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Sahelian students partner with FAO offices in 'Climathon VIVRE 2023'
Climathon winners in Maradi, Niger
Three cities in the Sahel: Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina-Faso; Kaffrine, Senegal; and Maradi, Niger have partnered with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on the coming VIVRE project (Villes Vertes pour la Restauration des écosystèmes de la grande muraille verte), in cooperation with local training centres. The three cities, which face increasing climate vulnerabilities and population growth, seek to leverage their ecosystem services through the project.
Forty-six students from the three cities participated in February's Climathon VIVRE 2023. The Climathon, designed by the European Union's Climate-KIC, described as 'a knowledge and Innovation Community, working to accelerate the transition to a zero-carbon climate-resilient society' allowed the students to identify climate challenges in their cities and propose solutions to the mayors. The students travelled throughout the city on foot to observe the environmental issues in different areas, interviewed residents, identified key stakeholders and collaborated with young professionals from Quebec's Laval University, the Institut Agro Montpellier, and young experts from FAO Headquarters.
Students developing solutions for proposal at the Climathon in Kaffrine, Senegal (left) and Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina-Faso, Kaffrine (right)
During the Climathon, the students identified a range of different climate challenges, and the municipalities narrowed down the most relevant to each context. The students then created over one hundred solutions; in Bobo-Dioulasso and Kaffrine on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving waste management, and in Maradi on reducing climate-induced flooding and its impacts. The students created thirteen project proposals that were pitched in front of a jury composed of city representatives, FAO country offices, universities, research centres (including IRD, CIRAD), and development partners (including the World Food Programme, GIZ, Swisscontact, LuxDev, and SOS Sahel).
Jury panelists in Maradi, Niger
The three winning teams came up with the following climate solutions:
The “Fun pour VIVRE” team proposed the transformation of municipal waste into compost and biogas.
The "BOBO 1" team presented the solution of collecting municipal waste and transforming it into compost and plastic shredding.
The "Maradi 3" team developed the solution of planting trees in the city, upstream on the edge of the Goulbi river, to protect the city from flooding, combat excessive heat and strengthen biodiversity.
The three winning teams will receive three-months of assistance to finalize their proposals. The other ten teams who participated will benefit from privileged access to FAO's e-Learning Academy.
Participants found the first Climathon to be “fun and interesting” and noted the essential involvement of local universities, as they play a key role in raising awareness among future decision-makers who can propose climate solutions. The city mayors noted that the Climathon activities should now be an annual event because they are innovative, and “very different from the work of traditional experts.”
This first series of Climathon VIVRE has proven that young citizens can be a part of much needed dynamic for sustainable urban transformation. Congratulations to the winners and all the participants!
The Climathon VIVRE 2023 has received technical support from the BARKA Fund and the Climate-KIC, as well as financial support from the French Embassy in Niger (FSPI Green Jobs project) and the government of Quebec (SAGA project).
The local training centres involved in the Climathon were ENAFA (the National Agricultural Training School of Bobo-Dioulasso), the Kaffrine Campus of the University of Sine Saloum and the Dan Dicko Dankoulodo University of Maradi.
Get involved in the next Climathon by emailing [email protected].