78th UNEP/UNESCO/BMU International Short Course on Environmental Management for Developing Countries - Soil and Land Resources for Sustainable Development (SC78)

Duration: 10 October - 05 November 2019

Motivation

Soils and land form the basis for agricultural development, essential ecosystem functions, food security and hence are vital to terrestrial life on Earth. Soil is, in the time scale of a human lifespan, a non-renewable natural resource.

This resource does not receive enough attention, even though with the current rate of soil degradation future generations might be unable to meet their needs. Already now at least a quarter of the usable Earth surface is adversely affected by strong degradation to an extent which is substantially reducing its capacity for providing products and services that are vital for human wellbeing. While the world population in the past four decades grew from 3 to over 7.4 billion people and is expected to exceed 9 billion in 2050, the agricultural area increased by only 8%, mainly through the transformation of forest into arable land. The pressure on land resources is escalated by urbanisation and changing climate patterns.
At the international level, for example in the UN Agenda 2030, the FAO and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, the connected challenges of soil degradation, land scarcity and food security have been recognised as global development and environment issues. To face the threat, we need to take concerted actions towards sustainable land use and management practices in each country.

Objectives

This short course addresses the main concepts of land resources and soil management and their importance for securing the provision of goods and services for people and ecosystems. The training addresses concepts for sustainable land management, taking the water, energy and food security nexus into consideration.

Internationally experienced facilitators will shed light on minimising land degradation, rehabilitating degraded land, and increasing resilience, for instance, when facing climate variability and change.
Complementary to analysing local levels, complex regional and global processes will be presented. Participants will deal intensively with the connections between land use and nutrient cycles in the context of watersheds and at a global level, including the interdependencies with energy generation and waste management.
Practical case studies and the cross-sectoral dialogue between scientists, practicing land managers and policymakers will empower participants to develop new approaches for their areas of responsibility and provides opportunities for expanding a helpful professional network beyond the course duration.

Represented countries of origin in the course:

Afghanistan	Argentina	Bolivia	Bosnia and Herzegovina	China	Ethiopia
India	Indonesia	Lebanon	Lesotho	Madagascar	Malawi
Nepal	Nigeria	Serbia	Sri Lanka	Turkmenistan	Uganda
Uzbekistan	Zimbabwe

Mr Demis Norman Anandrade Foronda

Country of origin: Bolivia
Workfield: reg. university
Position while attending the course: Ag. Researcher at Facultad de Ciencias Agricolas, Pecuarias y Forestales
Cochabamba
Academic background: Agronomy and Bioengineering (M.Sc.)
Responsibilities: 
Coordinate the sub-program of Research on Soil Degradation and Restoration, Supervise master degree and undergraduate students, Formulate and manage research projects on sustainable soil management with regional entities, Participate in Doctoral Program aiming the Ph.D.

Ms Marie Aoun

Country of origin: Lebanon
Workfield: Fed-/nat. administration
Position while attending the course: Head of “Maten, Baabda, Aley and Chouf” regional Green Plan offices
in Mount Lebanon at Green Plan Office, Beirut
Academic background: Food Quality Management and Chemistry of Natural Products (M.Sc.)
Responsibilities: 
Agricultural engineer, works directly with farmers,give them subsidies. To build water irrigation concrete tanks, earth reservoirs that help them in facing water shortage in drought seasons 2-to restore degraded soils by terracing and land reclamation to ensure more productive lands

Ms Gozel Atamyradova

Country of origin: Turkmenistan
Workfield: Local
Position while attending the course: Land Management Specialist at Joint Project of UNDP Turkmenistan and Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat
Academic background: Engineering Management (M.Sc.)
Responsibilities: 
Develop procedures and processes for sustainable land use methods and its adaptation to climate change impacts and further application of elaborated recommendations on the local and national levels

Ms Jovana Ćulibrk

Country of origin: Serbia
Workfield: reg. NGO
Position while attending the course: Project Coordinator at NGO Forestry and Environmental Action – fea Belgrade
Academic background: Economist (M.Sc.)
Responsibilities: 
Stakeholder analysis, consultations with stakeholders and project partners, awareness raising, capacity building and education activities, coordination
of experts and their outputs, event planning, project reporting, monitoring
of projects' budgets, administrative and financial support

Mr Hasika Jeewan Kumara Keerthirathne Dharmakeerthige

Country of origin: Sri Lanka
Workfield: fed./nat. admin.
Position while attending the course: Assistant Director of Agriculture at National Agriculture Information and Communication Center Gannoruwa, Peradeniya
Academic background: Development Communication and Extension (M.Sc.)
Responsibilities: Examining and monitoring ,Providing relevant advice, conduct extension programs and trainings, guidance and support to Local Authorities, Farmer organizations and individual investors, Supervision, training and facilitating in soil and water management projects

Mr Adane Buni Irkiso

Country of origin: Ethiopia
Workfield: fed./nat. NGO
Position while attending the course: Land Land PKS Country Coordinator for Ethiopia at ICRAF Ethiopia Office
Addis Ababa
Academic background: Soil Science (M.Sc.)
Responsibilities: 
Coordinates LandPKS activities at the National Level to roll out LandPKS Mobile app throughout Ethiopia, Prepares trainings for Land Use experts on how to use LandPKS (Land Potential Knowledge System) smartphone application for Local Level Participatory Land Use Planning Program

Ms Marijana Kapovic Solomun

Country of origin: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Workfield: fed./nat. univ.
Position while attending the course: Vice Dean for Scientific Research at Faculty of Forestry, University of Banja Luka
Academic background: Soil Science (Ph.D.)
Responsibilities: 
Management, Research, Training, International collaboration, Networking

Mr Shovkat Kholdorov

Country of origin: Uzbekistan
Workfield: fed./nat. comp.
Position while attending the course: Leading Soil Scientist Engineer at Subsidiary Enterprise "Tuproq bonitirovkasi" of the State Committee of Uzbekistan on Land Resources, Geodesy, Cartography and State Cadastre Tashkent City
Academic background: Soil Science (M.Sc.)
Responsibilities: 
Helps to organize soil expedition , Soil sampling for analysis, Analyzes of soil chemical, biological, physical and other significant properties of soil, Creating digital soil map

Mr Henry Luutu

Country of origin:  Uganda
Workfield: reg. admin.
Position while attending the course: Acting Principal Agricultural Officer, Soil and Water at Department of Agricultural Production and Marketing Gomba District Local Government, Mpigi
Academic background: Science in Horticulture (B.Sc.)
Responsibilities: 
Decision making and senior management according to the public service standard of Uganda, The position is responsible for overall planning, management and technical guidance in areas of crop enhancement, soil and land management under the agriculture sub-sector of Gomba

Ms Menuka Maharjan

Country of origin: Nepal
Workfield: fed./nat. univ.
Position while attending the course: Assistant Professor at Institute of Forestry, Tribhuvan University Hetauda, Makwanpur
Academic background: Watershed Management (M.Sc.)
Responsibilities: 
Teaching course on land degradation, soil conservation, climate change, and watershed management for undergraduate /graduate students. Beside teaching course, I have to supervise undergraduate /graduate students who are working on towards their bachelor/master thesis

Ms Mampionona Chantal Olga Mamisoa

Country of origin: Madagascar
Workfield: local admin.
Position while attending the course: Technical Collaborator in Charge of the Integration of the Environmental
Dimension in Non-State Sect at Ministry of Environnement and Sustainable Development General Direction of Sustainable Development, Antananarivo
Academic background: Environment and Society (M.Sc.)
Responsibilities: 
Contribute to the design of integration or animation tools to encourage and generate an ecological reflex that induces behavioral change among REC memberssettlement

Ms Nteboheleng Regina Mating

Country of origin: Lesotho
Workfield: fed./nat. admin.
Position while attending the course: Principal Range Management Officer / Acting Director at Ministry of Forestry Range and Soil Conservation Lesotho
Maseru
Academic background: Agriculture (M.Sc.)
Responsibilities: 
Spearheading rangeland rehabilitation and development activities and overseeing all other activities in Department of Range Resources Management under the Ministry of Forestry Range and Soil Conservation Lesotho

Ms Aula Muntasyarah

Country of origin: Indonesia
Workfield: Local admin.
Position while attending the course: Forestry Facilitator and Trainer at Agriculture and Plantation Training Centre
Narmada, Lombok Barat, Nusa Tenggara Barat
Academic background: Forest Science and Management (M.Sc.)
Responsibilities: 
To train agriculture and forestry officers, extensions officers, and local
farmers in all districts in West Nusa Tenggara province, To support my
main duty, I have to build study materials, guidelines, and conduct small
researches and publish it to deliver the knowledge

Mr Ajibola Joseph Ogunsola

Country of origin: Nigeria
Workfield: fed./nat. admin.
Position while attending the course: Senior Research Officer at Department of Forest Economics and Extension Services Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Ibadan, Oyo State
Academic background: Agricultural Extension (M.Sc.)
Responsibilities: To conduct research in the field of forest extension, environment, climate change adaptation, rural development etc. creating public awareness /dissemination of the institute’s breakthroughs to the end- users through the print and electronic media, through community, village and school outreach

Mr Roberto Emanuel Ontivero

Country of origin: Argentina
Workfield: local admin.
Position while attending the course: Doctoral research fellow at Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones Biológicas de San Luis
Ciudad de San Luis
Academic background: Biology (B.Sc.)
Responsibilities: 
PhD student in biology, Currently working with the diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, soil health and ecosystem services in a land use gradient, Seeks to generate guidelines for sustainable soil management in the region

Mr Mihla Phiri

Country of origin: Malawi
Workfield: fed./nat. admin.
Position while attending the course: Senior Land Resources Conservation Officer at Land Resources Conservation Department Lilongwe
Academic background: Agricultural Engineering (B.Sc.)
Responsibilities: 
Training and advising officers in the field on better ways of managing
agricultural land, Generating and dissemination of land resources
information data, Conducting soil surveys, topographic surveys, perimeter
surveys and thematic surveys, Conducting soil loss assessment studies

Mr Abdul Saboor Rahmany

Country of origin: Afghanistan
Workfield: Reg. admin.
Position while attending the course: Provincial Director of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock at Directorate of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock Herat
Academic background: Environmental Science and Technology (M.Sc.)
Responsibilities: 
Agriculture extension, research, plant protection, agriculture land use,
Irrigation infrastructure and water management, watershed management,
Animal health and livestock, Natural Resources Management (Pasture,
forestry, watershed), Seed certificat

Mr Navin Rai

Country of origin: India
Workfield: Urban Infrastructural Project Planning and Execution, Policy Planning and framing, Environmental Planning, Tactical Urbanism, Urban Design, Sustainable Urban Infrastructural Design, Corporate Governance and Compliance
Position while attending the course: Civil Servant (Class-I) - Joint Chief Town Planner, Nodal Officer-Smart Cities Mission, Sikkim, Director (BoD-NSCL)
Academic background: M.Sc. (Cities)-LSE,UK | M.Plan(Env)-SPA, N.Delhi |B.Arch (Hons) NITP
Responsibilities: 
Oversees that projects under the mission get executed as per the mandate
and protocols, Advising and assisting regional govt. for the preparation
and implementation of the structure plan for the region and state

Profile:

I am a senior Civil servant with the regional the government in the State of Sikkim, India under the Urban Development Department (UDD) as a Joint Chief Town Planner having additional responsibilities as Nodal Officer (Smart Cities Mission-NMC) and Director in the Board of the Directors (BoD), Namchi Smart City Limited (a Special Purpose Vehicle of the Govt. of Sikkim). Having worked as a Nodal officer for “100 Smart Cities Mission” of the incumbent federal govt. of India, I led a team of consultants and submitted the smart cities proposal of the two cities from the state of Sikkim to compete in All India City Challenge Competition. Both the cities manage to win the competition ensuring the financial grant of INR 10 bn from the federal government over a period of four years. Currently, I am overseeing the Smart cities mission of one of the City of the South-Sikkim which encompasses managing Project Management Consultant (PMC), Technical and HR verticals. Further, my responsibilities also include crucial decision-making pertaining to Project formulation, compliances as per the international standards and project protocols, Statutory compliances of the SPV, procurement and project execution.  
The fellowship program of such repute always provides the best of the opportunities to learn the criticalities of the land use in general and also share the perspective of the land use and management in the sustainable urban development context. This course would provide me a deep understanding of the soil functions and the same knowledge can be applied while formulating the land use plan for the city. Finally, it is an opportunity to expand the professional networks and create a parallel knowledge platform.
In the past, I have been selected as a fellow participant for several international programs and trainings organised by the organization having association with the UN or other national government. I was part of the cohorts of Academy of Sustainable Urban Mobility (AoSUM), Vienna, 2017 organized by UN-Habitat, Nairobi, Kenya, selected as participants for Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP) jointly organized by JICA, JAPAN, and Ministry of National Development (MND), Govt, of Singapore. I was awarded the Bloomberg fellowship for Public Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science-LSE, UK in the year 2016

Ms Jing Ren

Country of origin: China
Workfield: fed./nat. admin.
Position while attending the course: Investigator at Ministry of Ecology and Environment Beijing
Academic background: Water Resources Engineering and Management (M.Sc.)
Responsibilities: 
Examining major development projects (e.g Smart Cities). Providing views
to be submitted by this Ministry on international treaties and protocols.
Act as focal point of the Ministry on steering committees on
implementation of SDGs; ISO:Smart and Sustainable Communities;
National Biodiversity Strategy

Ms Evelyn Tatire

Country of origin: Zimbabwe
Workfield: Fed./nat. admin.
Position while attending the course: Irrigation Training Engineer at Department of Irrigation, Zimbabwe Irrigation Technology Centre (ZITC) Harare
Academic background: Agricultural Engineering (B.Sc.)
Responsibilities: 
Development of standards for irrigation equipment in Zimbabwe, irrigation
technology development, irrigation research, system technical performance
evaluation, technology demonstration, irrigation training (farmer and irrigation practitioner)