Kenyan Farmers Profit from the Sun to Water Crops
For subsistence farmers in rain-scarce Kenya, drip irrigation can mean the difference between hand-to-mouth survival and being able to grow an agricultural business. The company SunCulture aims to break new ground by circumventing diesel and powering drip systems with solar energy.

Off the Map
The lack of reliable data in poor countries thwarts both development and disaster-relief. The result is that officials and aid organizations struggle to set and evaluate policies. A group of charities unveiled MissingMaps.org, a joint initiative to produce free, detailed maps of cities across the developing world—before humanitarian crises erupt, not during them.
 
Farm Startup Seeks to Profit from Harvesting Big Data
Farmobile LLC, a one-year-old startup, wants to develop an online marketplace where farmers can store reams of information on planting, pesticide applications, and crop yields and, if the farmer chooses, sell that data to farm-supply companies or commodities traders. The effort comes as new technology is being put to work across the US Farm Belt.
 
Climate Tools Seek to Bend Nature’s Path
The effects of climate change may become so severe that geoengineering solutions, which intentionally manipulate nature, could attract more serious consideration in the future. However, many people view the idea of geoengineering as an approach to climate change that would distract the world from the goal of eliminating the emissions that are causing the problem in the first place.