With Murunga, There Is No Need For Miracles
Chefs / Farmers / Gardeners / Whetstone

With Murunga, There Is No Need For Miracles

Sometime in the ‘80s, my husband watched in fascination as a beautiful woman in a yellow saree cut down a whole murunga (or moringa) tree. The Tamil film was K. Bhagyaraj’s Mundhanai Mudichu, the title a reference to the knot at the edge of a woman’s saree pallu where she might tie a few coins for … Continue reading

With elephants and humans in conflict, Sri Lanka looks for new solutions
Al Jazeera / Conservationists / Farmers

With elephants and humans in conflict, Sri Lanka looks for new solutions

    It is difficult to predict when the elephants will come. As darkness falls around Udawalawe National Park, the 52 villages that speckle its borders go on alert. Thin wire fences hum with the threat of electricity. Across the dry zone, farmers climb up into rudimentary treehouses overlooking their paddy fields. They must try … Continue reading

Robots lending a helping hand on Australia’s farms
Al Jazeera / Engineers / Falling Walls Science Journalism Fellow / Farmers / Scientists

Robots lending a helping hand on Australia’s farms

For a change, Kevin Sanders has decided to let someone, or more accurately, something else count the apples in his orchard. This isn’t the first time his idyllic farm down in Australia’s Yarra Valley has played host to robots and their handlers, so Sanders knows what to expect. Moving soundlessly down the corridors between trees, … Continue reading

Sri Lanka: Ancient innovations combat water woes
Aid Workers / Al Jazeera / Engineers / Farmers / Researchers / Scientists

Sri Lanka: Ancient innovations combat water woes

Puhudiwula, Sri Lanka –  In the district of Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka, Puhudiwula is a village of abandoned wells. Though new and well-built, these wells can be found in every garden, costing around 100,000 rupees ($700) to build. The villagers, however, will not drink or even cook with the water, which they believe is driving … Continue reading