As climate change intensifies, it is imperative for policymakers to address the escalating loss and damage it inflicts on vulnerable communities in developing countries. In India's Maharashtra state, these impacts are forcing rural families into life-altering decisions and migrations to work in sugarcane fields, where exploitative practices by contractors, including …
As global temperatures continue to rise, droughts are expected to become more frequent and severe in many regions during this century. A new study with NASA participation finds that land ecosystems took progressively longer to recover from droughts in the 20th century, and incomplete drought recovery may become the new …
On a blistering hot afternoon, Zainab Omar Ali methodically sorts through freshly picked bunches of kale on her farm in Alimao village in northeast Kenya. "I managed to sell most of my batch at the market this morning," she said with satisfaction. "I'll try to sell the remaining fresh ones …
Even as carbon emissions from use of fossil fuels flattened out in the past few years, the monster El Nino of 2014-16 caused over 3 billion tonnes of carbon to get released into the atmosphere, pushing carbon dioxide concentration to record levels. This was announced by scientists after they analysed …
Dams supplying the town are at an all-time low due to a crippling drought in the Amathole region‚ the Daily Dispatch reported on Monday. Amathole District Municipality warned three weeks ago that the town could be left without water‚ if it did not rain‚ from Tuesday. No rain has fallen …
Faced with climate change, uncertain markets and government policies they see as unhelpful, many farmers feel ill-equipped to decide how much of which crop to plant and when Elias Kanyangale is ecstatic about his maize harvest. Balancing on a homemade ladder, the farmer retrieves cobs from a full granary, the …
This factsheet, from the Raising Risk Awareness initiative, examines the impact of the 2015-16 drought on Ethiopia’s drought management systems. Ethiopia has two major rainy seasons. The belg season runs from February to May and provides rainfall for agriculture in the centre of Ethiopia, as well as pasture for livestock. …
Although there will be increased yields of rice, wheat, legumes and oilseeds by 10-20% with increase in Co2 level to 550 ppm, however, productivity of most crops is likely to decrease marginally by 2020 but by 10-40% by 2100 says this report by the Standing Committee on Agriculture (2016-2017) tabled …
BENGALURU: Successive droughts and depletion of groundwater table in Karnataka has destroyed a whopping 2.28 crore arecanut and coconut trees. "The state has witnessed low rainfall this year too and farmers are finding it difficult to source water even after drilling borewells up to 1,200 feet, the situation is getting …
Kangorio — At this time of year, Cherop Longiro and her husband are normally busy looking for grazing for their livestock. But their three cows died in the drought in March and they sold their 20 sheep, fearing they would meet the same fate. "We had two options: either take …
When water first flowed from the new community pump in Eenhana this spring, some locals were slow to celebrate. Groundwater has a tainted reputation in this fast-developing, northern Namibian town. Many people in the area still rely on hand-dug wells that double up as watering holes for cattle. “It was …
ADDIS ABABA (Xinhua) -- The African Union (AU) has said it is very concerned that the Fall Armyworm is likely to worsen the stress faced by millions of families suffering from food shortages as a result of the droughts, especially in eastern and southern Africa. Feeding on maize and other …
Species distribution models (SDMs) are commonly used to assess potential climate change impacts on biodiversity, but several critical methodological decisions are often made arbitrarily. We compare variability arising from these decisions to the uncertainty in future climate change itself. We also test whether certain choices offer improved skill for extrapolating …
A new weather monitoring system to better forecast drought in Central America could help the region's governments and farmers avoid major crop losses and boost resilience to recurring water shortages, the United Nations says. The tool is based on existing warning systems, and uses satellite and geospatial data to map …
MOGADISHU Somalia (Xinhua) -- The number of people who have been displaced by the severe drought ravaging several parts of Somalia has risen to 766,467 since November 2016, the UN said on Tuesday. The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its latest report that most of …
Rising temperatures and the resultant stress on India’s agricultural sector may have contributed to increase in suicides over the past 30 years, research shows Farmers from Tami Nadu demonstrate in Delhi with what they say are the bones of farmers who committed suicide because of a crippling drought and high …
The number of people who have been displaced by the severe drought ravaging several parts of Somalia has risen to 766,467 since November 2016, the UN said on Tuesday. The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its latest report that most of the displaced people are …
KAILER, Kenya, Aug 2 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Residents of Kailer village normally live to the rhythm of mooing cows and bleating goats. But over the past year, silence has reigned over these swathes of dry land dotted with cacti and mathenge, a dense shrub. Faced with severe drought, herders …
The East Africa Seed Company has rolled out a drought-resistant maize variety which takes 90 days to mature. The new maize variety, Tosheka, is targeting the semi-arid areas of Eastern and North-Eastern but can also do well in high altitude areas which concentrate on tea and coffee farming. According to …
Climate change will almost certainly heat the world so much it can never recover, major study finds There's only a 10 per cent chance we'll avoid widespread drought, extreme weather and dangerous increases in sea level A woman displays a placard during a demonstration in New York on June 1, …
During 2014-2017 India was shaken by severe spells of drought that hit over 500 million people across geographical regions. Unlike in the past, these droughts did not spare the urban areas; metropolitan cities like Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru declared water emergency and several towns resorted to water rationing. “Drought But …
