insert_link Environment Climate change is a challenge for small-scale farmers – how a mix of old and new techniques produced a superior maize harvest in a dry part of South Africa By Abeeb Babatunde Omotoso, North-West University and Abiodun Olusola Omotayo, North-West University New research into rural small-scale farms in South Africa’s North West province has found that climate-smart farming techniques lead to a better maize yield, a more regular supply of food for the farmers, and a wider variety of crops. Small-scale farmers often produce primarily for their own consumption, but many also sell produce in local […] todayAugust 20, 2024 14
insert_link Africa Green energy for all: Zimbabwe will need a new social contract to roll out projects like solar power By Ellen Fungisai Chipango, University of Johannesburg and Long Seng To, Loughborough University The Zimbabwean government is racing against time to meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 7: affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030. However, the race towards green energy is top-down and mostly privatised. New technology is being introduced or sold to individuals or small families, but renewable […] todayJuly 31, 2024 15
insert_link Environment Wildlife migratory “corridors” set to grow, Africa-wide By Bonface Orucho, bird story agency Wildlife, particularly roaming species, exhibit remarkable mobility, covering vast distances in pursuit of essential resources such as water, grazing land, mates or favourable conditions like ideal calving sites. Estimates by the Tsavo Trust, a Kenyan conservation nonprofit, reveal that elephants within the Tsavo conservation area undertake daily journeys of between 50 and 150 kilometres, following distinct migration routes and pathways. In […] todayApril 5, 2024 24
insert_link Environment Medicinal plants help keep children healthy in South Africa: 61 species were recorded By Tshepiso Ndhlovu, University of Mpumalanga; Abiodun Olusola Omotayo, North-West University; Adeyemi Oladapo Aremu, North-West University, and Wilfred Otang-Mbeng, University of Mpumalanga In 2021, almost 33 of every 1,000 South African children under five years old died. This under-five mortality rate is far worse than in similar middle-income countries such as Brazil (14.4 per 1,000 births), Cuba (5 per 1,000), India (30.6), Indonesia (22.2) and Egypt (19.0). […] todayFebruary 13, 2024 32
insert_link Africa Africans discovered dinosaur fossils long before the term ‘palaeontology’ existed By Julien Benoit, University of the Witwatersrand; Cameron Penn-Clarke, University of the Witwatersrand, and Charles Helm, Nelson Mandela University Credit for discovering the first dinosaur bones usually goes to British gentlemen for their finds between the 17th and 19th centuries in England. Robert Plot, an English natural history scholar, was the first of these to describe a dinosaur bone, in his 1676 book The Natural History of Oxfordshire. Over […] todayJanuary 8, 2024 15
insert_link Africa COP28’s commitment to transforming farming and food systems is an insult to Africans By Florian Kroll, University of the Western Cape Globally, food systems are unsustainable: 80% of the production of food is powered by fossil fuels. The food system is responsible for over one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions. It is the primary driver of biodiversity loss. The COP28 climate change conference has issued a declaration on sustainable agriculture and resilient food systems. An expert on food systems, Florian Kroll, sets […] todayDecember 13, 2023 16
