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Higher Education for Conservation (HECA), funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is a $5Million, 5-year grant whose project title is the Center of Excellence for Forestry, Biodiversity, and Conservation Leadership, and Green Enterprise Development in Liberia. The Theme of HECA is “Working Together to Conserve Liberia’s Forests for a Secure Green Future.” The Higher Education for Conservation (HECA) was launched on October 21, 2022, to build the skills of Liberia’s forestry and natural resource workforce to support the conservation and sustainable use of natural forest resources while advancing economic development, gender equality, youth empowerment, and social inclusion. At its core is the establishment of a Center of Excellence for Forestry, Biodiversity, and Conservation (the FBC Center) co-located at the University of Liberia. The center, with the assistance of HECA subject matter experts, will facilitate green enterprise development and strengthen Liberian higher education institutions to offer improved forestry, biodiversity, and conservation (FBC) curricula and defined co-curricular activities that develop workforce soft skills.

HECA Fellows Attend Planning and Capacity Building Training Sessions Strengthening FTI and UL Faculty and Administrators

HECA Fellow Philip P. Norrington, Jr., Instructor at the Forestry Training Institute (FTI), presented at the International Union of Forestry Research Organizations (IUFRO) world congress in Sweden where he was able to observe and learn from the presentation styles from a broad range of academics and leaders, from instructors from African schools to world leaders in business and environmental conservation. Each day of the conference, there was a Green Jobs and Education Stage, where forestry experts from across the world discussed strategies, projects, and challenges in preparing a forestry workforce for the future. There was also an Innovation Stage, where presentations focused on entrepreneurism, innovative forest management, forest products, business models, and strategies for social co-benefits providing a wealth of new ideas, successful examples, and a critical global perspective on forestry job training. The Fellow visit to the United States in May-June was structured as a one-week visit to the University of Georgia for both faculty and administrative fellows, followed by two weeks each at Tuskegee University and AAMU for the faculty fellows.

University of Georgia. University of Georgia hosted the two HECA Faculty Fellows and four Administrative Fellows (Dr. Johnson Geply, Dr. Charles Asumana, Mr. Joel Gamys, and Dr. Emmanuel Olatunji) between May 21 – May 25, 2024.   Fellows and Administrators participated in a 90-minute introduction to open-source GIS platforms and engaged in a set of exercises targeting deforestation using those software packages. The group visited with leadership at the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources (Drs. Bettinger, Abrams, King, and Peduzzi), where they also met with a representative of the U.S. Forest Service Southern Research Station Cassandra Johnson and the also visited UGA’s Whitehall experimental forest, where participants learned about silvicultural research at UGA.

Tuskegee University

The Faculty Fellows were hosted by Tuskegee University from May 25 through June 8. Fellows visited Davis Arboretum at Auburn University where they were trained to identify different species of plants and observation of the arboretum landscaping led by Dr. Rashidah Farid. The Fellows visited the Tuskegee Forest and were trained in the setting of camera traps and visited the Tuskegee organic and beekeeping farms. Fellows attended an introductory lecture on ArcGIS by Dr. Briana Smith and visited the TU Research Center and Zero Energy Cool Chamber (locally constructed for cooling vegetable produce for small farm holders). The fellows were then accompanied by Dr. Rashidah Farid, Dr. Briana Smith (from the US Fish and Wildlife Service) and Mr. John Amonoo (Head of the University’s Forest Inspection of damaged bridges) for a tour in the Tuskegee University Forest where they received a practical demonstration of the QGIS application. Other resource visits included the German modify solar drier (locally constructed for drying seeds), the mobile simple handwashing station, and the Kwaku Achiabor Multipurpose farm use station locally constructed for sorting out and washing of vegetables.

HECA faculty Fellows arrived at Alabama A&M University and attended an Introduction to Forestry and Dendrology class.  During the visit, fellows attended dendrology, scientific methodology, computer software courses and received an introduction to botany and herbarium collection procedures and traveled to Bloucher Ford Nature Preserve with field botanist Lynne Weninegar. There, they received full-day training on identifying, collecting, labeling, and preserving plant specimens for study and herbarium storage. Fellows went into the field to learn about tree boring and aging and attended a class on the USDA Forest Service. Fellows attended an all-day wildfire experience where they learned about prescribed burning methods and how to use various fire equipment.

Higher Education for Conservation (HECA) Chief of Party Visits Rwanda

The Higher Education for Conservation (HECA) Chief of Party and Executive Director of the Center of Excellence for Forestry, Biodiversity, and Conservation (FBC Center), Dr. B.K. Robertson, recently returned from a visit to the University of Rwanda. The purpose of the visit was to establish a partnership with the University of Rwanda for a collaborative training experience for High Education for Conservation (HECA) fellows from the University of Liberia (UL) and the Forestry Training Institute (FTI). Rwanda and few other countries such as Uganda, Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria with advanced degrees and programs in forestry biodiversity and conservation are being considered to serve as third party countries for training of HECA fellows.

The trip kicked off with a tour of the University campus in Busogo, College of Agriculture, Animal Sciences and Veterinary Medicine (UR-CAVM). I visited several livelihood farm projects including the Potato See Warehouse by SPF-Ikigega in the Musanze district, visit of the Bigogwe farm for livestock, and the Center for training community women in product development, entrepreneurship, etc. The trip includes exploring agricultural innovation and conservation at the University of Rwanda, College of Agriculture, Animal Sciences and Veterinary Medicine. I also visited state-of-the-art laboratories for GIS training, GPS and camera tracking activities, etc. The trip was inspiring. I met with the head (Principal) of UR-CAVM, Dr. Guillaumr Nyagatare, College Dean, and Chair of Forestry Department.

During the trip, I along with faculty of UR-CAVM attended an International Conference for Science and Partnership for Agriculture in Kigali. I participated in a technical workshop on climate change and soil health as a side event. The theme was investing in soil health practices and efficient fertilizer use to enhance agricultural productivity and climate resilience in Africa. The discussion was centered around the role of agriculture in contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and how it is impacted by emissions, current policies addressing climate change in Africa, ongoing research projects and their findings on climate trends, agricultural systems most vulnerable to climate change, etc. We examined how climate change affects farmers’ livelihoods, particularly small holder farmers. We also discussed gender-specific vulnerabilities and impacts on women in agriculture and forest communities, and we analyzed the impact of climate change on food production and food security. Apart from crop yields, pest and disease dynamics, water resources, and soil health, other discussions centered around mitigation and adaptation strategies. Final discussion included but was not limited to technology and innovation such as digital agriculture, precision farming, and other emerging technologies.

Overall, the visit was very fruitful and overwhelmingly inspiring. There are many aspects of technology in farming and forestry that our fellows could benefit from if the University of Rwanda was chosen as alternative site for training for our HECA fellows.

HECA is designed to harness the power of the higher education sector to catalyze economic and social development. HECA is a USAID-funded cooperative agreement with the University of Georgia (UGA) and its team of collaborating partners, including the Wellesley Centers for Women (WCW), the University Consortium for Liberia (UCL) in the U.S., Tuskegee University (TU), Alabama A&M University (AAMU), the University of Liberia (UL) and the Forestry Training Institute (FTI) in Liberia. The goal of HECA is to capacitate Liberia’s workforce in ways that support the conservation and sustainable use of Liberia’s rich natural resources, most notably its forests and related biodiversity, while also advancing economic development, gender equality, youth empowerment, and the social inclusion of marginalized and vulnerable populations in Liberia, particularly Liberia’s forest-dwelling and forest-dependent communities. HECA operates from the Center of Excellence for Forestry Biodiversity and Conservation, an independent entity housed on the Fendall campus of the University of Liberia.

HECA UCL Consultant Team Lead engages Peace Corps, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and ActionAid Liberia to leverage ideas and resources in support of HECA

Peace Corps Liberia

Honorable Cynthia L. Blandford, UCL Consultant Team Lead, had the opportunity to meet with Vernice Gutherie, Liberia’s Peace Corps Country Director while in Liberia in July 2024 to leverage ideas and resources in support of HECA. Hon. Blandford was informed that Peace Corps is currently undergoing a rebranding campaign, however, Gutherie’s interest was in encouraging Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) students to consider the Peace Corp and recruiting Liberians in the Diaspora to sign-up and participate.  A virtual meeting will be coordinated with various HBCU leadership in the near-term to explore collaboration opportunities.  The FBC Center is seeking internship sites and will develop Terms of Reference to submit to the Peace Corps to help recruit and identify qualified individuals to help strengthen HECA’s work at various locations in Liberia.

Hon. Blandford had the opportunity to meet with the Minister of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) Hon. Amid Modad and his staff, to further discussions regarding Liberia’s growing Green Enterprise industry and how the MoCI can work together with HECA to design and implement programs to strengthen entrepreneurship in the green enterprise space. The Minister agreed to set-up a Green Enterprise Technical Working Group to help drive specific project goals leveraging with other industry stakeholders and will provide details of green entrepreneurs who can be targeted to participate.

Thanks to the University of Georgia (UGA) Dr. Matt Auer and Brian Watkins, introductions were made regarding a bright Young African Leader Mandela Fellow (YALI) and ActionAid Liberia staffer, Ms. Norwu Harris.  HECA is exploring opportunities to link and leverage with ActionAid Liberia, a 25-year-old non-profit institution in Liberia, focused on human rights and other national and global issues affecting women and other marginalized groups.  Initial targeted areas of interest include gender equality, youth clubs, agroecology, climate change, green enterprises, marginalized and forest dwelling communities as well as policy reform and advocacy. While in country, Hon. Blandford had meetings with the ActionAid Country Director Ms. Elizabeth Johnson and staff to discuss potential synergies including media messaging, existing community structures, as well as government and community engagement and interaction strategies, to name few.