Los Baños, Laguna—A British organization has collaborated with a University of the Philippines Los Baños-based Southeast Asian regional center to empower people especially the youth to contribute to climate solutions.
Providing free educational content about the causes, consequences and solutions to climate change, the British ClimateScience, a non-profit organization, aims to make learning fun, accessible, and science-backed.
ClimateScience co-founder Eric Steinberger said this volunteer-driven organization has become the leading provider of accessible educational resources on solutions to climate change globally.
Steinbereg noted that agriculture takes up everything even the largest share of usable land resources and that it can make a huge difference in all places and communities around the world.
“In turn, solving climate change will always be part of agricultural innovations and agricultural education,” Steinberger said.
Dr. Glenn Gregorio, SEARCA director, said Searca’s partnership with ClimateScience is expected to provide in-depth knowledge and co-creation in initiatives in the digital sphere.
Gregorio said ClimateScience and Searca have agreed in the translation of publications and information materials to ASEAN languages, idea grants for youth, leadership trainings, use of materials for awareness campaigns and programs for the youth, and agriculture-focused cohorts in agriculture.
Steinberg said SEARCA is a prime example that is a multiplier of impacts on an enormous scale. “If we can inspire young people to take responsibility towards a good use such as solving climate change, we would be able to further the productivity for research and development and solve global issues faster.”
With this, Gregorio said they launched #Y4AGRI or the Young Forces for Agricultural Innovation which is the banner youth engagement initiative of Searca as part of our 11th Five-Year Plan.
He said the program which aims to nurture young people like learners as partners and leaders for agricultural innovation is guided by the principle of “by the youth, for the youth, and with the once youth.”
Meanwhile, the 34th SEARCA Online Learning and Virtual Engagement webinar was titled “SOLVE Gaps in the Agri-Food System: Promoting Youth Inclusion and Innovation” highlighted the challenges faced by the youth and the success stories of Thai and Filipino young enablers in implementing community efforts to combat food insecurity and food shortage.
A Thailand’s Udon Thani Rajabhat University faculty member talked about motivations for obtaining Halal food certification, including food quality guarantee, customer demand, positive attitude on Halal certification and broaden business opportunities in the webinar.
Cacao Project founder Louise Emmanuelle Mabulo spoke about how her venture harnessed resources to rethink consumption and production methods with the spirit of empowering the next generation to make a tangible difference by working with small communities to have global impact.
Also launched by SEARCA was the second edition of its Youth COVIDeo Contest to feature personal experience, practice or advocacy of Southeast Asian youth ages 15-35 to contribute to sustainable food consumption and food waste management.
