From family farm to climate tech: How one Kenyan woman is helping farmers outsmart drought

In Kenya, agriculture employs up to 75 per cent of the population, but farmers’ livelihoods are being threatened by a changing climate and the loss of productive land, which is impacting the whole of Africa. As droughts and extreme weather events in the East African nation increase in frequency and intensity, Maryanne Gichanga believes innovation […]

World News in Brief: Winter attacks in Ukraine, looming food aid cuts in Nigeria, drought in Kenya

They include attacks in Odesa region on Wednesday that killed a 17-year-old boy, according to UN child rights agency UNICEF which called for an “end to attacks on civilian areas and the infrastructure children rely on.”  The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that attacks on the southeastern city of Kryvyi Rih on Wednesday had recommenced on Thursday.  Aid deliveries  “Teams delivered shelter […]

Somalia declares drought emergency as millions face hunger after failed rains

On 10 November, the Federal Government of Somalia formally declared a drought emergency and appealed for urgent international assistance as conditions continued to deteriorate across northern, central and southern regions, according to the UN relief coordination office, OCHA. Puntland is among the worst affected areas, where authorities estimate that nearly one million people need support, […]

World News in Brief: Gaza aid crisis latest, deadly floods in India and Pakistan, funding cuts exacerbate Somalia drought

World News in Brief: Gaza aid crisis latest, deadly floods in India and Pakistan, funding cuts exacerbate Somalia drought

In an alert from the World Food Programme (WFP), the agency said that half a million people “are on the brink of famine”, a claim backed up by multiple humanitarian agencies. The latest worrying data is showing widespread acute malnutrition. A ceasefire is the only way to scale up aid deliveries, the UN agency insisted. It explained […]

Peacekeepers find weapons trove in southern Lebanon, as drought threatens millions

Peacekeepers find weapons trove in southern Lebanon, as drought threatens millions

On Tuesday and Wednesday this week, peacekeepers with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) discovered rocket launchers, rocket shells, mortar rounds, bomb fuses and a tunnel containing munitions in separate incidents in Sectors East and West, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters in New York. All finds were referred to the Lebanese Armed Forces […]

ZimParks relocates 100 elephants, 70 giraffes, 10 lions due to drought

ZimParks relocates 100 elephants, 70 giraffes, 10 lions due to drought

Harare, Sep 15 (IANS) Amid an ongoing drought, the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) said it has relocated 100 elephants since July and a significant number of other wild animals from the arid southern parts of the country to the north where there is better vegetation and water. ZimParks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo told […]

We know flash floods; what are ‘flash’ droughts [Details]

We know flash floods; what are ‘flash’ droughts [Details]

At the tail end of winter in 2015, the ground in the Wimmera in northeastern Victoria had been a little, dry but conditions weren’t too bad for farmers. The crop season was going well. The start of September looked promising. It was cool, and there were decent rains A few weeks later, summer weather had […]