Water security is a global problem with political, social, economic, and technological obstacles. Although there are significant challenges, new advances in the use of renewable power to support wastewater treatment open the door to affordable and flexible solutions that can help alleviate water scarcity. Wastewater treatment and reuse is not only critical to improving public…
A well-established energy system aids all sectors, from commerce, technology, and communications, to health, education, agriculture and infrastructure. Conversely, a dearth of reliable energy constrains human and economic development. While 222 million people have gained access to electricity in recent years, one in five — or 1.1 billion people worldwide — still lack access. Many…
It is early November and I glance at my phone to check the daily forecast. It is a balmy 79 degrees Fahrenheit in Washington, D.C. — unusually warm so late in the year, but noticeably more commonplace in recent years. According to data gathered by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 2016 was the…
This post originally appeared on the SEEP Network‘s blog. Discussing failure is difficult because it implies that someone didn’t do their job well. Too often, the discussion stops there. Yet, the complexity of our work means that forces beyond our control often influence the outcomes of our programs, making it worth finding a way to discuss…
This post originally appeared on Climatelinks. Malaria kills hundreds of thousands of people worldwide every year (over 90 percent of these deaths occur in Africa) and diarrheal disease is the second leading cause of death in children under five years old. Large investments in health have led to significant declines in both diseases; however, emerging evidence suggests that climate…
In 1947 and again in 2005, the Gallup Poll asked Americans what they thought was the greatest invention ever made. In both cases, Americans overwhelmingly chose electricity. Yet across the world more than 1 billion people, largely in rural areas, still lack access to electricity’s transformative potential. 600 million of those people reside in Africa.…
Husaini Abdullahi, a farmer in the Abaya Dagwaji community of Jigawa, Nigeria, just took his first step towards an aflatoxin-safe future. His three-hectare farm is dedicated to groundnut intercropped with maize, both of which are highly susceptible to aflatoxin contamination. Aware of the dangers of aflatoxin, Husaini is now taking the measures to ensuring a…
Decades of work to disrupt cycles of violence in developing countries has resulted in some promising, replicable approaches. Yet, to get to a “best-fit” approach within a particular country, we know that we cannot simply cut and paste strategies and tools from one context to the next. Considering this, what can market research conducted by…
Think we’ve made progress in maternal and newborn health (MNH) in the past 30 years? You’re right: Maternal mortality has dropped from 550,000 deaths due to pregnancy-related causes a year to 303,000, and newborn mortality from 4.4 million to 2.7 million newborns each year. But if you think that still sounds like a lot of…
Uganda has the world’s second-youngest population with 8 million youth aged 15 to 30 and a growing job gap: Each year 400,000 youth enter the labor market and compete for 80,000 formal jobs. With a high population growth rate, job seekers are expected to reach 48 million by 2040. Reliant on agriculture, Uganda sits at…
Why the corporate sector? Corporate investment in global development activities has steadily increased for over a decade. According to a study conducted by Devex in 2014, many development experts expect corporate global development to triple by 2025 while bilateral aid shrinks by 30 percent. Given these market trends, it is not surprising that development agencies…
Why is social inclusion important for the development of Pakistan? Social inclusion of women is crucial to the development of Pakistan. Regarding economic growth, 24 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) is derived from the agriculture sector, and over 55 percent of that sector is livestock. Small farmers own more than 85 percent…