A coffee-growing cooperative in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is giving former rebels and soldiers a fresh start. They are being encouraged to make a better and safer living from coffee. The cooperative, or co-op, is called SOPACDI. Its headquarters are in Minova, a town along Lake Kivu. Many people trying to escape conflict have moved there. […]
Animal feed is the biggest cost for most cattle producers. In the United States, the cost of hay, grain and other feed has risen sharply because of a drought. At the same time, wildfires this year burned more than 1 million hectares of North American rangeland. Jack Field raises cattle in the northwestern state of […]
Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday that Americans celebrate on the fourth Thursday in November. This autumn festival is traditionally celebrated with family and friends over a big meal that takes hours to prepare. The meal usually includes turkey served along with dishes like cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, green beans and pumpkin pie. The turkey is usually […]
Some private game farmers in South Africa are hiring armed protection for their rhinos.New security companies are being started to fight an increase in rhinoceros poaching. Poachers are now well-armed and well-financed. A single horn sells for than $65,000 per kilogram. That is more valuable than gold. Rhino horns are sold mostly in Vietnam and China. People there wrongly believe […]
Severe food shortages in the Sahel area of Africa have affected 18 million people in nine countries this year (2012). This was the third severe food crisis in four years in the area south of the Sahara Desert. How can the Sahel break its cycle of food insecurity? Aid workers are asking that question as this year’s […]
Gordon Sato traveled to Eritrea for the first time in 1985. The Japanese-American cell biologist wanted to see what he could do to help the people in their struggle for independence from Ethiopia. On his trip, he noticed that camels were eating the leaves of mangrove trees growing along the coast. He planted more mangroves so they could be […]
Poinsettias are the best-selling potted flowering plant in the United States and, they are a traditional part of Christmas celebrations. That is why almost all of them are sold in the wintertime. The Department of Agriculture estimates that Americans bought $250 million worth of poinsettias last year. The poinsettia is native to Central America and […]
Tall or short, fat or thin, natural, plastic or metal. Whatever the choice, the National Christmas Tree Association says Americans bought over 40 million Christmas trees last year. Christmas trees are grown and harvested in all 50 states. Christmas time in the city usually means buying trees already cut and waiting to be sold. But some […]
The United Nations says in 2012, aid agencies treated a record number of children in the Sahel area of West Africa for severe acute malnutrition. The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, says many of them were saved from the life-threatening condition. Severe food shortages and drought have increased malnutrition rates in the Sahel. UNICEF says […]
Agriculture produces a lot of the greenhouse gasses that scientists link to risingtemperatures and climate change. Agriculture can also be hurt by the effects of climate change. A new report says high temperatures and unpredictable weather are disrupting agriculture in many parts of the world. The report is called “Innovations in Sustainable Agriculture: Supporting Climate-Friendly Food Production.” The Worldwatch Institute in Washington […]