Steve has 14 years’ experience in rural development and community forestry in East Africa. He was the founder of the Mpingo Conservation & Development Initiative, which continues to hold the honour of being awarded the first FSC certificate for community-managed natural forests in Africa. Steve was then appointed Country Director for Farm Africa in Tanzania, supporting small holder farmers to access better markets for their produce.
Steve will lead the FSC Africa team. His initial priorities are to raise the profile of FSC in Africa, generate more interest from African forestry businesses in FSC certification, and develop a strategy for the East Africa sub-region. FSC Africa will continue to work with forest owners, businesses, governments, and other stakeholders to create solutions that foster economic growth, improve livelihoods, and build a sustainable future.
Steve says: “I have always been inspired by FSC as the only organization offering practical solutions to generating a market for sustainable forestry in the tropics.”
Steve is particularly interested in helping certificate holders operating in countries with challenging business environments, and where illicit forest product extraction can undercut the efforts of responsible forest managers.
Steve can be reached through his mail address: s.ball@fsc.org and will be setting up office in the coming months in Nairobi, Kenya.