Georges Herbert Chekuimo
Georges received his grant of £1,954 to allow him to attend a course on Economic Botany organized by the National Herbarium Nederland, Leiden University, The Netherlands.
"This course will be an opportunity for me to learn from the international experience, as there will be many benefits of such an opportunity. I am expecting from this course: knowledge, international experience and co-operation, exchange of experience with experts, practical training, development strategies, technology transfer for a better career options and better professional performance. The key objectives being to enhance my research capabilities, develop skills and experience, explore opportunities to build lasting networks and international collaborative links, gain access to complementary equipment and exchange ideas."
Georges gained his first degree in Botany, from the University of Dschang (Cameroon) and also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Biodiversity and Conservation from the University of Leeds in UK.
He is currently preparing for his doctoral program specializing in agricultural/forestry sciences at University of Dschang, in collaboration with the Institute of Tropical Silviculture at the University of Goettingen (Germany).
Non-timber forest products such as essences, oils, nuts, fruits and resins play a vital role in sustaining the lives of local gatherers, who must increasingly adapt to diminishing resources to stay alive. Our daily lives are full of close encounters with the Plant Kingdom: food, textiles, medicines and perfumes are fundamental to modern society. We cannot live without plants. Economic botany underpins the very existence of mankind. In the course Economic Botany one can learn about the fascinating world of what is in fact the human side of plant-animal interactions. Deforestation is occurring around the world at an unprecedented pace due to international trade and the build up of the industrial complex. Throughout the forests of virtually every continent, people are destroying valuable forests either for purposes of living or trade. However, the problem facing many developing countries is that the knowledge base is often poor and there is a dearth of expertise and financial or other capacity to fulfill their information needs.
