Youth in action: The role of young people in restoring the Caatinga

Maria Geane shares her insights as a 2024 Drylands Restoration Steward

The Caatinga is a unique biome of the Brazilian semi-arid region, home to a wide variety of endemic species. Its vegetation plays a crucial role in regulating the climate and preserving native fauna and flora. Our agroforestry system at the Xique Xique Agroecological Farm, led by myself and my brother, Gean,  is part of the overarching movement to defend the Caatinga, contributing to the reinvigoration of the ecosystem by restoring the degraded land.

Simultaneously, our project is part of the process of involving the youth of the Brazilian semi-arid region in sustainable activities, serving as a model for our community and young people in the Quilombo Lagoas. Our agroforestry activities are a benchmark for schools and universities in the Serra da Capivara territory in dealing with extreme climatic events, such as prolonged droughts.

Integrating young people in the restoration of the Caatinga

The integration of young people in restoration and agroforestry projects in this semi-arid region not only promotes environmental sustainability but also generates significant impacts on the local economy and social justice. By involving youth, these projects encourage job and income generation, strengthen community bonds and ensure the transmission of ecological and agricultural knowledge to future generations. 

This engagement with youth creates a virtuous cycle of sustainable development, where economic growth is allied to environmental preservation and social equity, thus contributing to the transformation of the reality of the semi-arid region and providing a more prosperous and balanced future for all. 

Following the example of activities such as those carried out on our land, young people from the Quilombo have been getting increasingly involved in sustainable income-generating activities such as organic production in their backyards.  

An area of the agroforestry system on our land. Gean Magalhães Bastos.

Why youth are at the heart of restoration

Young people play an important role in ecosystem restoration in Latin America.  To learn more, we interviewed Dr. Sérgio E. Lozano-Baez, an ecologist with a  PhD in Forest Resources, who is part of the Restoration Stewards Alumni network after having been a part of the program himself in 2022 with a mountain restoration project in Colombia.

Sérgio is currently one of our mentors, providing advice on how to increase our impact by drawing on his experience as a young ecosystem restoration expert. 

Meeting with Sérgio Lozano. Maria Geane Magalhães.

We discussed the role of young people in restoring degraded areas and the role of agroforestry and agroecology in this process. We talked about how these practices can develop entrepreneurial skills among young people in the community, and the role of restoration in the pursuit of social justice, inclusion, food security and sovereignty for communities. 

Agroforestry and ecosystem restoration go hand in hand

According to Sérgio, ecosystem restoration, and agroforestry can provide leadership and entrepreneurship opportunities for young people, as well as facilitate income generation from sustainable businesses.  In addition to employing youth, these practices introduce young people to a long-term philosophy of life, contributing to the pursuit of social justice by employing local communities in environmental recovery projects.

In Latin America, for instance, young people can be trained to plant trees in degraded areas, restoring the ecosystem. This creates jobs, improves income, and empowers young people with valuable environmental skills, promoting social inclusion and a stronger connection with nature.

In our conversation with Sérgio, we were reminded of how restoration paired with agroforestry positively impacts the food systems of rural communities by diversifying agricultural production and increasing the availability of nutritious foods resilient to climate change. Agroforestry promotes sustainable practices that enrich the soil and conserve water resources, reducing dependence on external inputs. This strengthens the autonomy of communities, allowing them to control their food production and improve their quality of life.

Being in contact with other young leaders in the region leading restoration projects, like Sérgio, reminds us we are not alone in the fight for a fairer and more prosperous future for future generations. We hope that our efforts to implement agroforestry as a viable alternative to be followed by the youth of the Brazilian Northeast will continue to inspire others to join this wave of transformation, thus charting new social, economic and ecological paths for this vulnerable region of our country.