REUTERS/Siegfried Modola

Livestock Insurance Could Protect Cattle-Herders in Africa from Drought
Index-Based Livestock Insurance, being piloted in Kenya, uses data from satellite imagery to assess the impact of drought on the vegetation that livestock need to survive, allowing insured pastoralists to receive a pay-out in times of drought based on predicted rather than actual livestock deaths. It is a promising option for addressing poverty traps that arise from catastrophic drought risk.

What Do African Farmers Want? More Manure
The Guardian Project Foundation’s initiative works as a pay-it-forward scheme, with farmers given a female sheep or goat as an interest free loan. Access to manure from the animal can increase crop yields by up to 300%. The increased income and greater stability in the communities involved in the project has led to significant improvements outside farming and food, including in healthcare and education.

Arctic Greenhouse Provides Locals Fresh Produce Year-Round
A greenhouse based in a northern Canadian community is providing fresh local produce for residents of the Arctic region for the first time. The greenhouse will help improve local food security by extending the growing season past the summer months.

Solar Energy: A Sunflower Solution to Electricity Shortage
IBM revealed the prototype of its advanced solar electricity generators: the machines can convert 80% of the sun’s radiation into electricity and hot water. At present, about 1.3 billion people have no access to electricity. However, that figure is dwarfed by the number—2.5 billion—who have no access to proper sanitation; a number that is currently increasing at a rate of 9% a year.