… To represent Eswatini in Dubai
BY KWANELE TSABEDZE
MBABANE – Off the heels of a very successful 16th edition of the annual Woman Farmer of the Year Competition, Woman Farmer Foundation (WFF) Director, Sonia Paiva, has been invited to be a panelist at the COP28 conference.
Paiva, who is also the founder of the WFF, was invited because of her consistent positive impact on the development of the Agricultural value chain in the country, with a focus on capacitating women and youth. One of the major focuses of the organisation has been training woman farmers on climate smart production methods, which are designed to ensure agricultural productivity in a changing climactic environment.
“COP refers to the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). COP28 is the 28th annual Conference of the Parties which will be taking place in Dubai at the end of what is predicted to be the hottest year on record. Held in Dubai from November 30 to December 12 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), COP28 will be a two-week-long series of conferences, talks and negotiations. At the core of the COP is the negotiations between governments on how they are going to cooperate and what new commitments they’re willing to make.
Delegates comprise of world leaders, civil society representatives, leaders in business and finance and other individuals and entities of influence,” explained WFF Communications Officer Mpumalanga Zwane about the conference.
“Estimated to bring more than 70,000 people from around the world, COP28 will see many of the world’s most powerful and influential leaders come together. Among these powerful individuals will be Woman Farmer Foundation Executive Director, Sonia Paiva. Sonia Paiva was selected to represent the International Trade Centre’s Business Support Organization, and is set to be a panellist at #COP28 on December 4th. She’ll discuss how trade can help in #ClimateAction in a panel discussion themed: Making Trade Policy Work for People and the Planet,” revealed the WFF Communications Officer.
Paiva has actively promoted innovative agricultural practices to increase climate resilience among youth agripreneurs through her work as Executive Director of Woman Farmer Foundation.
The foundation currently runs a youth training program on protective farming to not only address the detrimental effects of climate change among youths, but also to decrease high rates of youth unemployment while increasing food security. The program equips students with practical and theoretical skills including protective farming, agribusiness management and access to finance, among other skills.
