insert_link Africa Dry weather hits southern Africa’s farmers, putting key maize supplies at risk: how to blunt the impact By Wandile Sihlobo, Stellenbosch University South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe have recently published reports indicating a potential decline in grain harvest because of intense El Niño-induced dryness. These developments could put the entire Southern Africa maize supply chain at risk, with Zambia and South Africa hard hit by heatwaves and dryness. The neighbouring small producers such as Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Namibia are also struggling with dryness. […] todayMarch 7, 2024 27
insert_link Africa BMW bets big on Africa’s green hydrogen industry with SA fuel cell test vehicle By Seth Onyango, via bird story agency BMW has claimed its place as the breakout star in Africa's race for commercial hydrogen mobility with the unveiling of a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle in South Africa. In a shot in the arm for Africa's fledgling green hydrogen industry, the automaker chose Southern Africa for the test drive of its BMW iX5 Hydrogen. The continent has been seeking to […] todayFebruary 22, 2024 4
insert_link Environment Rhinos can’t sweat, making them vulnerable to overheating: global warming could wipe them out in southern Africa By Timothy Randhir, UMass Amherst Southern Africa is home to 22,137 of the world’s 23,432 white and black African rhinos. But they’re facing grave threats because of a warming planet. Now, the first study of how climate change affects rhinos in southern Africa has found that they will cease to exist in the region’s national parks by 2085 if the world takes the worst-case scenario climate change […] todayFebruary 16, 2024 23
insert_link Africa The San people of southern Africa: where ethics codes for researching indigenous people could fail them By Stasja Koot, Wageningen University There is a long and often complicated history of researchers studying Indigenous people. In 1999, the education scholar Linda Tuhiwai-Smith, in her book Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples, emphasised the colonial character of much research. She warned that it brings with it a new wave of exploration, discovery, exploitation and appropriation. Well into the 20th century, researchers depicted groups like the […] todayFebruary 13, 2024 17
insert_link Health / Medical Climate change behind Africa’s cholera increase The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has tied the worst outbreak of cholera in three years to climate change, saying adverse weather is raising the risk of this disease faster than in the rest of the world. That’s as floods in the Democratic Republic of Congo — and across southern Africa — stretch already fragile health systems. The increase in cases comes even as Africa is the region […] todayFebruary 1, 2024 27
insert_link Environment Africa’s savannah elephants: small ‘fortress’ parks aren’t the answer – they need room to roam By Celesté Maré, Aarhus University and Robert A.R. Guldemond, University of Pretoria Africa is home to about 410,000 savannah elephants (Loxodonta africana), most of them living in southern Africa. Over 290,000 elephants (70%) are spread across 103 protected areas which vary in size, connectivity and protection. In a recent research paper we explored how elephant populations across southern Africa performed under different conservation approaches. This work formed part of […] todayJanuary 26, 2024 18
insert_link Environment SASSCAL holds talks ahead of COP28 The Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management is hosting the "SASSCAL CLIMATE-CHANGE DIALOGUE," engaging countries in high-level discussions on the COP28 agenda and climate issues within SASSCAL countries. Here is the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform Anna Shiweda. todayNovember 21, 2023 19