Turning an Invasive Species into a Livelihood

by NourishingthePlanet

Crossposted from the Worldwatch Institute's Nourishing the Planet.

In Kenya, for the over 5,000 people living in rural communities on or near its shore, Lake Victoria—the largest body of freshwater in Africa—is a life line. It is the main source of water for bathing, drinking, and cooking in the area and its fish populations provide both protein and income to families. "But the shores of Lake Victoria are choking," says Shana Greene, founder and director of Village Volunteers, a Seattle-based organization that partners with rural communities around the world to create environmentally sustainable solutions for hunger and poverty.

continued at Daily Kos....

Getting the Most from Crops, in the Field and at the Market

by NourishingthePlanet

Crossposted from the Worldwatch Institute's Nourishing the Planet

In Cameroon, one of the foods that grows best is cassava. But farmers struggle with low yields because of pests and diseases that damage crops, making each harvest much more labor intensive than they are worth. "Farmers are spending more on planting materials and field maintenance to grow cassava and they are unable to make profit from the poor harvests," says Emmanuel Njukwe, Chief of Service for the Crop Improvement and Utilization Unit at The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). "They are fighting an expensive battle against pests and diseases."

continued at Daily Kos....

Using Dirt to Make Water Clean

by NourishingthePlanet

Crossposted from the Worldwatch Institute's Nourishing the Planet.

In 2004 Peter Njodzeka founded the Life and Water Development Group Cameroon (LWDGC) with a rather simple goal. " I wanted to see the people in my area have clean water," he said. "And we kept expanding. That’s how it started."

continued at Daily Kos....

Putting a Stop to the Spreading Sands

by NourishingthePlanet

Crossposted from the Worldwatch Institute's Nourishing the Planet.

Throughout the Sahel, recurrent drought since the late 1960’s is turning once crop covered land into desert.  And the sand is spreading. Picked up by wind, dunes created by soil particles from the West African coastline and the Sahel are covering villages, roads, crops, and irrigation systems, making it increasingly difficult to farm and maintain infrastructure.

continued at Daily Kos....

NtP TV: Funding a Blue Revolution

by NourishingthePlanet

Crossposted from the Worldwatch Institute's Nourishing the Planet.

In this regular video series, we bring you images, interviews and more in-depth information about different agricultural innovations. Get to know the NtP team and the innovations we are highlighting regularly, and stay tuned for more NtP TV in the coming weeks!

continued at Daily Kos....

Water Out of Thin Air

by NourishingthePlanet

Crossposted from the Worldwatch Institute's Nourishing the Planet.

In many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, people are forced to travel long distances and spend hours at a time collecting the water needed for cooking and drinking from far away streams or wells. But the residents of Cabazane, South Africa have found a much less labor intensive alternative. They use gravity and let water come to them.

continued at Daily Kos....