Growing up, Marcia Dima Jone always dreamed big and wanted to impact lives, particularly on matters related to the promotion of environmental awareness. She says she finds it fulfilling to contribute to society, impact lives and also see changes in people’s attitudes towards the environment in her home country, Mozambique.
Collecting and recovering waste
It is a lofty ambition which dovetails with the UN’s objective of addressing climate change whose effects are felt across the globe. And to deepen active public participation in the environmental issues, Dima Jone founded N’toko Organic Lda in 2015, a start which focuses on collecting and recovering waste. Through this project, she wants to promote environmental sustainability to ensure solid waste is disposed of correctly to avoid contamination.
Sustainable cultivation practices
The company has since shifted its focus to composting for the production of organic fertiliser to promote the adoption of sustainable cultivation practices by gardeners and farmers as well as reducing the use of pesticides. Experts discourage the use of pesticides because they contaminate the soil, surface and ground water and also kill other vital organisms that are beneficial to biodiversity.
Explaining further why she felt the need to set up N’toko Organic Lda, Dima Jone says she wants to address agricultural practices that harm the environment such as the excessive use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. “This causes various problems such as soil salinization, erosion and groundwater pollution,” adds Dima Jone.
Enhancing the company’s capacity
She says what sets her outfit apart from others in the same space is its distinct values and the production of bio-fertiliser. With N’toko Organic Lda, Dima Jone has also been able to create jobs to mostly young people from the community. She is positive about the growth prospects of her company. Currently, she says, her main challenge is to have her own office space and to set up a mechanised production facility. She says this will enhance her company’s capacity to adequately dispose of more waste efficiently.
Environmental degradation
Dima Jone’s role as an environmental sustainability champion has won her some accolades. She won the Start-upper Challenges contest from Total Energies and later came third in the Climate Launchpad. She created another entity, EcoMissava, as a social responsibility, another solid waste management. The project is used to draw attention as well as raise public awareness about the need to join hands to fight the growing environmental degradation. They also involve and work closely with other organisations such as private and teaching institutions and non-governmental organisations.
More women involvement
Dima Jone encourages more young women to get involved in projects that tackle environmental pollution. She says they can also form their own similar projects as the challenge of pollution is getting worse and require more hands on deck. Her advice is that women should not be afraid to take risks or of creating projects and leaving them in abeyance until the right moment. “If the project is very ambitious, consider how to start small, as castles are built brick by brick. The little one makes the change and I just need to take the first step,” says Dima Jone.
