An Interview with Pauline Owiti
Pauline Owiti, founder of the Polly Foundation, Youth Policy Advisory Council Member for Sustainable Ocean Alliance, National Co-ordinator at the UN Climate Conference of Youth (COY16), Event Co-ordinator for Mock COP and a climate activist for the Kenya Environmental Action Network.
With a background in agriculture, Pauline Owiti is a climate activist based in Kenya. She is the founder of the Polly Foundation which aims to train communities in the best practices for sustainable organic farming and agroforestry. As a climate activist for the Kenya Environmental Action Network (KEAN), she is involved with KEAN's Kitchen Bustani Garden Project which teaches children about the importance of agriculture and how it relates to their environment. She has also been involved in KEAN campaigns including Africa is Not a Dumpster and the campaign to stop infrastructure being built in Nairobi National Park.
Pauline's work also focuses on the importance of educating young people on climate change and providing them with a platform to voice their concerns, having been the Director of Sustainable Development Goals for the African Youth Development Commission for over two years. She is a National Co-ordinator at the UN Climate Conference of Youth (COY16) and was one of the Event Co-ordinators behind Mock COP. Mock COP provided young talented people from across the globe the opportunity to lead on climate politics and produce a Mock COP Treaty to be presented at COP26 this year. Pauline is also involved with Fridays for Future and is a Youth Policy Advisory Council Member for the Sustainable Ocean Alliance.
Her Climate spoke to Pauline about what inspired her to get involved with climate action, the impact of the climate crisis on agriculture in Kenya and the importance of centring the voices of young people in climate politics through Mock COP and COY16.
Your involvement in climate action first started in high school where you helped to form the Climate Action Group in 2016. Can you talk about the inspiration behind this group and why the group decided to focus on agriculture and farming?
I started to learn about agriculture in school and I also come from a farming background as both my parents are farmers. You find that when you come from a farming background, you will also get involved with the farming, there's no escape! We would farm maize, beans and millets during the two rainy seasons. Maize and beans are grown in the long rainy season and millet is grown in the short rainy season along with the cassava crop. We realised that the crop yield was continuing to reduce as a result of the droughts caused by the climate crisis.
In 2016, the Climate Action Group decided to tackle climate issues relating to agriculture. With a focus on agribusiness, the group provided small scale farmers with alternative farming solutions which allowed for a smaller input but a higher yield. Much of my focus has now turned to schools where we have implemented the KEAN programme called the Kitchen Bustani Garden Project. The programme teaches children from grade four to grade eight on the importance of agriculture and how it relates to their environment.
With your background in agriculture and human ecology, much of your work has focused on providing education on crops and training on agricultural techniques. How have farmers in Kenya had to adapt as a result of the climate crisis?
Due to the reduced yield, most farmers are adapting by planting drought resistant crops such as the cassava or sorghum. However, people continue to grow beans and maize despite the low yield as these crops are part of our culture so we provide farmers with advice on the best hydroponic practices to increase their yield. At the Polly Foundation, we have been producing organic pesticides to help improve soil fertility and reduce the inputs. We also emphasise the importance of mulching and composting to small scale farmers.
You work closely with the Kenya Environmental Action Network on a number of fantastic campaigns. Could you tell us more about some of the recent KEAN campaigns?
Our campaign to save Nairobi National Park aimed to stop the government from building infrastructure, including an air strip and hotels, in the park. It was a successful campaign and the plans to build infrastructure were stopped. The land in the park is the communal land of the Masai People who gave the government permission to use it for Nairobi National Park to protect the wildlife. This land should not be privatised for the commercial benefit of others.
We started the Africa is Not a Dumpster campaign last year to stop the trade deal between the US and Kenya which allows for the US to bring 500 million tonnes of plastic into Kenya. The US were planning on building a recycling centre in Kenya but there is no reason why this recycling centre could not be built in the US instead. It's just an excuse for the US to dump rubbish into Kenya. The campaign received so much support that it went to the Senate.
KEAN is currently focusing on organising the local conferences of youth on matters of climate change and sustainability which will be taking place in Nairobi. Climate Live is also involved which gives a platform to artists who can help engage youth on climate issues.
Can you tell us more about the challenges Kenya is facing as a result of the climate crisis?
I come from the Western part of Kenya which boarders Lake Victoria so our lives and our culture revolve around this lake. Currently the part of the lake bordering Kenya is increasing in water levels but the part of the lake bordering Uganda is reducing so there have been many floods in my area and people have lost their lives. Two hundred thousand people were displaced and there have been increased cases of malaria and cholera.
At the same time, there is also drought. Our agriculture is rain-fed so the drought will lead to poverty and hunger issues. The government needs to provide a long-term strategy rather than short term solutions by employing more agricultural officers to guide people.
You are the National Coordinator at the UN Climate Conference of Youth, COY16. How do you think we can further encourage youth involvement in climate action?
I'm actually surprised that so many young people are involved in climate action! Through social media and while travelling, I have recognised that the youth today are doing so much for our climate. I think we need to mentor young people, provide them with resources so they can learn about the climate crisis and provide them with a platform to voice their concerns.
You were also the co-ordinator for Mock COP which provided an opportunity for passionate and talented young people from across the globe to lead on climate politics, and produce a treaty which was voted for by the delegations of over 140 countries. Can you talk to us about the benefits of centring the voices of young people in high level climate politics?
Mock COP was really unique and special for me and the youth delegates. It was the first time young people were able to have high level discussions and produce something that they can actually physically present to their delegations. It was a great opportunity for young people to learn about the importance of diplomacy and negotiation. Youth delegates had to learn how to write and present their ideas for which they would then receive feedback and corrections from high level people including Nigel Topping and Alok Sharma.
They produced a Mock COP Treaty which was voted on by delegations and will be presented by some of the youth delegates at COP26. The Turkish, Nigerian and Canadian youth delegates have also presented the Mock COP Treaty to their respective governments.
Moving forwards, how do we ensure that young people who are the most impacted by climate breakdown are given a platform to voice their concerns?
First of all, we need to make our own efforts and we need to engage with our government. For example, we organised Mock COP which gave young people a platform to voice their concerns and lead to further opportunities. Another example is that we organised a youth consultation on Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) where we involved the Ministry of Environment and the Director of Environment in Kenya. She was pleased with our work and took all our recommendations to the team responsible for NDCs.
One of the focus points of the Mock COP Treaty was on the importance of access to mental health services and the provision of care that directly addresses climate-related stressors. In the wake of the recent IPCC report, what is your advice for those who are suffering with eco-anxiety or feel a sense of hopelessness when it comes to the climate crisis?
During Mock COP there was a 16-year-old lady from the US who spoke on eco-anxiety. This was actually the first time I had heard the term 'eco-anxiety' or about stresses relating to the climate crisis. My advice is to envision a better and greener future. Focus your energy on making this future a reality and think about the actions you can take to help find a solution.
What message do you have for the world leaders who will be attending COP26 in Glasgow this year?
Firstly, I think that this COP is going to be unfair. You will find that many countries in Africa and Asia are on the COVID-19 Red List and so they will be unable to attend COP26 in person. In order to attend, you will also need to be fully vaccinated which is just not possible for some countries. For example, in Kenya, we have less than one million vaccines with a population of around 52 million people. While digital attendance may be considered as an option, it is not sufficient due to issues with connectivity and will also provide countries with delegations who are able to attend in person with an unfair advantage during negotiations.
We need to find a better way to involve the world's most vulnerable countries and regions in decision-making activities at COP26. We also need to make sure that these countries are represented properly and that we listen to the youth perspective on the climate crisis.
