Vathaba - Integrated Agriculture - Rice grown in a banana plantation

To end 2023 on a positive note, here are the outcomes of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, earlier this month. For the first time in nearly 30 years of conferences (the first was held in Berlin in 1995), the delegates at COP recognized the need to transition […]

There is good news surrounding the COVID-19 crisis. It has brought out the best in societies: solidarity among neighbors, colleagues and health professionals, and emergency relief and treatments. And its lessons are clear, despite taking hundreds of thousands of lives and creating the worst economic recession since the 1930s, resulting in lost employment, income, health, […]

After water, tea is the most popular beverage in the world. At 1.93 tons of tea, India produces the most, followed by China (1.2 million) and Kenya (0.44 million). Asia produces the most tea, at around 4 million tons. Bangladesh ranks 10th in the world, accounting for 3% of global tea production and employing more […]

By Danielle Carpenter – According to UNICEF, “Nearly half of all deaths in children under 5 are attributable to undernutrition, translating into the loss of about 3 million young lives a year. Undernutrition puts children at greater risk of dying from common infections, increases the frequency and severity of such infections, and delays recovery.” Malnutrition can be […]

Getting rid of chemical weapons. Ensuring a sustainable food supply worldwide. Promoting human rights and peace. Caring for survivors of sexual violence in war zones. What do these feats have in common? The people who are accomplishing them are all winners of the Right Livelihood Award. And the Right Livelihood Award is nothing less than the “Alternative […]

Hans Rudolf Herren is truly inspiring. He is a Swiss agronomist who has won recognition through several awards, including the prize considered to be the alternative Nobel Prize, the “Right Livelihood Award 2013”. Herren is one of the world’s leading experts in sustainable agriculture and is credited with saving the lives of 20 million people. SWISS […]

How can you help fight for sustainable agriculture, forestry and tourism, and contribute to mitigating climate change, protecting wildlife habitats and combating child labor on farms? By looking for the green frog seal on the products you buy. It’s Rainforest Alliance’s green frog. That green frog symbol allows consumers to identify a legitimately sustainable product or service and […]

Do you know the Better Cotton Initiative? Also known as BCI, it “exists to make global cotton production better for the people who produce it, better for the environment it grows in and better for the sector’s future. “BCI works with a diverse range of stakeholders to promote measurable and continuing improvements for the environment, […]

Here’s a follow on story to Vertical Farming. It’s also about urban farming and “inspiring communities to build sustainable food systems that are equitable and ecologically sound, creating a just world, one food-secure community at a time.” Check out Growing Power. Founded in 1993 by retired basketball player, Will Allen, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Growing Power […]

Here’s a mechanism to ensure around 7 billion people have enough to eat: vertical farming! The idea comes from Dr. Dickson Despommier, a retired professor of microbiology and public health in environmental health sciences at Columbia University. What is vertical farming? It’s indoor farming, like the concept of greenhouses, but on a much larger scale. […]