HORIZON SOLUTIONS SITE | Working to find and advance solutions to environment, health, poverty, and development problems


Rural Solar Energy Development in Kordofan State	The Rural Solar Energy Development Project (RSED) is a direct offshoot of the Area Development Scheme Kordofan (ADS)and was developed as a means of catalyzing renewable energy technology distribution, implementation and commercialization. The goal of RESD is to provide viable solar energy technology to satisfy basic energy needs of rural communities both domestically and publicly; develop a private sector infrastructure for installation and maintenance to support communities; and, institute measures to promote a more favorable climate for market growth.
Research, Development and Commercialization of the Kenya Ceramic Jiko and other Improved Biomass Stoves in Africa	There has been a combination of local input and international agency involvement, along with many others, who participated in developing The Kenya Ceramic Jiko (KCJ). The stove is a portable improved charcoal burning stove consisting of an hour-glass shaped metal cladding with an interior ceramic liner that is perforated to permit the ash to fall to the collection box at the base. A thin layer of vermiculite or cement is placed between the cladding and the liner. A single pot is placed on the rests at the top of the stove.
Sweden's Successful Efforts to Curb Acid Precipitation and Global Warming	Sweden's efforts to reduce sulfur dioxide -- with a decrease in emissions of more than seventy percent since 1970 -- and other particulates and gases that contribute to acid rain are a model for other nations, communities, and individuals to follow. The efforts include emissions controls on vehicles and factories, cleaner power plants, household and industrial recycling, and increased exploitation of non-fossil-fuel energy sources.
The "Centro de Tecnología Agroindustrial" program to transform the utilization of the Cochabamba region's vegetal resources	Cochabamba, a predominantly agricultural region, has a great vegetation diversity due to the different ecosystems present. However, Cochabamba does not have the means for transforming these resources. For this reason agricultural products are generally commercialized in a fresh state, which gives rise to all the problems usually associated with this type of commercialization: perishability, price fluctuation and a diminished ability to compete in the market. The need for applied research on the utilization and transformation of the region's vegetal resources in order to obtain products with greater value added, led a group of researchers from the Faculty of Science and Technology at the “Universidad Mayor de San Simon (UMSS)” to create, in 1980, the “Programa Agroquímico” (at present the Centro de Tecnología Agroindustrial -CTA-).
Alternative agriculture in Thailand and Japan	The demand for alternative agricultural systems has grown in response to the failures of conventional agriculture and to set this analysis in context the introduction provides a summary of these failures both generally and then specifically for Thailand and Japan. A brief overview of the agricultural development of both Thailand and Japan is presented to provide a background to the study. A literature review was undertaken to document other studies on alternative agriculture in the two countries and to help establish a definition for the term 'alternative agriculture'.
Integrated whole farm -- whole landscape planning	By incorporating an integrated approach to farming and water management, Pyneham farm in Frankland, Australia, has overcome problems caused by land degradation to create a more sustainable system. The newly established farming system, known as integrated whole farm -- whole landscape planning, has not only helped combat desertification, but also helps restore biodiversity in an area which previously experienced vast forest depletion for agricultural expansion.
Ecological tourism to organic farms	The mission of the European Centre for Ecological Agriculture and Tourism-Poland (ECEAT-Poland) is to use ecological tourism to organic farms as a tool to help small farmers make a sometimes difficult transition from conventional agriculture to ecological agriculture. In this way the farmers benefit financially while environmentally sound practices are spread, and the natural landscape, biodiversity and local culture and traditions are protected and shared with visitors. By working in a cooperative and ecological way small Polish farmers will be able to protect their livelihoods and their traditional way of life in a coming period of difficult economic and social transformation.
A non-toxic method of controlling the noxious weed Striga, the bane of farmers in Africa's Sahel region.	Problem Overview: Controlling Striga infestation The pretty pink flowers of a weed named Striga belie its devastating impact on cereal crops such as corn, sorghum, millet, and rice. Parasitic by nature, Striga compensates for the lack of its own root system by penetrating the roots of other plants, diverting essential nutrients from them, and stunting their growth. Also known as witchweed, Striga infests an estimated two-thirds of the 73 million hectares devoted to cereal crops in Africa, resulting in crop losses of up to 70% among subsistence farmers. Striga accounts for an estimated 4.1 million tonnes in lost cereal yields each year, and is considered by many experts to be the greatest obstacle to food production in Africa, particularly in the Sahel region.
An effort to promote the production and consumption of soybeans as a means of improving nutrition in Nigeria.	Overview: Malnutrition Rapid population growth and crippling economic problems in many African countries have reduced living standards and adversely affected eating habits, causing widespread malnutrition. In Nigeria, a faltering economy has led to declining imports of costly protein-rich food. Moreover, currency devaluations in other countries have resulted in drastically reduced imports of oil and animal feed.
Kano, Nigeria: Adoption and impact of dry-season dual-purpose cowpea in the Nigerian semiarid region	Problem Overview: In the semiarid zones of west and central Africa, farmers cultivate different cowpea varieties. Some are for grain for human consumption and others for animal fodder. The aboveground parts of cowpeas, except pods, are harvested for fodder. Traditionally, farmers cultivate two main types of cowpea: early maturing varieties, grown for grain and late maturing varieties that are grown for fodder production. The dry season is characterized by scarcity in good quality fodder and hence there is a need for dual purpose varieties that give reasonable grain and fodder yields, and, thereby, maximize the output from land and labor.

Rural Solar Energy Development in Kordofan State

The Rural Solar Energy Development Project (RSED) is a direct offshoot of the Area Development Scheme Kordofan (ADS)and was developed as a means of catalyzing renewable energy technology distribution, implementation and commercialization. The goal of RESD is to provide viable solar energy technology to satisfy basic energy needs of rural communities both domestically and publicly; develop a private sector infrastructure for installation and maintenance to support communities; and, institute measures to promote a more favorable climate for market growth.

Research, Development and Commercialization of the Kenya Ceramic Jiko and other Improved Biomass Stoves in Africa

There has been a combination of local input and international agency involvement, along with many others, who participated in developing The Kenya Ceramic Jiko (KCJ).

The stove is a portable improved charcoal burning stove consisting of an hour-glass shaped metal cladding with an interior ceramic liner that is perforated to permit the ash to fall to the collection box at the base. A thin layer of vermiculite or cement is placed between the cladding and the liner. A single pot is placed on the rests at the top of the stove.

Sweden's Successful Efforts to Curb Acid Precipitation and Global Warming

Sweden's efforts to reduce sulfur dioxide -- with a decrease in emissions of more than seventy percent since 1970 -- and other particulates and gases that contribute to acid rain are a model for other nations, communities, and individuals to follow. The efforts include emissions controls on vehicles and factories, cleaner power plants, household and industrial recycling, and increased exploitation of non-fossil-fuel energy sources.

The "Centro de Tecnología Agroindustrial" program to transform the utilization of the Cochabamba region's vegetal resources

Cochabamba, a predominantly agricultural region, has a great vegetation diversity due to the different ecosystems present. However, Cochabamba does not have the means for transforming these resources. For this reason agricultural products are generally commercialized in a fresh state, which gives rise to all the problems usually associated with this type of commercialization: perishability, price fluctuation and a diminished ability to compete in the market.

The need for applied research on the utilization and transformation of the region's vegetal resources in order to obtain products with greater value added, led a group of researchers from the Faculty of Science and Technology at the “Universidad Mayor de San Simon (UMSS)” to create, in 1980, the “Programa Agroquímico” (at present the Centro de Tecnología Agroindustrial -CTA-).

Alternative agriculture in Thailand and Japan

The demand for alternative agricultural systems has grown in response to the failures of conventional agriculture and to set this analysis in context the introduction provides a summary of these failures both generally and then specifically for Thailand and Japan. A brief overview of the agricultural development of both Thailand and Japan is presented to provide a background to the study. A literature review was undertaken to document other studies on alternative agriculture in the two countries and to help establish a definition for the term 'alternative agriculture'.

Integrated whole farm -- whole landscape planning

By incorporating an integrated approach to farming and water management, Pyneham farm in Frankland, Australia, has overcome problems caused by land degradation to create a more sustainable system. The newly established farming system, known as integrated whole farm -- whole landscape planning, has not only helped combat desertification, but also helps restore biodiversity in an area which previously experienced vast forest depletion for agricultural expansion.

Ecological tourism to organic farms

The mission of the European Centre for Ecological Agriculture and Tourism-Poland (ECEAT-Poland) is to use ecological tourism to organic farms as a tool to help small farmers make a sometimes difficult transition from conventional agriculture to ecological agriculture. In this way the farmers benefit financially while environmentally sound practices are spread, and the natural landscape, biodiversity and local culture and traditions are protected and shared with visitors. By working in a cooperative and ecological way small Polish farmers will be able to protect their livelihoods and their traditional way of life in a coming period of difficult economic and social transformation.

A non-toxic method of controlling the noxious weed Striga, the bane of farmers in Africa's Sahel region.

Problem Overview:

Controlling Striga infestation

The pretty pink flowers of a weed named Striga belie its devastating impact on cereal crops such as corn, sorghum, millet, and rice. Parasitic by nature, Striga compensates for the lack of its own root system by penetrating the roots of other plants, diverting essential nutrients from them, and stunting their growth. Also known as witchweed, Striga infests an estimated two-thirds of the 73 million hectares devoted to cereal crops in Africa, resulting in crop losses of up to 70% among subsistence farmers. Striga accounts for an estimated 4.1 million tonnes in lost cereal yields each year, and is considered by many experts to be the greatest obstacle to food production in Africa, particularly in the Sahel region.

An effort to promote the production and consumption of soybeans as a means of improving nutrition in Nigeria.

Overview:

Malnutrition

Rapid population growth and crippling economic problems in many African countries have reduced living standards and adversely affected eating habits, causing widespread malnutrition. In Nigeria, a faltering economy has led to declining imports of costly protein-rich food. Moreover, currency devaluations in other countries have resulted in drastically reduced imports of oil and animal feed.

Kano, Nigeria: Adoption and impact of dry-season dual-purpose cowpea in the Nigerian semiarid region

Problem Overview:

In the semiarid zones of west and central Africa, farmers cultivate different cowpea varieties. Some are for grain for human consumption and others for animal fodder. The aboveground parts of cowpeas, except pods, are harvested for fodder.

Traditionally, farmers cultivate two main types of cowpea: early maturing varieties, grown for grain and late maturing varieties that are grown for fodder production. The dry season is characterized by scarcity in good quality fodder and hence there is a need for dual purpose varieties that give reasonable grain and fodder yields, and, thereby, maximize the output from land and labor.

HORIZON INTERNATIONAL SOLUTIONS SITE

Navigation

Search

Latest articles

Agriculture

Air Pollution

Biodiversity

Desertification

Endangered Species

Energy

Exhibits

Forests

Global Climate Change

Global Health

Industry

Natural Disaster Relief

News and Special Reports

Oceans, Coral Reefs

Pollution

Population

Public Health

Rivers

Sanitation

Toxic Chemicals

Transportation

Waste Management

Water

Water and Sanitation

Yale Himalaya Initiative