Balancing Environmental Protection and Economic Development: Perspectives from the Global South

Perspectives in Global Development: Spring 2023 Seminar Series

Abstract

Drawing on examples of their own work in Burundi, South Korea, Tanzania, Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe, Hubert H. Humphrey Fellows will showcase how to balance themes of environmental protection and livelihoods.

About the speakers

Moderator: 

• Edith Mugehu's (Zimbabwe) sweet tooth has led her to research sugarcane crops at the Zimbabwe Sugar Association Experiment Station, where she has provided innovative sugarcane breeding technologies to over 1,000 commercial sugarcane farmers in the Zimbabwe Sugar Industry for over seven years. She has been highly instrumental in introducing molecular biology into the Zimbabwe Sugar industry by utilizing the molecular marker-assisted selection process in sugarcane breeding programs. Edith is avid about imparting agricultural knowledge to both farmers and students. She is also a part-time lecturer at the Great Zimbabwe University, where she has been teaching sugarcane breeding courses at the undergraduate level. Edith is also a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, where she is researching crop improvement methods using both contemporary and classical approaches. She utilizes practical scientific solutions that promote female empowerment, poverty alleviation, food security, and zero hunger. Edith is passionate about volunteering and patronage of non-profit civic society organizations that empower and uplift disadvantaged local communities. She has been recognized for her outstanding presentations on career guidance in agriculture and fundraising for agricultural projects that improve subsistence farming while reducing the risks of exploitation and abuse of women and children in marginalized areas in Southern Africa. Edith also provides career guidance to young women. She has held several talks encouraging young girls to take up STEM disciplines as part of the Zimbabwe Sugar Association Experiment Station’s commitment to corporate responsibility.

Panelists: 

• Dong-pyo Hong (South Korea) works in the Korea Coast Guard (KCG), specializing in oil spill responses at off-coast oil rigs in South Korea. As a Humphrey Fellow at Cornell University, he is working to develop new potential strategies for Korean warships to adopt renewable energy sources like Liquified Natural Gas (LNG). In addition, Dong-pyo is researching how the Korean government could fund the Korean Coast Guard in the construction of electric-powered patrol ships by investigating how the US Government launched similar projects and funding for the US Navy and US Coast Guard (USCG). He would also like to understand the safety and engineering of USCG Liquified Natural Gas systems so he may improve emergency response methods in Korea. Through this, he hopes he can offer considerations to help the Korean Government change the laws surrounding the Korean Navy’s and Coast Guard’s gas emissions.
• Nodira Kurbanbaeva (Uzbekistan) is the head researcher for the Center for Economic Research and Reforms (CERR) under the Administration of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan. She has 14 years of experience in international trade, trade facilitation, and agriculture sector development policies. She holds a Master's in World Economy and International Economic relations from the University of World Economy and Diplomacy, Tashkent, Uzbekistan and a Master's in Public Finance from Ritsumeikan University, Japan. During her stay in the USA, she will research agricultural and rural development under the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program.
• Fanuel Joseph Massawe (Tanzania) is a lawyer, leader and program manager at Saving Africa’s Nature (SANA) in Tanzania. For more than a decade, SANA has worked to restore the Gongo Forest region of East Tanzania, while creating sustainable livelihoods for the community. Fanuel is dedicated to helping communities in rural areas realize their full potential, and envisions a world where all living things strive to live in harmony with nature.
• Jean Marie Nizigiyimana, from Gitega, Burundi, is the founder and CEO of JENI-ECO Company, a plastic recycling and manufacturing company. Since 2015, he has also been the Head of the Department of Environmental Protection and Climate Change Resilience within the United Forces of Partners for Sustainable Development (UFPSD), a local organization helping Burundi integrate into the East African economy. He received his bachelor's degree in environmental science from the Polytechnic University of Gitega, focusing on water pollution and sanitation. In 2018, he initiated a trash management program in Gitega city. From that initiative, he birthed the idea of creating JENI-ECO Company to fight plastic waste by recycling plastic waste into paving stones. In addition to waste management and recycling, Jean Marie held different positions within UFPSD,  contributing to community development through English clubs, women and youth empowerment projects, and community healthcare initiatives. At UFPSD, Jean's projects focus on environmental protection campaigns, including tree planting, city cleaning, and climate change workshops. As a Humphrey Fellow at Cornell University, he is deepening his knowledge of natural resources, environmental policy, and climate change. He is working to gain new skills as a business and community leader so he can help Burundi, and Africa, in designing and implementing innovative plastics recycling and waste management systems.

About the seminar series

The Perspectives in Global Development seminars are held Wednesdays from 12:25 – 1:15 p.m. eastern time during the semester. The series will be presented in a hybrid format with some speakers on campus and others appearing via Zoom. All seminars are shown in Emerson Hall 135. Students, faculty and the general public are welcome to attend. The series is co-sponsored by the Department of Global Development, the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, and the School of Integrative Plant Science as part of courses GDEV 4961, AEM 4961, NTRES 4961, GDEV 6960, AEM 6960, and NTRES 6960.