Welcome to the newest edition of Eco Africa
January 3, 2020On this week's edition of Eco Africa, we once again bring you environmentally friendly ideas for a greener planet!
First, we are off to the Ivory Coast to see how a new app is helping fight forest clearing by identifying good agricultural land. Using software called GeoPoppy, an NGO has found abandoned and fertile fields where farmers can grow crops without cutting down more trees.
Then we visit Alice Nabukenya who is using old materials like rubber and plastic waste to make a fashion statement in Uganda. What she puts together is both stylish and eco-friendly.
After that we see how a company in Kenya is producing charcoal briquettes made from coconut shells and husks. This helps save trees and also creates jobs for women who supply the coconuts and can sell the finished products.
Then we head to Europe where since 2012 an institute in Germany has been training researchers from Ethiopia how to supplement crops with traditional grains and vegetables. Their goal is for farmers to be better able to adapt to climate change.
Back in Africa we learn how entrepreneur Sulaiman Yusuf is developing what he calls "off the grid homes" using solar and hydro turbines to offer residents an alternative to the Nigerian government's power infrastructure.
Finally, we see how some local farmers in South Africa's Eastern Cape have switched to growing indigenous plants to extract essential oils as an alternative source of income. The herbs require little water and help prevent desertification.
Check out the show and let us know what you think at ecoafrica@dw.com.