The world is facing high rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the capacity of microorganisms to resist medicines used to treat infections. This is a major global threat of increasing concern to human and animal health, especially in the shadow of the COVID-19 global health crisis. AMR has indeed implications on...

Safe reuse of human waste helps save water, reduces and captures greenhouse gas emissions for energy production and provides agriculture with a reliable source of water and nutrients. Climate change is accelerating. Flood, drought and rising sea levels are threatening sanitation systems, from toilets to septic tanks to treatment plants. Floodwater...

The Niger River Basin is one of the largest transboundary river basins, covering a wide range of latitudes and longitudes. The climate over its area is diverse and the water availability is affected by high rainfall variability, with long periods of drought and damaging floods. There are many opportunities for...

Coastal reservoirs can harness storm water and provide water storage for coastal agriculture when inland reservoirs are insufficient.  Rapid urbanization requires very large water storages to supply water to growing cities for food and agriculture production and drinking water purposes. Coastal reservoir is an innovative concept of storing flood water from...

The Building Forward Better (BFB) Initiative applies an innovative approach to capacity development, which includes online administered and self-administered, blended, and face-to-face training programme to address existing knowledge gaps in countries affected by vulnerable conditions. The participatory process fosters the selection of topics according to national priorities, and the flexible...

The Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development is an ambitious plan of action for “people, planet and prosperity”, and so is the dedicated goal on water and sanitation (SDG 6), which plays a key role in realizing the Agenda. To ensure appropriate monitoring and reporting of results at global level, UN...

Agriculture has been the engine of overall economic growth in developing countries, whereby agriculture significantly contributes to national GDPs, rural employment levels, household food security and trade balance. The crisis generated by the spreading of COVID-19, however, is already affecting food systems under different dimensions and threatens the gains so...

In a sun-dappled orchard in Northern Pakistan, farmer and orchardist Muhammed Umer is collecting ripe fruits from bursting tree branches. After collecting a large haul of juicy pomegranates, guava and apples, he turns toward home, content with the day’s harvest. In Annar Bagh, a remote corner of Waziristan, agriculture is the...

When Sumith Bandara and Nisansala Lakmali decided to start home gardening, they had visions of lump vegetables, juicy fruits and aromatic herbs nestled in a lush garden. On an abandoned plot of land adjacent to their home, the couple started the project with only a little bit space and...