LSE STUDENTS WORK ON A PROJECT ABOUT DEFORESTATION AND SUSTAINABLE FARMING

#engagementstory

By MAX LEISTEN

Starting a project, especially as a first-year student, can be overwhelming, and it’s often hard to know when or where to begin. Luckily, LSE offers a unique feature within their Ask an Alum platform: LSE100, specifically designed to connect students with alumni who can offer guidance on their projects.

In this case, a group of students working on a proposal about deforestation in Brazil reached out and received a timely response from an expert alum. This alum offered to speak with the students, to share valuable insights and expertise.

This kind of access to alumni is priceless. Human connections, particularly those formed through alumni networks, provide insights and support that go far beyond what online research can offer, making it a vital resource for students seeking direction and mentorship.

Keep it simple,

Max

The "ask"

We are first-year students working on an interdisciplinary group project for LSE100, in which we are looking to propose ways to address the impacts of the soy industry on deforestation levels in Brazil. We are intending to pitch our proposal for change towards North and South American agricultural (soy) corporations, so would be particularly interested to hear from alumni working in preventing deforestation and about how people in this area are thinking about sustainable (soy) farming or the processes and challenges involved in making change in such organisations.

Thank you so much for your assistance with our project!

The "give"

Hi, congrats to you and the team on a good project! I would be delighted to chat on the subject of soy and the Amazon. I’m currently in Lima, Peru, so virtual would be the most practical platform.

For context, I’m the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Counselor at the US Embassy – Lima. My team and I endeavor in many of agricultural diplomacy, such as trade policy, reporting on agricultural affairs in Peru, and agricultura development assistance. On that last point, we are working on projects in the Peruvian Amazon more focused on the economic alternatives to deforest. Poverty is what drives deforestation in Peru with poor families taking public forest land, cutting the trees and then growing marginally profitable crops until the soil is depleted and useless after a few years, then they move and repeat the cycle.

Our projects support static cash crops that bring a reasonable income and provide a disincentive to continuing the cycle of invading, slashing, and burning, adjacent forested land.

You can reach me via email or via WhatsApp. I also have contacts in the US soybean farming network who can talk sustainability as well as my colleagues at the US Embassy in Brasilia who will know people in the Brazil soy industry.

Looking forward to connecting!

Best.

Ready to make it simple for everyone?

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