28
Student Leads Conversation to Impact Policy 
in Support of Agroforestry in Cameroon
Keough School Master of Global Affairs student Beverly 
Ndifoin is bringing evidence to impact in her home 
country of Cameroon, utilizing research to advocate with 
policymakers to integrate trees into existing agricultural 
systems to reduce poverty and improve lives.
In early 2024, Ndifoin completed an analysis of 
agroforestry’s potential to create economic benefits for 
rural communities and to have a positive impact on the 
climate. With the able assistance of the Hon. Honourine 
Wainachi Nengtoh—a member of the Cameroonian 
parliament, an arborist of note, and Ndifoin’s mother—
the analysis and accompanying recommendations made 
its way to the nation’s Minister of Forestry and Wildlife 
Jukes Doret Ndongo, for review.
Ndifoin suggested an increase in the planting of 
indigenous fruit trees represented an opportunity for 
Cameroon’s rural population to benefit as evidenced by 
other countries: through the availability of an additional 
source of valuable nutrition, as a source of new revenue 
for farmers, and as a safety net most often utilized by 
women in times of scarcity. She recommended changes 
to regulations limiting small farmers’ access to fruit trees 
for commercial purposes, investment in locally adapted 
tree species, and training and education for farmers to 
affect a nationwide adoption of agroforestry.
Ndifoin first came to the U.S. on a Mandela Washington 
Fellowship through the State Department (read more 
about the Mandela Washington Fellowship and the Pulte 
Institute on page 40). Through this experience, she 
learned about the Keough School from a program alum 
who had studied at Notre Dame. She arrived on campus 
in August 2023, one of the first two students from 
Cameroon to attend the Keough School. 
When Ndifoin’s academic advisor Daniel Miller, Keough 
School associate professor of environmental policy and 
core affiliated faculty member with the Pulte Institute, 
learned about her journalism experience and interest 
in conservation, he invited her to work as a research 
assistant with the FLARE network, which he coordinates, 
and also to help with the organization’s social media 
engagement. Because Ndifoin had expertise in translating 
research into compelling stories, she was selected to 
present at FLARE’s conference in Nairobi where her 
mother, the Hon. Nengtoh, also participated as a 
panel speaker.
“Agroforestry aligns with Cameroon’s commitment 
to sustainable development, offering a 
comprehensive solution to environmental, social, 
and economic challenges,” Ndifoin wrote in the brief 
shared with government officials. “There is a critical 
need for policy adjustments, increased awareness, and 
targeted support to promote its sustainable integration.”
Sustainability
On this page: Beverly Ndifoin and Hon. Honourine Wainachi 
Nengtoh, Ndifoin’s mother and Cameroon Parlimentarian, at the 
FLARE conference in Kenya. 
26 | Sustainability
The Pulte Institute for Global Development

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