malawi – Page 2 – Shamskm: A site to exchange knowledge and solutions

Geologists Correct a Rift in Africa

By Guest PostMarch 26, 2012Scienceafrica today, australia, climate change, earth crust, east africa, east african rift, eric roberts, ethiopia, geological sciences, giant arc, great rift valley, human evolution, human species, james cook university, Kenya, malawi, michael gottfried, michigan state university, model, nancy stevens, nature geoscience, ohio university, plate boundary, rukwa rift, system, tectonic forces, uganda, vertebrate fossils, volcanic ash

EAST LANSING, Mich. — The huge changes in the Earth’s crust that influenced human evolution are being redefined, according to research published today in Nature Geoscience.

The Great Rift Valley of East Africa – the birthplace of the human species – may have taken much longer to develop than previously believed.

“We now believe that the western portion of the rift formed about 25 million years ago, and is approximately as old as the eastern part, instead of much younger as other studies have maintained,” said Michael Gottfried, Michigan State University associate professor of geological sciences. “The significance is that the Rift Valley is the setting for the most crucial steps in primate and ultimately human evolution, and our study has major implications for the environmental and landscape changes that form the backdrop for that evolutionary story.” (more…)

Mapping Tool Analyzes How Climate Change, Conflict and Aid Intersect in Africa

By Guest PostMarch 3, 2012Environmentafrica, aiddata, austin, brigham young university, ccaps data, climate change, dynamic mapping tool, dynamics, francis j gavin, ken lipenga, malawi, minerva initiative, patterns of conflict, policymakers, stability in africa, university of texas, world bank

AUSTIN, Texas — Researchers have developed a new dynamic mapping tool that will help policymakers and other groups determine a country’s vulnerabilities to climate change and conflicts and show how these two issues intersect in Africa.

The pilot version of the tool was released this month by the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law at The University of Texas at Austin and additional data tools are expected to come online starting this spring. (more…)

Exeter Academic Explains Chemical ‘Risk List’

By Guest PostSeptember 14, 2011Environmentandrew bloodworth, BGS, British Geological Survey, carbonatites, China, critical metals, digital and environmental technologies, economic value, frances wall, global supply of chemical elements, green economy, igneous form of calcium carbonate, life cycle of technology metals, malawi, niobium, platinum, rare earth elements, rare earths, rees, tungsten, university of exeter

*A University of Exeter academic has spoken about the many chemical elements we rely on that are at risk.*

*Professor Frances Wall, Head of the University’s Camborne School of Mines, joined a panel of experts at the British Science Festival to reveal the new chemical ‘risk list’.*

To coincide with the British Science Festival, the British Geological Survey (BGS) has released a new ‘risk list’, which ranks the risk to global supply of chemical elements of economic value. The list highlights vulnerable elements where global production is concentrated in a small number of countries, including metals that are critical to development of a low-carbon digital economy. The list helps to focus future research on diversifying supply from new resources, using greener production technologies and cost-effective recycling.

Professor Frances Wall, Head of Camborne School of Mines (CSM) explained how the University of Exeter is already engaged in tackling this challenge. She said: “There are a wide range of potential deposits around the world that could be mined, which would take away the monopoly of current suppliers of these metals. For example, new research in Malawi carried out by CSM is looking at resources of critical metals associated with rocks known as carbonatites (an igneous form of calcium carbonate).” (more…)

Q&A: Seeking “Real World” Solutions to Global Poverty

By Guest PostMarch 23, 2011Economybehavioral economics, brick and mortar, combat poverty, dean karlan, development economists, gates foundation, ghana, global poverty, innovations for poverty action, ipa, jacob appel, jordan goldberg, malawi, Mali, microcredit, microfinance, mobile money, uganda, wealthy nations, yale economist

In discussions of how best to solve global poverty, helping the 3 billion people living on less than $2.50 per day, development economists tend to fall into one of two camps.

One camp claims that wealthy nations contribute too few dollars to combat poverty. The other camp counters that money doesn’t guarantee poverty alleviation, and points to the $2.3 trillion spent in foreign aid over the past 50 years as evidence that throwing money at the problem won’t solve it. Despite their differences, both groups agree that some types of development interventions work better than others. (more…)

Shrubby Crops Can Help Fuel Africa’s Green Revolution

By Guest PostNovember 24, 2010Economy, Environment, Generalafrica, agricultural revolution, calorie-rich food, crop diversification, green revolution, malawi, nutrient-enriched grain, peanuts, rotating corn, shrubby legumes, sieglinde snapp, soybean

Rotating corn with shrubby legumes holds a key for fueling Africa's green revolution. Image credit: Michigan State University

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Crop diversification with shrubby legumes mixed with soybean and peanuts could be the key to sustaining the green revolution in Africa, according to a Michigan State University study.

The study, which appears in the Nov. 22 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, states that diversifying crops would boost production of nutrient-enriched grain by 12 percent to 23 percent, said Sieglinde Snapp, a crop and soil scientist at Michigan State University’s Kellogg Biological Station who led the study.

Malawi has been called the cradle of Africa’s green revolution. Through its government subsidizing 90 percent of fertilizer and superior corn seed costs, Malawi has reaped substantial gains in productivity of calorie-rich food. The successful program has had some unintended consequences, though, such as reliance on starchy cereals, expensive fertilizer and depleted soils. (more…)

Tag Archives: malawi

Geologists Correct a Rift in Africa

Mapping Tool Analyzes How Climate Change, Conflict and Aid Intersect in Africa

Exeter Academic Explains Chemical ‘Risk List’

Q&A: Seeking “Real World” Solutions to Global Poverty

Shrubby Crops Can Help Fuel Africa’s Green Revolution