Core area: Project Leader Infonet
„Ever since my time journeying through Africa I have felt bound to the people and nature of this continent. With Biovision my wish to do something to conserve the magnificent and diverse nature of Africa and at the same time work together with people in Africa is granted."
"Through my work scientists and farmers are productively brought together and information on environmentally friendly approaches are generated and made accessible to the people .“
In the 90s Monique Hunziker travelled through the continent from the North and through central Africa to the East, and was fascinated by the unending breadth of nature, its freedom, strength and unspoiled beauty, and by the people.
The former WWF product manager completed her university entrance qualification at top speed and finished her studies in biology and environmental sciences at the University of Zürich. After that the way forward was clear: „My goal was not research, but the exchange between science and practice. I was interested in the network of knowledge on many levels. I wanted to contribute to that, so that the people in Africa could tackle resolvable problems in their gardens and fields and in so doing, improve their lives themselves. In this way the scientists also understand the problems of the farmers.“
In 2000 Monique Hunziker completed a field course in tropical ecology in Kenya (Tropical Biology Association) and developed a study on the use of local medicinal plants with the Maasai people in Hell’s Gate National Park. She completed her studies in biology with a thesis on biodiversity and agriculture at the Federal Research Institute for Agroecology and Agriculture. She then undertook research for a year at FAL. In 2002 she took over the scientific accompaniment of an art and recycling project on the Cape Verde Islands. At the end of 2002 she took on a post at Biovision. At this time everything was still under construction and Monique Hunziker took charge of the website and project administration, and began to plan the construction of an up-to-date information platform for Africa.
Monique Hunziker completed postgraduate courses in International Agriculture (SHL, Oberzollikofen), Health in the Tropics (STI, Basel), and in Development and Co-operation (NADEL, Zürich). In autumn of 2005 she was able to initiate Project Infonet-Biovision: an internet information platform for East Africa containing locally relevant information on sustainable agriculture and ecological pest and disease control as well as on conservation of natural resources and income generation with ecologically compatible methods. „With this, an important gap in information in Africa is filled. There is still much work to be done, and we are looking forward to it.“
