Mark Sultan Gersava grew up in poverty, one of 12 children of a slash-and-burn subsistence farmer in the Philippines province of Sultan Kudarat.
Today he is the "chief executive farmer" of a company aimed at tackling that same poverty, and combating climate change at the same time.
His firm Bambuhay helps farmers shift from slash-and-burn agriculture - which accounts for about a third of deforestation in the Philippines - to growing bamboo, now in demand as an alternative material to throw-away plastic.
The company, now in its second year of operation, makes popular bamboo straws, toothbrushes, tumblers, and bamboo-based charcoal briquettes, to replace those made from wood.
So far Bambuhay has sold nearly 400,000 reuseable bamboo straws, Gersava said.
In late October, wearing a bamboo salakót, a traditional farmers hat, he told delegates to the One Young World conference of youth leaders in London what drove him to launch his company.
"In the span of one year, I experienced two super typhoons (and) the hottest measured temperature in Philippines history," Gersava said.
"This was the first time I had faced the direct consequences of climate change," he said.
Less Poverty, Fewer Emissions
Gersava settled on bamboo - a fast-growing plant that absorbs large amounts of climate-changing carbon dioxide and can help prevent soil erosion - as a way of taking action on both climate change and poverty.
The Philippines climate, he said, is perfect for growing the giant grass and has helped poor farmers "become agri-preneurs."
The effort has helped cut extreme poverty for thousands of farmers so far, he says.
"Bamboo is a symbol of poverty in the Philippines. If you live in a bamboo house, you're very poor - that's basically how it was before," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
"But bamboo now has gained a lot of good attention since I started the company," he said.
Bambuhay has partnered with the Philippines government and farmers to replant 540 hectares (1,340 acres) of deforested land through the company's Bamboo AgroForestry Program, Gersava said.
Just how versatile bamboo fiber can be was evident in the entrepreneur's own attire at the conference, including a sleek bamboo wallet and his cone-shaped hat, a golden salakót.
Such hats are usually made from reeds, but his was produced by farmers from bamboo - a gift in gratitude for his help in pulling them out of poverty, he said.
"When I wear this hat, I feel connected to the farmers. They are the one who are left behind," Gersava said.
"They are the most important people that we that we need to protect. ... We need to value these people more."
Last year, Gersava sold his condominium, quit his job and with no formal business training and just $2,000 in start-up funds launched Bambuhay, his social enterprise.
"It's very hard to start a business in the Philippines," he said.
"There's no support from the government, you have very limited funding. ... I started with only one person."
Now Gersava employs 17 full-time staff. He says as CEO his aim is not to become rich but to ensure much of what the company earns passes to its farmers.
Still, in addition to helping farmers, he's been able to help pay college fees for his two nieces and support his siblings and parents, he said.
He says his work is far from done. By 2030, he aims for his company to have helped establish 1 billion bamboo plants and to have lifted 100,000 farmers out of poverty, especially in extremely poor areas such as his hometown and the province of Sulu.
Growing up in an impoverished family in Sultan Kudarat, he said, has given him a deep understanding of who pays the highest price as climate change impacts, from floods and droughts to heatwaves and storms, intensify.
"The wealthy CEOs and politicians are not the ones suffering the most from the consequences of climate change. It is the rural villager," he said.
"It is the struggling farmers who are suffering from severe water shortages and droughts that will be the worst hit by food insecurity," he predicted.
To battle both poverty and climate change, "we cannot continue with business as usual," he said.
"We must continue to innovate, to protest and to hold government and companies' feet to the fire," he said in a speech at the conference.
Mark Gershava, ambaye ni mtoto wa kwanza kati ya watoto 12 wa mkulima wa mashamba ya kusaga na kuchoma, alilelewa katika hali ya umaskini katika jimbo la Sultan Kudarat nchini Ufilipino. Leo yeye ni "mkulima mkuu mtendaji" wa kampuni inayolenga kukabiliana na umaskini huo huo, na kupambana na mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa kwa wakati mmoja. Kampuni yake ya Bambuhay inasaidia wakulima kuhamia kutoka kilimo cha kukata na kuchoma - ambacho kinahusika na theluthi moja ya ukataji misitu nchini Ufilipino - hadi kukuza mianzi, ambayo sasa inahitajika kama nyenzo mbadala ya plastiki ya kutupwa. Kampuni hiyo, ambayo sasa inaanza kazi kwa mwaka wa pili, hutengeneza matete ya mianzi, brashi za meno, matope, na makopo ya makaa ya mawe ya mianzi, ili kuchukua mahali pa yale yanayotengenezwa kwa mbao. Hadi sasa, BambooHee imeuza karibu shaba 400,000 za mianzi zinazoweza kutumiwa tena, alisema Gershava. Alipokuwa amevaa kofia ya kijani ya kijani ya bamboo, aliwaambia wajumbe wa mkutano wa vijana wa One Young World huko London kile kilichomfanya azindue kampuni yake. "Katika kipindi cha mwaka mmoja, nilipata vimbunga viwili vikubwa (na) joto kali zaidi lililopimwa katika historia ya Ufilipino", alisema Gersava. "Hiyo ilikuwa mara yangu ya kwanza kukabili matokeo ya moja kwa moja ya mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa", akasema. Gershwin aliamua kutumia mianzi - mmea unaokua haraka ambao huchukua kiasi kikubwa cha kaboni dioksidi inayobadilisha hali ya hewa na inaweza kusaidia kuzuia mmomonyoko wa udongo - kama njia ya kuchukua hatua dhidi ya mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa na umaskini. Alisema kwamba hali ya hewa ya Ufilipino ni nzuri sana kwa ajili ya kukuza nyasi hiyo kubwa na imewasaidia wakulima maskini "kuanza biashara ya kilimo". Jitihada hiyo imesaidia kupunguza umaskini mkubwa kwa maelfu ya wakulima hadi sasa, anasema. "Mti wa mianzi ni ishara ya umaskini katika Ufilipino. "Ikiwa unaishi katika nyumba ya mianzi, wewe ni maskini sana - hiyo ni jinsi ilivyokuwa kabla, ""alisema Thomson Reuters Foundation." "Lakini sasa mianzi imepata umakini mwingi tangu nianzishe kampuni", akasema. "Bambuhay imeshirikiana na serikali ya Ufilipino na wakulima kupanda tena hekta 540 za ardhi iliyokatwa misitu kupitia ""Programu ya Bamboo Agroforestry"" ya kampuni hiyo, alisema Gershava." "Kama vile nyuzi za mianzi zinavyoweza kutumika kwa njia mbalimbali, ndivyo ilivyoonekana waziwazi katika mavazi ya mfanyabiashara huyo mwenyewe kwenye mkutano huo, kutia ndani mkoba wake wa kipekee wa mianzi na kofia yake yenye umbo la koni, ""salakot ya dhahabu.""" Kofia hizo kwa kawaida hutengenezwa kwa miwa, lakini kofia yake ilitengenezwa na wakulima kwa mianzi - zawadi ya shukrani kwa msaada wake katika kuwaondoa katika umaskini, alisema. "Ninapovaa kofia hii, nahisi nimeunganishwa na wakulima. "Watu hawa ndio wanaosalia nyuma,"" alisema Gershwin." "Hawa ni watu muhimu zaidi ambao tunahitaji kuwalinda.""" ... Tunahitaji kuwathamini watu hawa zaidi". Mwaka jana, Gershava aliuza nyumba yake, aliacha kazi na bila mafunzo rasmi ya biashara na $ 2,000 tu katika fedha za kuanza, alianzisha Bambuhay, biashara yake ya kijamii. "Ni vigumu sana kuanzisha biashara katika Ufilipino", akasema. "Hakuna msaada kutoka kwa serikali, una fedha chache sana. ... Nilianza na mtu mmoja tu". Sasa Gershwin ana wafanyakazi 17 wa wakati wote. Alisema kuwa lengo lake la kuwa Mkurugenzi Mtendaji si kuwa tajiri bali kuhakikisha kwamba sehemu kubwa ya mapato ya kampuni hiyo yanapita kwa wakulima wake. "Lakini, pamoja na kuwasaidia wakulima, ameweza kusaidia kulipa ada za chuo kikuu kwa ajili ya mpwa wake wawili na kusaidia ndugu zake na wazazi, ""alisema." Anasema kwamba kazi yake haijakamilika. "Kufikia mwaka 2030, kampuni yake inatarajia kusaidia kuanzisha mimea ya mianzi bilioni moja na kuwaondoa wakulima 100,000 katika umaskini, hasa katika maeneo maskini sana kama vile mji wake wa nyumbani na mkoa wa Sulu.""" "Kukua katika familia maskini huko Sultan Kudarat, alisema, kumempa uelewa wa kina wa nani anayelipa bei ya juu wakati athari za mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa, kutoka mafuriko na ukame hadi mawimbi ya joto na dhoruba, zinaongezeka. """ "Maafisa wakuu matajiri na wanasiasa si wale wanaoteseka zaidi kutokana na matokeo ya mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa. Ni mkaaji wa kijijini", akasema. "Ni wakulima wanaopambana ambao wanateseka kutokana na upungufu mkubwa wa maji na ukame ambao watapata athari mbaya zaidi kutokana na ukosefu wa usalama wa chakula", alitabiri. "Kwa vita dhidi ya umaskini na mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa, hatuwezi kuendelea na biashara kama kawaida, ""alisema." "Ni lazima tuendelee kubuni, kupinga na kushikilia serikali na kampuni za miguu kwa moto", alisema katika hotuba yake katika mkutano huo.