Welcome Marion !
We would like to welcome Marion, our new Energy and Climate Change Projects Manager!
Marion graduated from UCLouvain as civil engineer in chemistry and materials sciences. After a 4 years experience at Carmeuse as field support engineer and 1 year cycling trip across Europe, she is back home with her batteries fully loaded to develop our net zero projects… with a big big focus on biochar…
More exciting and very concrete news to come on this aspect in the following months, both in Belgium and Central Africa!
We wish her a lot of success in this new challenge !
Welcome Maxime !
Welcome Maxime !
We would like to welcome Maxime to our team!
Maxime graduated from UCLouvain as a bioengineer specialized in the environment. He joined the Eticwood team in August 2022 after completing his Master’s thesis in the soils department and a professional experience in the management and accounting of greenhouse gases emissions.
He is currently in charge of carbon and forest restoration projects and will bring his carbon expertise to the team.
Welcome to him again !
Sustainable value chains in Gabon
Sustainable value chains in Gabon
Last week, our colleague Frederic went to Rotterdam and The Hague to meet potential partners which could help us build new sustainable value chains.
After having pre-selected several high-potential nuts and peppers during our last mission in Gabon, it is now time to put those results into practice, to operationalize supply chains and to support local communities !
Would you like to help us develop new value chains for NTFP, or diversify your product range? Don't hesitate to reach out !
Mission in Vietnam
Julien's mission in Vietnam
Julien, our Deputy Director was in Vietnam between the 13rd and the 22nd of June in the frame of the EU FLEGT VPA Programme.
During this mission, Julien met most of the stakeholders involved in the implementation of the VPA to identify country priorities and to build the first draft of upcoming projects.
Stay tuned on the Programme's webpage (www.eu-flegt-vpa-programme.com).
50 000 seedlings planted!
50 000 seedlings planted!
The rainy season in Côte d'Ivoire is slowly coming to an end, as are forest restoration activities.
In 5 weeks, no less than 50,000 seedlings of native species, including fruit and NTFP species, have been planted in heavily degraded areas of the Classified Forest of Agbo 2, with the goal of rapidly creating new forest cover.
The communities of Kouadiokro have been heavily involved in achieving this goal. Thanks to them for their incredible motivation!
We can't wait to see these trees grow and recreate the right conditions for the forest to grow again... slowly, but surely!
Cacao Post Harvest Technical Guide
Cacao Post Harvest Technical Guide
Did you know that more than 90% of cocoa quality depends on post-harvest processes?
Before being transformed into chocolate, cocoa beans must be fermented and dried. These two steps are crucial to produce quality beans. The recipe followed between harvest and storage of the beans will remove the bitterness from the beans to reveal a subtle and balanced final flavour but is also crucial for their good preservation.
As part of our AFD-funded cocoa project in Cameroon, we have put together a practical guide to detail the steps involved in setting up a post-harvest bean processing centre, from set-up to operation!
Spoiler Alert: Our colleague Marie is currently in the field to prepare the next harvest. The cocoa trees are full of flowers and little pods that will be ready very soon.
Planting season is on !
The planting season is ON in Agbo 2 Classified Forest, Ivory Coast!
It’s time to give little brothers and sisters to the more than 50.000 trees planted last year, such as these Terminalia ivorensis (Framiré).
During the rainy season of June, more than 50.000 seedlings of indigenous species as Fraké, Kplé, Makoré, Bété, Iroko and Akpi will be planted by local communities supported by Basile and the local NGO SADRCI in order to restore this heavily degraded forest!
Our agroforestry guide is out!
It's out!
We are proud to present our new guide: "Zero deforestation cash crop agroforestry in and around forest concessions in the Congo Basin".
This guide was produced as part of the SECODEV project, funded by the PPECF.
After studying the opportunities for supporting local populations living in forest concessions, this guide was created to facilitate the implementation of agroforestry systems.
Opting for these innovative economic models can create a wide variety of shared benefits, including increased and sustainable income for local people. And this without negatively impacting forest ecosystems! #Zero-Deforestation
We hope that this manual will provide project leaders with the methodology and list of activities needed to set up such projects.
In the meantime, we welcome your comments on how to improve our guide... Please do not hesitate to contact us!
Welcome Marie !
Welcome Marie !
We would like to welcome Marie to our team!
Marie graduated from Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech as a bioscience engineer in forest management. She joined the Eticwood team in May 2022 after completing her Master's thesis on the forest elephant in Gabon and working one year in Burundi for ENABEL.
She is currently in charge of agroforestry projects, in particular the structuring of responsible cocoa value chains in the Congo Basin.
Welcome to her again!
Welcome Elizabeth !
Welcome Elizabeth !
In this early spring, we welcome Elizabeth to our team!
Elizabeth Osorio Gil is a panamenian biologist (botanist), gratuated from University of Panama. She also has a master degree in Plant and Biotenology of plants of the Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, A.C., Mexico, and she’s currently studing a new master on Project Managment with the University for International Cooperation in Costa Rica.
Elizabeth has been working for the last 15 years UN Agencies (UNEP and FAO) supporting projects on cooperation and forestry.
Now, Elizabeth joins our team as the Focal Point for Guyana & Honduras of the EU FLEGT VPA Programme, and as the Eticwood representative in Central America.
Welcome to her again!