A view of Mont Peko National Park in Duekoue department, western Ivory Coast. REUTERS/Luc Gnag
Want to Protect Forests in Poor Nations? Pay Landowners Not to Cut, Study Says
As environmentalists debate how best to preserve the world's dwindling forests, a study published in the journal Science offered a simple solution: pay land owners in poor countries not to cut down the trees. Deforestation dropped by more than half in Ugandan villages where land owners were paid about $28 per hectare each year if they preserved their trees, according to the study.
Surviving in the Sahel, These Women Give New Meaning to the Term, ‘Tough Girls’
In 2016, the ONE Campaign summed up the many issues women and girls face in developing countries in its Poverty is Sexist report: “In too many countries, being born poor and female means a life sentence of inequality, oppression and poverty.” How to overcome those dismal odds? In Burkina Faso and Niger — both in the bottom 20 of worst places to be a girl, with Niger ranked the worst — local women participating in USAID’s Resilience in the Sahel Enhanced program are playing a major role in helping their communities overcome health and food security obstacles, often serving as leaders.
Go Bananas: Tech and the Future of the World's Favorite Fruit
The banana is the world’s most popular fruit crop. However, its future is in jeopardy. A parasite coined the “hidden enemy” is threatening the availability of bananas on a global scale. These microscopic nematodes, colorless in nature and less than 1 millimeter long, penetrate the roots of banana plants by the thousands, draining them of the water and nutrients needed for survival. But given the banana’s importance both domestically and globally, plant scientists have been working to develop a crop protection product to help control the nematode.
Urban Farming Gets New York City Council Attention
New York City has the largest urban agriculture system in the country, including community and rooftop gardens and greenhouses, as well as “vertical farms.” But a recent report by the Brooklyn Law School finds new growers are sometimes stymied by confusion over where they fit into city regulations. A new bill in New York City Council aims to change that, calling for a comprehensive urban agriculture plan with updated zoning and building codes and possibly an office of urban agriculture.