This new irrigation system talks to plants to find out when they’re thirsty
As water shortages affect more parts of the globe, strategic irrigation practices are becoming key to achieving optimal water efficiency on farms, especially those located in drought-stricken areas. A technology called GrowStream is designed to provide exactly this type of solution — by enabling Read More...
Sierra Leone abolishes capital punishment
On Friday 23, 2021, Sierra Leone became the 23rd country in the continent of Africa to abolish capital punishment after MPs voted unanimously to end the death penalty (which is largely a remnant of colonial legal codes). Under the 1991 constitution, criminals could be sentenced to death in Read More...
This electric motorbike could help protect endangered wildlife in Africa
Rangers working to prevent poaching in Africa often use motorbikes to patrol protected areas. The vehicles, however, run on gas-guzzling engines that require expensive and inaccessible gasoline. On top of that, the loud motors make it virtually impossible to sneak up on poachers. A new partnership Read More...
This startup is paying farmers to turn locust swarms into animal feed
In recent years, climate change has created ideal breeding conditions for locusts, swarms of which have been devouring crops and other vegetation in East Africa and the Horn. Kenya, in particular, has been battling some of its worst locust plagues in decades, with farmers losing huge amounts of Read More...
Namibia: A simple switch of fishing gear is saving thousands of seabirds
Fishing boats off the coast of Namibia unintentionally kill thousands of seabirds a year. The problem lies with the long fishing lines that industrial fleets use to lure fish, which are fitted with thousands of baited hooks. When the birds try to snatch away the bait, they can become tangled in Read More...
Positive destruction: How elephants are rewilding this national park
Sometimes destruction can be a good thing. To demonstrate our point, let’s take a look inside the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where a herd of around 580 African elephants have entered from neighboring land, tearing through trees and knocking down bushes Read More...
Startup turns food waste into new sources of income for rural farmers
One of the main problems encountered by female farmers in Kenya and Uganda is that a lot of their produce goes to waste before it reaches the market. Usually, this is the case because of limited access to cold storage facilities as well as many other inefficiencies along the supply chain. To help Read More...
Zimbabwe bans coal mining in national parks in major conservation win
Home to more than 40,000 elephants and numerous other species, including the endangered black rhino, Zimbabwe’s biggest national park, Hwange, is a thriving wildlife haven. In 2015, however, the country’s government gave permission to two mining companies to explore the park for coal, Read More...
Venture capital firms collaborate to offer African startups a pandemic lifeline
The pandemic has taken a toll on African start-ups. One estimate predicts that investment in African startups could drop by as much as 40 percent by the end of the year. In an effort to keep these companies afloat, Ventures Platform, an Abuja, Nigeria-based early-stage fund, is creating a relief Read More...
Africa to be officially declared free of wild polio
Just twenty-five years ago, thousands of children in Africa were left paralyzed due to the poliovirus. Now, Africa is to be declared free from wild polio by the independent body, the Africa Regional Certification Commission. Polio is a virus that spreads from person to person, usually through Read More...