Foresight Canada’s Post

#IUFRO2024 Recap! 🌍🌳 So much to digest from the IUFRO - International Union of Forest Research Organizations #IUFRO2024 Congress! SIANI had an incredible time engaging in lively discussions about the vital role of #forests and #trees in enhancing food security and nutrition. Highlights include: 🚀 The policy brief "Leveraging Agroforestry for Bioenergy Security in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia" was launched with Selorm Kobla Kugbega and the Agroforestry Network, highlighting #agroforestry's crucial role in sustainable #bioenergy for households and small-scale industries. 🤝 A fantastic networking mingle with over 70 colleagues. 🌐 A sub-plenary session exploring diverse perspectives on forest futures 2050, balancing climate, carbon, #biodiversity, bioeconomy, #FoodSecurity, and income generation with The Forests, Trees and Agroforestry Partnership (FTA) its partners, and Toby Gardner Garner. SEI — Stockholm Environment Institute researchers, including Francis Xavier Johnson, Eileen Torres-Morales , and Rob Bailis, also brought invaluable insights on: 🌿 The governance of a bio-resource-based #bioeconomy in the Global South. 🌾 Biochar production from residual biomass in #Colombia. 🌱 Land-use-based mitigation for resilient climate pathways. 🌳 Sustainable #woodfuel production. Exciting times ahead as we continue to work towards a sustainable and prosperous future for our forests and communities!

Unlocking the Blue Economy: How Algae and Seaweeds Can Empower SMEs The potential of algae and seaweeds as drivers for Small and Micro Enterprises in marine resources endowed Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Low and Middle Income Developing Countries (LMDCs) is immense. Oceans, covering over 77% of the Earth's surface, are a vast reservoir of resources, capable of sustaining global populations for centuries. With productivity of the aquatic ecosystems up to 70 times greater than land based ecosystems, they offer dissolved resources ripe for extraction. Advancement of Biotechnological Extractive Models in the ocean based economy can effectively harness these resources. Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) on the other hand can play a crucial role in revitalizing local economies by producing algae and seaweeds in small quantities. This approach is particularly important for developing infrastructure that channels marine water to near coastal areas or through boreholes where climate change induced saline intrusion occur, creating ideal conditions for cultivating proteins in small quantities and fostering new industries development. The development of extractive biotechnologies to fully utilize ocean resources can generate passive income for coastal near area communities, who are key to sustaining blue economy models. Embracing the production of proteins in small quantities can support SMEs and vital industries such as cosmetics and aquaculture, building robust and sustainable economic systems. The cooperation of SMEs in identifying needs, pooling resources, and expanding markets can achieve significant progress without overexploiting ocean resources, thereby enhancing the productivity and regenerative capacities of these ecosystems. #SMEs #LDCs #LMDCs #BiotechnologicalExtractiveModels #MarineResources #Productivity #Regenerative #Sustainability

Recent news for companies and RTOs who are engaged in collaborative proposal submissions to the EU's #horizoneurope (HE) programme. The key strategic orientations that will inform the final three years of HE (2025-2027) are #greentransition, #digitaltransition and enabling a more resilient, competitive, inclusive and democratic Europe, in order to address global challenges such as #climatechange, loss of #biodiversity, the #digital transition and an ageing population. The strategic plan that has been created identifies nine, new, European co-funded and co-programmed partnerships: Brain #health, Forests and #forestry for a #sustainablefuture, Innovative #materials for the EU, Raw materials for the #green and digital transition, Resilient cultural #heritage, Social transformations and resilience, #solar #photovoltaics, #textiles of the future, and virtual worlds. Read the full story: https://rb.gy/w33lxl - and if you are seeking future HE opportunities for collaborative R&D, you can reach out to us via email to info@twi-innovation-network.com as well as head over to the TWI Orbit platform where you can find a wealth of upcoming, open #grantfunding competitions. #collaboratetoinnovate #TWIIN

From 2024 to 2029, we have to make an important shift in #finance to #nature based solutions together with the current #UN decade dedicated to restoring Earth's #ecosystems (see UNEPFI 2023 #webinars). Here at the Word #Ecological #Agriculture #WEA (Agro #Écologie Mondiale #AEM) we are committed to increase the speed of that shift in the #climate plus #biodiversity smart agriculture and agroforestry fields from March 8th, 2024 to March 8th, 2029. #nbs

Degrowth is not only a movement for the Global North, we need to talk about ecological and social reparations debts with Global South . ‘Colonialism and imperialism have not settled their debt to us once they have withdrawn from our territories. The wealth of the imperialist nations is also our wealth. Europe is literally the creation of the Third World’ (Fanon 1963: 102) I have added this important factor in my master thesis about characterization on materials in ethical context. When assessing a material in the level of impact of an organization it is necessary to know how the land has been acquired and the violence that hidden it. This article talk about eucaliptus grown on Soutn Africa that is used in Europe for lyocell and viscose fabrics, all of them linked with colonialism. The El Dorado of Forestry: The Eucalyptus in India, South Africa, and Thailand, 1850–2000

Are you ready to explore sustainable investments this year? Discover how Agroforestry can be both profitable and sustainable! Join us for our upcoming webinar, 'Planting Profits: Unlocking Climate Action through Agroforestry Investments.' Date: 30th January 2024 Register here: https://lnkd.in/d2kDehb7 #Agroforestry #SustainableInvestment #ClimateAction #Afforestation #AfforestationAfrica #AigglWebinar #Aiggl #Sustainability #Investment #2024events

Join us in supporting the unlocking of the #circulareconomy. A national circular economy stakeholder dialogue will be held to foster cross-sectorial discussions and knowledge exchange about the circular economy. The circular economy is a holistic concept for re-thinking, re-developing and (re-) informing a country’s economy. South Africa is demonstrating different policy interventions and initiatives that facilitate a circular economy transition. However, the benefits of a circular economy are not fully unlocked. The dialogue series will be facilitated on four of the seven identified priority economic sectors: #Agriculture, #Mining, #Manufacturing and #Energy. Don’t miss out, register today! 29 August – Agriculture: https://lnkd.in/dmfyK6Pg 5 September – Mining: https://lnkd.in/d5WZq9ER 11 October – Manufacturing: https://lnkd.in/dqpb_w_i 24 October – Energy: https://lnkd.in/dFwmJbNG This series is proudly brought to you by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection as part of the International Climate Initiative and implemented in cooperation with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE). 

We are buzzing! More events to immerse yourself into the circular economy! While this may be an #African event, these issues are global. We are connecting the sector dots (as it should be!). #circularity #JustTransition #circulareconomy CircularVision African Circular Economy Network (ACEN) Circular South Africa (CSA)

While Asia may be leading the way it is also great to see an emergence of a U.K. seaweed industry. Innovation, new ways of harvesting, local processing to capture value in economically deprived areas with government support is critical to ensuring success.

Looking forward to the discussion on Circular food systems