Susan Chomba

Kenyan scientist

Moi University, BSc
Bangor University, MSc
University of Copenhagen, MSc, PhD

Employer(s)International Centre for Research in Agroforestry, World Resources InstituteKnown forEnvironmental scientist

Susan Chomba is a Kenyan scientist and environmentalist. She is a director at the World Resources Institute.

Biography

Chomba grew up in poverty in Kirinyaga County.^[1] Chomba was largely raised by her grandmother as her mother, a single parent, was always working. Chomba's mother grew capsicum and french beans on a small plot of land owned by a step-uncle and created a farming cooperative.^[2]

When Chomba was nine, a local boarding school rejected her due to her poverty, so she attended one further away, in Western Kenya. When her mother was no longer able to afford to send her there, Chomba returned to Kirinyaga to attend the provincial high school. Each student in the school was given a patch of land to farm. Chomba experimented with organic farming, growing cabbage to withstand the cold climate.^[2]

Although Chomba had hoped to study law or agricultural economics, she was placed in a forestry course at Moi University.^[2]^[3] In her third year, when taking an agroforestry class, she found her calling.^[2]

Chomba joined the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry, where she Regreening Africa, an eight-country land restoration program that restored one million hectares of degraded land in Africa.^[2]

Chomba was a member of the first cohort to graduate with a dual European master's degree in Sustainable Tropical Forestry from Bangor University and the University of Copenhagen. She completed fieldwork in Tanzania.^[4] She continued to get her PhD in forest governance at the University of Copenhagen.^[2]^[3]

In 2021, Chomba joined the World Resources Institute as their Director of Vital Landscapes for Africa, where she leads their work on "Forests, Food systems and People."^[5]^[3] She is also a global ambassador for the Race to Zero and Race to Resilience under the UN High Level Champions for Climate Action.^[3]^[6]

Awards

Peter Henry Forestry Postgraduate Award, first recipient, Bangor University
2016: 16 Women Restoring the Earth, Global Landscapes Forum^[3]
2022: 25 women shaping climate action globally, Greenbiz^[7]^[8]
2023: 100 Women (BBC)^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b "BBC 100 Women 2023: Who is on the list this year? - BBC News". News. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Wadekar, Neha (2023-06-21). "'Women bear the biggest brunt of climate change,' says climate scientist Susan Chomba". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Susan Chomba | World Resources Institute". www.wri.org. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
^ "Bangor Alumna among world's most influential women". Bangor University. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
^ "Susan Chomba". #ThinkLandscape. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
^ Macklin, Fiona (2021-04-26). "Welcoming Global Ambassadors to Race to Zero and Race to Resilience". Climate Champions. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
^ "25 more badass women shaping climate action | GreenBiz". www.greenbiz.com. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
^ "Bloomberg Green at COP28". events.bloomberglive.com. Retrieved 2024-02-09.