey is trained as a forestry engineer and worked for a long time in urban forestry and the establishment of thematic wooded areas for a botanic garden. He gives AF capacity-building workshops for farmers and school students, and implements AF practices on his farm, Pinar del Viento. He is passionate about the holistic (nutritional, cultural and spiritual) interpretation of forests.
FOCUS AREA:
Forest management in tropical ecosystems, forest management for the protection of watersheds, ethno-forestry.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Mamerto Valerio
Country: Dominican Republic
Languages: Spanish (fluent)
Salvador Escarramán
Country: Dominican Republic
Languages: Spanish (fluent)
ARGENTINA
Agustina Cozzitorto
Country: Argentina
Languages: Spanish (expert), English (fluent)
BIOGRAPHY:
Agustina is a passionate environmental professional who cultivates a creative and natural lifestyle. She has more than seven years of experience in environmental education, ecosystem conservation and restoration, as well as urban agriculture and sustainability projects. She has more than 10 years of experience volunteering with non-profit organizations.
She works as a trainer and educator at the Belipola Arboretum, where she is collaborating with the creation of curricula for education and experiential teaching of Analog Forestry concepts and promoting their application in situ. In addition, she is designing extensions of the Analog Forest for forest gardens in order to increase the production of primary ecosystem services (SEP) in landscapes with reduced sustainability.
FOCUS AREA:
SRI LANKA
Ranil Senanayake
Country: Sri Lanka
Languages: Sinhala (fluent), English (fluent), Spanish (intermediate)
BIOGRAPHY:
Ranil is a UC Davis graduated systems ecologist and the originator of the concept and science of analog forestry. As such, he has designed dozens of forests and other similar systems in many countries around the world.
He established the first Analog Forest at what is now the Belipola Training Center in Sri Lanka. He has led trainings in Asia, Africa and Latin America and continues to inspire and teach about FA and other ecology concepts through keynote talks and participation in related events.
FOCUS AREA:
Systems ecology, AF design, species identification, AF tea cultivation, AF and climate change.
Lorena Gamboa
Country: Sri Lanka / Ecuador
Languages: Spanish (expert), English (fluent), French (expert), Portuguese (basic)
BIOGRAPHY:
Lorena Gamboa is a founding member of the International Network of Analog Forestry, and has many years of collaborating as an AM trainer in Latin America and Asia.
With a background in Environmental Studies, Lorena has more than 20 years of experience with community restoration projects, including FA methodologies.
FOCUS AREA:
Tropical Ecosystems, management of AF Methodologies, training and community involvement, FGP certification
Fazly Mohamed
Country: Sri Lanka
Languages: English (fluent), Tamil (fluent), Sinhalese (fluent)
BIOGRAPHY:
Fazly is a project coordinator in Rainforest Rescue International and has been working with AF-related environmental restoration projects for past 9 years. With a background in Agronomy, he works closely with farming communities in designing their lands to suit AF based sustainable production units.
He has experience in training and working with many different ethnic communities on mangrove restoration, AF tea cultivation, AF based home gardening and agriculture marketing.
FOCUS AREA:
Organic farming, organic pest control methods, mangrove restoration, mapping and designing, AF based agriculture land development, seed saving, community mobilization, agriculture marketing, AF tea cultivation
H.P. Thamindu Sandaruwan
Country: Sri Lanka
Languages: Sinhala, English
BIOGRAPHY:
Thamindu studied Environmental Science and Natural Resources Management (BSc) at the Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka and Forestry and Environmental Management (MSc) at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. Successfully completed NextGENOA Ecovillage Design education program at Udon Thani, Thailand (Gaia) as well as completed an Analog Forestry Design program.
He has put into practice his own Analog Forestry model in the southern part of Sri Lanka, maintaining an organic fruit and spice garden implementing agriculural practices as an organic farmer. Thamindu worked with the Belipola Sustainability Education Center as a Naturalist and did community organic farming activities, ecosystem conservation and restoration programs engaging with local and foreign visitors. He completed a detailed data base for the Belipola Analog Forestry Arboretum. He also worked for Rain Forest Rescue International Sri Lanka as a Naturalist, doing research and publishing on the flora and fauna species of Belipola Arboretum.
He is a technical leader for the Good Market PGS Organic farming certification and as an environment safeguard officer, he contributes to evaluating and preparing reports for initial environment impact assessment and also helps to create environmental management plans to protect the environment during development activities. A member of NextGEN Oceania and Asia group, he leads volunteering programs for local communities.
FOCUS AREA:
Organic farming, species identification, biodiversity conservation and habitat recreation, watershed management, landscape designing, Analog forestry, consumer awareness, waste management.
Dharmasekara Rathnayake
Country: Sri Lanka
Languages: Sinhala (fluent), Tamil (intermediate), English (basic)
BIOGRAPHY:
Dharme has 13 years of experience in practicing analog forestry models. He has worked with 3 different NGO’s practicing analog forestry and currently works with Rainforest Rescue International. His specialized areas include organic farming, AF based home garden model development, designing watershed restoration plans, and training others on the above subjects.
FOCUS AREA:
Organic farming, watershed designing, plant data base development, farmer land designing, AF product marketing
Sugath Ekanayaka
Country: Sri Lanka
Languages: Sinhala (fluent), English (intermediate)
BIOGRAPHY:
Sugath has been a Field Officer at RRI for 8 years, working in organic agriculture and home garden development projects. He has conducted trainings on a variety of topics, including AF and organic agriculture, and has significant experience working with small-holder tea producers using the Forest Garden Product (FGP) certification scheme.
Sugath has 15 years of organic farming experience, and in addition to his skills teaching and implementing the AF methodology, he has also worked in nursery development and in initiating market opportunities for organic and AF products.
FOCUS AREA:
AF Design, Nursery management, Organic agriculture, Biodiversity restoration, community extension, Mapping, Composting, Landscaping, FGP Tea garden design, Marketing organic products.
Piyal Wijerathna
Country: Sri Lanka
Languages: Sinhala (fluent), English (fluent)
BIOGRAPHY:
Piyal has worked at Belipola Sustainability Education Centre and Rainforest Rescue International in Sri Lanka for over 10 years, and has been involved in a huge number of restoration projects using Analog Forestry as a field technician, trainer, certifier, manager, and forester.
FOCUS AREA:
Nimesh Chaturanga
Country: Sri Lanka
Languages: Sinhala (Expert), English (Basic)
BIOGRAPHY:
Nimesh studied Agricultural Science and Management at the University of Sabaragamuwa in Sri Lanka. His thesis is entitled “Study of structure and tree plant biodiversity of first analog forest in Sri Lanka comparatively to the home gardens at the vicinity.”
His research work in the past includes studying the ecological importance and biodiversity of different ecosystems with Rainforest Rescue International, and he is currently studying the determination of photosynthetic biomass in the first stages of growth in 20 different plant species, in the Belipola arboretum, Bandarawela, with Earth Restoration Research and Development. His current research centers around the study of analog forestry, photosynthetic biomass, soil microbial diversity of ecosystems.
FOCUS AREA:
Ajantha Palihawadana
Country: Sri Lanka
Languages: Sinhala (Expert), English (Basic)
BIOGRAPHY:
In addition to being an accredited trainer for the International Analog Forestry Network, Ajantha has been accredited as a Forest Garden Products (FGP) inspector.
Since 1995 he has received various specialized trainings on sustainable agriculture and management of protected areas in Sri Lanka, Thailand and India. He has also published various publications on fauna and flora, organic agriculture and traditional knowledge, many of them within the framework of the Integrated Rural Development project in Nuwara Eliya.
FOCUS AREA:
Rachel Chanmugan
Country: Sri Lanka
Languages: French (Expert), English (fluent)
BIOGRAPHY:
Rachel is French, her husband is from Sri Lanka and she has lived there since 2006. She is certified in yoga, sound healing and Shinrin Yoku (Forest Bathing).
Given the severity of issues such as climate change, mass extinction, and other threats to our planet and its ecosystems, Rachel felt called to undertake the mission of reestablishing the bond between people and Mother Nature. Belipola Arboretum is considered an ideal place to do this, as it maintains that Analog Forestry embraces the principles of restoration of degraded lands, and serves to demonstrate how human beings can participate and prosper by linking ourselves again with that Unitary organism from which we have separated, our Earth planet. Rachel believes that in doing so, we also have the opportunity to rebuild our global commons, our ecosystems and their biodiversity. His idea now is to share his knowledge with many people, through tools such as retreats, seminars, camps and workshops for groups, schools and other institutions.
FOCUS AREA:
Kathinka Dumitru
Country: Sri Lanka
Languages: English (fluent)
BIOGRAPHY:
The specialty of Kathinka, a native of Romania, is permaculture. One of her main objectives is to conserve native, exotic and endemic medicinal plants as well as habitats to improve food production, one´s health and livelihoods through the promotion of the Analog Forestry methodology applied to home gardens in urban areas, as well as supporting ecological succession and sustainability in urban areas. She is interested in sharing the principles of Analog Forestry practice in forest gardens at the provincial and local level by providing services in a transparent and responsible manner.
FOCUS AREA:
Nilanga Ranatunga
Country: Sri Lanka
Languages: Sinhala (Expert), English (fluent)
BIOGRAPHY:
Nilanga studied primary school at WP / Ho Seethawaka National School, Avissawella, and secondary school at Royal College, Colombo 07.
He obtained his Bachelor of Agricultural Sciences (B.Sc. (Agric)) with a specialty in Biotechnology at the University of Wayamba in Sri Lanka (2014 – 2018). He followed courses in molecular genetics and genomes, biochemistry, elemental statistics, plant cultivation, molecular biology, soil science, microbiology, and bioinformatics.
He is co-author of the preliminary study on fauna diversity in an evergreen forest patch on a fragmented plain in the Wawekele Forest Reserve, Avissawella, Sri Lanka
FOCUS AREA:
Madhu Rathnayake
Country: Sri Lanka
Languages: Sinhala, English
BIOGRAPHY:
Grower | Consultant on Organic Farming | Facilitator/Trainer- Asia (IAFN) | Auditor -FGP/PGS (IAFN) | Technical committee Member (PGS) | Field Inspector (PGS)
Madhu started her carrier at Belipola Arboretum, the world’s first site of the Analog Forest Sri Lanka under the management of Dr. Ranil Senanayake along with Trudy and Sion as a Marketing and Community relationship coordinator in 2015. Thereafter, she started working as a sustainability coordinator and as a PGS secretariat at Lanka Good Market (PGS, IFOAM) in 2017. She has been working with AF-related environmental restoration projects for the past 7 years. Her passion towards animals and the environment started from her childhood days and she managed to complete her studies with a Bachelor of Science Specialized in Agriculture and Public Relations from the Rajarata University of Sri Lanka. Currently, she is an active member of the PGS Committee and works closely with farming communities as a PGS consultant in designing their lands to suit PGS-based sustainable production units. Her aspiration is to convert land into an ecotourism site where local and international students can learn how to practice Analog Forestry while giving benefits to the community around the site, both ecologically and economically. After attending a series of training courses under the guidance of Lorena Senanayake, she was accredited as an Analog Forestry Trainer for Asia in 2021.
FOCUS AREA:
Facilitation and Training, Eco innovations, Sustainable agribusiness solutions, Sustainable agricultural projects/ Women livelihood development projects, Waste Management, Youth Education, Earth Restoration, Art and Music, Spiritual Discussions.
Nuwan Bandara Ekanayake
Country: Sri Lanka
Languages: Sinhala, English
BIOGRAPHY:
Nuwan was an Analog Forestry designer before his accreditation as a PGS -FGP Standards Inspector in 2021. He is known in the industry for his contribution towards uplifting Sri Lankan organic farming standards at the grass root levels, being a technical committee member and a field inspector for Good Market PGS Certification and by being a consultant for many projects.
Soon after completing his degree in BSc. Agricultural Sciences & Management at Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, he entered the corporate world. Since his undergraduate days his passion made him engage in many projects and he was involved in different segments of the sustainable agricultural value chain of Sri Lanka.
Presently he is employed as an independent agriculture and sustainability project developer and a consultant while refining his expertise in traditional medicine, carbon quantification, agricultural product diversification and sustainable farming systems.
FOCUS AREA:
Facilitation and Training, Eco innovations, Sustainable agribusiness solutions, Sustainable agricultural projects/ Women livelihood development projects, Waste Management, Youth Education, Earth Restoration, Art and Music, Spiritual Discussions.
AUSTRALIA
Sion Zivetz
Country: Sri Lanka
Languages: English (fluent)
BIOGRAPHY:
Sion is a big picture systems thinker. He has the capacity to bring observations about flows and relationships within systems into a deeper understanding of how individual parts compliment the whole.
Sion enjoys the challenge of working with plants, especially sweet and sour fruits. But more so, he enjoys sharing ideas with others and seeing how with the right tools and effort, good design can solve any challenge. At the heart of it, he is an educator and works to recognize and support the skills and interests of others as we collectively move towards bringing this planet back into its abundance.
Sion was educated in Permaculture before finding Analog Forestry and he seeks to create synergies and synthesis from both design paradigms. He has also earned two degrees in Sustainability and Sustainability Education from Portland State University. He was the co-manager of Belipola Sustainability Education Center in Sri Lanka for 3 years.
FOCUS AREA:
Trudy Juriansz
Country: Sri Lanka
Languages: English (fluent)
BIOGRAPHY:
Trudy was introduced to Analog Forestry in 2012 and has since been deeply immersed in AF management and methodology. She is one of the co-managers of the Belipola Sustainability Education Center in Sri Lanka, the first Analog Forestry research and demonstration site in the world. At Belipola she plays a key role in guiding the ecological farm and coordinating learning programs.
Her professional experiences range from running organizations, designing programs for experiential education, managing a small business, working with diverse communities and teaching. Trudy’s skills include facilitation, coordination, networking, organic farming and designing ecological landscapes. She is a sustainability educator, an accredited Analog Forestry trainer, a trained and practicing permaculturalist, and a student of herbal healing. Trudy’s reverence for the forest and all its beings, stem from deep ecology and the essence of community.
FOCUS AREA:
Ecological design, organic agriculture, composting & soil management, AF methodologies & management, tropical ecosystems, deep ecology, permaculture, sustainability education, community engagement, participatory processes
TOGO
Jules Adjima
Country:Togo
Languages:Spanish (fluent), English (fluent), Portuguese (basic)
BIOGRAPHY:
Jules works in Togo with the NGO Les Compagnons Ruraux, and has been working with AF since 2007. His activities have included rehabilitation of forest reserves,
rehabilitation of riverbank forest corridors,
production and popularization of endangered species, and agroforestry and land use projects.
He has given AF trainings in Togo to various groups, including nature conservation association leaders and women’s groups.
FOCUS AREA:
Participatory forest management, mountain ecosystems,
nursery management,
water management, environmental education
INDIA
Sharada Ramadass
Country: India
Languages: English (Fluent), (Fluent in Indian Languages - Hindi, Tamizh, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali)
BIOGRAPHY:
Sharada has her basic degree in Computer Science Engineering with working experience in the Information Technology field, before a further studies and move into the domain of Environmental Resource Management, Sustainability and Climate Change. Her lifelong passion for nature, its conservation through observation, research and practice was solidified through her work in the field of environmental conservation with a focus on climate change - from wetland/ pond ecosystem restoration to conservation outreach for children and adults. Her constant foray into nature has allowed her to develop a keen understanding of local ecology and how to bring it to the masses. She incorporates this knowledge in her practices of organic farming, and composting.
FOCUS AREA:
Ecology and Climate Change - research and outreach, Natural farming processes
