May Muthuri
Agroforestry gives Kenyan indigenous community a lifeline
The Cherangani people, an indigenous community in Kenya’s Rift Valley, have always called the Cherangani Hills Forest their ancestral home. Also known locally as the Sengwer, they were traditionally reliant on the forest for hunting and gathering, herbal medicines, honey, and sorghum and millet farming. Then the colonial government evicted them from the forest, only permitting […] Continue Reading
How to plant a trillion trees
As projects to restore woodlands accelerate, researchers are looking for ways to avoid repeating past failures. PDF version When the Philippines opened its first school of forestry in 1910, the institute’s leaders hatched a plan to restore degraded woodlands surrounding the campus outside Manila. They planted dozens of tree varieties, both native and exotic. In […] Continue Reading
Perennial versions of conventional crops offer benefits to the environment – but are they — BUT ARE THEY READY FOR PRIME TIME?
Crops that don’t need to be planted every year can reduce soil erosion and nutrient runoff, but currently have lower yields. These researchers and businesses are working to fix that. In 2000, noted crop breeder Stan Cox was weary of the Sisyphean task of incorporating new disease resistance traits into wheat varieties. Fumbling to explain […] Continue Reading
Afforestation: EU, Oxfam distribute 760,000 tree seedlings in Katsina
An EU agro-forestry programme known as Fuel Wood Balance (FUWOBA) has commenced distribution of 760,000 additional free tree seedlings in seven local governments in Katsina State. The Project Manager, Dr Chris Udokang, said the gesture was to promote afforestation and environmental conservation. Udokang made the disclosure during the “National Annual Review Seminar on Improving Fuel Wood […] Continue Reading
A Wondrous Journey
Rare is the map that would label the stretch of Interstate 80 running through Iowa as a “scenic route.” To most drivers, it is a straight, flat, smooth track to test speed limits and challenge radar devices; for many passengers, it is a time to nod off. But, really, cruising down I-80 in the summer […] Continue Reading
Nature’s Make or Break Potential for Climate Change
Though his business card says Director of Forest Carbon Science at The Nature Conservancy, Bronson Griscom introduces himself as an ecological accountant. Griscom radiates an optimism somewhat rare in seasoned environmentalists, especially when he discusses the “carbon economy” of nature: the everyday role that trees, grasslands and coastal habitats play in the carbon cycle. Griscom can measure […] Continue Reading