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category: Food and Agriculture, Reports, Rights and SocietyAfrica can feed itself- New study reveals 0 Dec 8 ARUSHA – The study titled The New Harvest, Agricultural Innovation in Africa, led by Harvard University Professor Calestous Juma, is in contrast with entrenched, gloomy perceptions of the continent, and present a clear prescription for transforming sub-SaharanAfrica’s agriculture to improve the economy. Preliminary results of the studies, financed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, were adopted earlier this year by the 19-member Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the continent’s largest trading bloc. Juma, who is a professor of International Development at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Centre for Science and International Affairs, said with its vast untapped resources, Africa enjoys tremendous potential and opportunities but remained characterized by persistent food shortages, which may be worsened by climate change unless efforts to change directio...

Tuesday 7 December 2010 Africa Can Feed Itself- New study reveals A new study has revealed that Africa, the world’s poorest continent can make the transition from a hungry importer to self-sufficiency in a single generation. By Lilian Museka ARUSHA---The study titled The New Harvest, Agricultural Innovation in Africa, led by Harvard University Professor Calestous Juma, is in contrast with entrenched, gloomy perceptions of the continent, and present a clear prescription for transforming sub-SaharanAfrica’s agriculture to improve the economy. Preliminary results of the studies, financed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, were adopted earlier this year by the 19-member Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the continent’s largest trading bloc. Juma, who is a professor of International Development at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Centre for Science and International Affairs, said with its vast untapped resources, Africa enjoys tremendous potential and opportuniti...

Tuesday 7 December 2010 Africa Can Feed Itself- New study reveals A new study has revealed that Africa, the world’s poorest continent can make the transition from a hungry importer to self-sufficiency in a single generation. By Lilian Museka ARUSHA---The study titled The New Harvest, Agricultural Innovation in Africa, led by Harvard University Professor Calestous Juma, is in contrast with entrenched, gloomy perceptions of the continent, and present a clear prescription for transforming sub-SaharanAfrica’s agriculture to improve the economy. Preliminary results of the studies, financed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, were adopted earlier this year by the 19-member Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the continent’s largest trading bloc. Juma, who is a professor of International Development at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Centre for Science and International Affairs, said with its vast untapped resources, Africa enjoys tremendous potential and opportuniti...

Features print email to a friend Saturday 27 November 2010 Zambia: Gender-Based Violence Continues Unabated Women continue to suffer in silence as they face physical and sexual violence. By Lilian Museka LUSAKA---Tina* is an editor at one of the leading radio stations in Zambia. She reports to work very early in the morning and leaves very late. She has been leaving in harmony with her husband and children for the last 10 years. However, last month, things changed. Her husband started questioning her coming late to the house, despite him being aware of the job she does. “You will have to choose between your marriage or your job,” Tina narrated how the husband had demanded that she stops working. The man beat and threw her out of the house asking her to go spend the night at “work”. “It is not the first time he’s beating me. I have had to seek for medical attention. In fact right now I’m staying at my parents’ place and at my age with big children, it’s against out customs,” she said a...

Features print email to a friend Thursday 25 November 2010 Developed Nations Failing to Keep Climate Summit promises Financial Promises made last year at Copenhagen have yet to reach beneficiaries in developing countries. By Lilian Museka Developed nations are failing to keep the promise they made last year to provide adequate finance to help the world’s poorest countries adapt to the impacts of climate change. Research published by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) shows in the last December’s climate summit in Copenhagen, the developed countries committed to provide developing nations with US$30 billion between 2010 and 2012, with the money balanced between funding for mitigation and adaptation projects but has not been fulfilled. “Our research shows that the developed countries have failed to meet their responsibility to help poorer nations,” Says Achala Chandani of IIED. The research published includes a five-point plan to enable developed nat...

Tina* is an editor at one of the leading radio station in Zambia. She reports to work very early in the morning and leaves very late. She has been leaving in harmony with her husband and children for the last 10 years. However, last month, things changed. Her husband started questioning her coming late to the house, despite him being aware of the job he does. “You will have to choose between your marriage or your job,” Tina narrated how the husband had demanded that she stops working. The man beat and threw her out of the house asking her to go spend the night at “work”. “It is not the first time he’s beating me. I have had to seek for medical attention. In fact right now am staying at my parents’ place and at my age with big children, its against out customs,” she said amid sobs. She was however adamant that she would not stop working. “I have been doing this job for the last 8 years and for someone to beat me up and demand that I stop working is unrealistic, I am however not sure ho...

category: Health, Rights and Society, Zambia Study roots for enhancing proper use of ground Water 0 Nov18 Research published this month by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) shows that hundreds of millions of urban people in such countries already depend on this hidden resource. “Water taken directly from wells rather than being piped to users from surface-water supplies such as rivers and reservoirs is rarely taken into account, and it is therefore being used invisibly. This might mean that it is being used unsustainably but it might also mean that groundwater has even greater potential to supply poor communities than is currently thought,” the research says. The study titled Groundwater, self supply and poor urban dwellers: A review with case studies of Bangalore and Lusaka, is based on a paper presented from a review of literature sub-substantiated by two case studies of Bangalore, India, and Lusaka, Zambia, carried out by Dr. Jenny Grönwall, a freela...