Oct 5, 2025 07:19 PM
Ethiopia: When soils become a tool against climate change
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1100781
INTRO: In the upper Abbay basin, cradle of the Blue Nile, a team of researchers have predicted soils of the future: what will happen to soil organic carbon if we bet on regenerative agriculture—returning residues, organic manure, cover crops, agroforestry? Their 50-year modelling unveils a mixed picture: yes, land can regain fertility and resilience if we feed soils more; but under warming and increasingly erratic rains, these benefits weaken and vary greatly across territories. A lesson in science and field realities, published on October 1, 2025, and authored by Wuletawu Abera, Amsalu Tilaye, Degefie Tibebe, and Assefa Abegaz... (MORE - details, no ads)
Africa, climate, and food: How to feed a continent without increasing its carbon footprint
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1100745
INTRO: Africa’s population will reach around 2.5 billion by 2050. This reality translates into a simple but complex challenge: produce more without emitting more. Today, agrifood systems account for nearly a third of global emissions. On the continent, the footprint increased by about 40% between 2000 and 2021, rising from 2.03 to 2.85 Gt CO₂e. This rise has not been uniform: some subregions, such as East and Central Africa, saw faster growth, often linked to expanding croplands and herds. Elsewhere, soil management policies, modest mechanization, and more advanced urbanization slowed the curve—but did not reverse it.
At the heart of this equation, the Congo Basin—the world’s second tropical lung—plays a key role. The steady loss of primary rainforests—several million hectares since the early 2000s—threatens essential carbon sinks and undermines rural livelihoods. Every hectare saved, every farm established without cutting ancient forests, counts twice: for the climate and for local incomes.
Faced with demographic and food pressures, the study underlines an often-forgotten truth: there is no single “Africa,” but many Africas. Agroecological contexts, production systems, water access, and market structures vary greatly. The solution, therefore, is not one uniform “grand plan” but differentiated pathways. In forest zones, the priority is curbing deforestation and restoring landscapes. In pastoral regions, cutting methane from ruminants through better feeding and animal health. In rice plains, managing water and nitrogen to curb emissions without lowering yields. And in urban supply basins, modernizing collection, processing, and transport so that every kilo produced actually reaches a plate..
The good news: these pathways already exist, are being tested, and generate co-benefits (income, jobs, resilience to climate shocks). The challenge now is to accelerate, support, and scale them up... (MORE - details, no ads)
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1100781
INTRO: In the upper Abbay basin, cradle of the Blue Nile, a team of researchers have predicted soils of the future: what will happen to soil organic carbon if we bet on regenerative agriculture—returning residues, organic manure, cover crops, agroforestry? Their 50-year modelling unveils a mixed picture: yes, land can regain fertility and resilience if we feed soils more; but under warming and increasingly erratic rains, these benefits weaken and vary greatly across territories. A lesson in science and field realities, published on October 1, 2025, and authored by Wuletawu Abera, Amsalu Tilaye, Degefie Tibebe, and Assefa Abegaz... (MORE - details, no ads)
Africa, climate, and food: How to feed a continent without increasing its carbon footprint
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1100745
INTRO: Africa’s population will reach around 2.5 billion by 2050. This reality translates into a simple but complex challenge: produce more without emitting more. Today, agrifood systems account for nearly a third of global emissions. On the continent, the footprint increased by about 40% between 2000 and 2021, rising from 2.03 to 2.85 Gt CO₂e. This rise has not been uniform: some subregions, such as East and Central Africa, saw faster growth, often linked to expanding croplands and herds. Elsewhere, soil management policies, modest mechanization, and more advanced urbanization slowed the curve—but did not reverse it.
At the heart of this equation, the Congo Basin—the world’s second tropical lung—plays a key role. The steady loss of primary rainforests—several million hectares since the early 2000s—threatens essential carbon sinks and undermines rural livelihoods. Every hectare saved, every farm established without cutting ancient forests, counts twice: for the climate and for local incomes.
Faced with demographic and food pressures, the study underlines an often-forgotten truth: there is no single “Africa,” but many Africas. Agroecological contexts, production systems, water access, and market structures vary greatly. The solution, therefore, is not one uniform “grand plan” but differentiated pathways. In forest zones, the priority is curbing deforestation and restoring landscapes. In pastoral regions, cutting methane from ruminants through better feeding and animal health. In rice plains, managing water and nitrogen to curb emissions without lowering yields. And in urban supply basins, modernizing collection, processing, and transport so that every kilo produced actually reaches a plate..
The good news: these pathways already exist, are being tested, and generate co-benefits (income, jobs, resilience to climate shocks). The challenge now is to accelerate, support, and scale them up... (MORE - details, no ads)