Susan Chomba

Last updated
Susan Chomba
Born
Education
Employer(s) International Centre for Research in Agroforestry, World Resources Institute
Known forEnvironmental scientist

Susan Chomba is a Kenyan scientist and environmentalist. She is a director at the World Resources Institute.

Contents

Biography

Chomba grew up in poverty in Kirinyaga County. [1] Chomba was largely raised by her grandmother as her mother, a single parent, was always working. Chomba's mother grew capsicum and french beans on a small plot of land owned by a step-uncle and created a farming cooperative. [2]

When Chomba was nine, a local boarding school rejected her due to her poverty, so she attended one further away, in Western Kenya. When her mother was no longer able to afford to send her there, Chomba returned to Kirinyaga to attend the provincial high school. Each student in the school was given a patch of land to farm. Chomba experimented with organic farming, growing cabbage to withstand the cold climate. [2]

Although Chomba had hoped to study law or agricultural economics, she was placed in a forestry course at Moi University. [2] [3] In her third year, when taking an agroforestry class, she found her calling. [2]

Chomba joined the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry, where she Regreening Africa, an eight-country land restoration program that restored one million hectares of degraded land in Africa. [2]

Chomba was a member of the first cohort to graduate with a dual European master's degree in Sustainable Tropical Forestry from Bangor University and the University of Copenhagen. She completed fieldwork in Tanzania. [4] She continued to get her PhD in forest governance at the University of Copenhagen. [2] [3]

In 2021, Chomba joined the World Resources Institute as their Director of Vital Landscapes for Africa, where she leads their work on "Forests, Food systems and People." [5] [3] She is also a global ambassador for the Race to Zero and Race to Resilience under the UN High Level Champions for Climate Action. [3] [6]

Awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forestry</span> Science and craft of managing woodlands

Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. The science of forestry has elements that belong to the biological, physical, social, political and managerial sciences. Forest management plays an essential role in the creation and modification of habitats and affects ecosystem services provisioning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Center for International Forestry Research</span>

The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) is a non-profit scientific research organization that conducts research on the use and management of forests with a focus on tropical forests in developing countries. CIFOR, which merged with World Agroforestry on Jan. 1, 2019, is the forestry and agroforestry research center of CGIAR, a network of 15 research centers around the world that focus on agricultural research for sustainable development, working closely with governments and other partners to help develop evidence-based solutions to problems related to sustainable agriculture and natural resource management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agroforestry</span> Land use management system

Agroforestry is a land use management system that integrates trees with crops or pasture. It combines agricultural and forestry technologies. As a polyculture system, an agroforestry system can produce timber and wood products, fruits, nuts, other edible plant products, edible mushrooms, medicinal plants, ornamental plants, animals and animal products, and other products from both domesticated and wild species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chellie Pingree</span> American politician (born 1955)

Chellie MariePingree is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Maine's 1st congressional district since 2009. Her district includes most of the southern part of the state, including the Portland area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judith Rodin</span> American philanthropist, academic and psychologist

Judith Rodin is an American research psychologist, executive, university president, and global thought-leader. She served as the 12th president of the Rockefeller Foundation from 2005 to 2017. From 1994 to 2004, Rodin served as the 7th president of the University of Pennsylvania, and the first permanent female president of an Ivy League university. She is known for her significant contributions to the fields of behavioral medicine and health psychology, higher education, and philanthropy, as well as championing the concepts of impact investing and resilience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forest management</span> Branch of forestry

Forest management is a branch of forestry concerned with overall administrative, legal, economic, and social aspects, as well as scientific and technical aspects, such as silviculture, forest protection, and forest regulation. This includes management for timber, aesthetics, recreation, urban values, water, wildlife, inland and nearshore fisheries, wood products, plant genetic resources, and other forest resource values. Management objectives can be for conservation, utilisation, or a mixture of the two. Techniques include timber extraction, planting and replanting of different species, building and maintenance of roads and pathways through forests, and preventing fire.

In the early 1960s, an interest in women and their connection with the environment was sparked largely by Ester Boserup's book Woman's Role in Economic Development. Starting in the 1980s, policy makers and governments became more mindful of the connection between the environment and gender issues. Changes regarding natural resource and environmental management were made with the specific role of women in mind. According to the World Bank in 1991, "Women play an essential role in the management of natural resources, including soil, water, forests and energy...and often have a profound traditional and contemporary knowledge of the natural world around them". Whereas women were previously neglected or ignored, there was increasing attention to the impact of women on the natural environment and, in return, the effects the environment has on the health and well-being of women. The gender-environment relations have ramifications in regard to the understanding of nature between men and women, the management and distribution of resources and responsibilities, and the day-to-day life and well-being of people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Day of Forests</span> International day established by the United Nations

The International Day of Forests was established on the 21st day of March, by resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on November 28, 2013. Each year, various events celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests, and trees outside forests, for the benefit of current and future generations. Countries are encouraged to undertake efforts to organize local, national, and international activities involving forests and trees, such as tree planting campaigns, on International Day of Forests. The Secretariat of the United Nations Forum on Forests, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization, facilitates the implementation of such events in collaboration with governments, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, and international, regional and subregional organizations. International Day of Forests was observed for the first time on March 21, 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate change in Bangladesh</span> Emissions, effects and responses of Bangladesh related to climate change

Climate change is a critical issue in Bangladesh. as the country is one of the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. In the 2020 edition of Germanwatch's Climate Risk Index, it ranked seventh in the list of countries most affected by climate calamities during the period 1999–2018. Bangladesh's vulnerability to the effects of climate change is due to a combination of geographical factors, such as its flat, low-lying, and delta-exposed topography. and socio-economic factors, including its high population density, levels of poverty, and dependence on agriculture. The impacts and potential threats include sea level rise, temperature rise, food crisis, droughts, floods, and cyclones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Waiguru</span> Kenyan politician

Anne Mumbi Waiguru, EGH, is the second Governor of Kirinyaga County in Kenya, who has been in office since 22 August 2017.

South Eastern Kenya University "SEKU" is a public university with its main campus located in Kwa Vonza, Kitui County, Kenya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deforestation and climate change</span> Interactions between deforestation and climate change

Deforestation is a primary contributor to climate change, and climate change affects the health of forests. Land use change, especially in the form of deforestation, is the second largest source of carbon dioxide emissions from human activities, after the burning of fossil fuels. Greenhouse gases are emitted from deforestation during the burning of forest biomass and decomposition of remaining plant material and soil carbon. Global models and national greenhouse gas inventories give similar results for deforestation emissions. As of 2019, deforestation is responsible for about 11% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon emissions from tropical deforestation are accelerating.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women in climate change</span> Climate change activists

The contributions of women in climate change have received increasing attention in the early 21st century. Feedback from women and the issues faced by women have been described as "imperative" by the United Nations and "critical" by the Population Reference Bureau. A report by the World Health Organization concluded that incorporating gender-based analysis would "provide more effective climate change mitigation and adaptation."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bamboo cultivation</span> Cultivation and raw material industry

Bamboo forestry is a cultivation and raw material industry that provides the raw materials for the broader bamboo industry, worth over 72 billion dollars globally in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Global Landscapes Forum</span>

The Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) is a multi-stakeholder forum that promotes the ‘landscape approach’. to building landscapes that are productive, prosperous, equitable and resilient. It works to catalyze a movement that puts communities first in informing and addressing landscape-level issues. The GLF’s network connects more than 10,500 organizations from 185 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wanjira Mathai</span> Kenyan environmentalist (born 1971)

Wanjira Mathai is a Kenyan environmentalist and activist. She is Managing Director for Africa and Global Partnerships at the World Resources Institute, based in Nairobi, Kenya. In this role, she takes on global issues including deforestation and energy access. She was selected as one of the 100 Most Influential Africans by New African magazine in 2018 for her role serving as the senior advisor at the World Resources Institute, as well as for her campaign to plant more than 30 million trees through her work at the Green Belt Movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Wathuti</span> Kenyan environmental activist (born 1995)

Elizabeth Wanjiru Wathuti is a Kenyan environment and climate activist and founder of the Green Generation Initiative, which nurtures young people to love nature and be environmentally conscious at a young age and has now planted 30,000 tree seedlings in Kenya.

Aster Afwork GebrekirstosFAASTWAS is an Ethiopian scientist and a professor of agroforestry at World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan C. Gardner</span> Environmental scientist

Susan C. Gardner is a Mexican-American marine scientist and Director, Ecosystems Division at the United Nations Environment Programme based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Racquel Moses is a Global Ambassador for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Chief Executive Officer for the Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator (CCSA). Moses has represented the region at COP26-28, presenting a climate scorecard for rating the status and progress of countries at COP26 and a climate smart map for the Caribbean region at COP28.

References

  1. 1 2 "BBC 100 Women 2023: Who is on the list this year? - BBC News". News. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Wadekar, Neha (2023-06-21). "'Women bear the biggest brunt of climate change,' says climate scientist Susan Chomba". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Susan Chomba | World Resources Institute". www.wri.org. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  4. "Bangor Alumna among world's most influential women". Bangor University. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  5. "Susan Chomba". #ThinkLandscape. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  6. Macklin, Fiona (2021-04-26). "Welcoming Global Ambassadors to Race to Zero and Race to Resilience". Climate Champions. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  7. "25 more badass women shaping climate action | GreenBiz". www.greenbiz.com. 7 March 2022. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  8. "Bloomberg Green at COP28". events.bloomberglive.com. Retrieved 2024-02-09.