Scientists have determined how to fortify the cassava plant, a staple root crop in many developing countries, with enough vitamins, minerals and protein to provide the poor and malnourished with a day’s worth of nutrition in a single meal.
The researchers have further engineered the cassava plant so it can resist the crop’s most damaging viral […]

A free and simple piece of open source software is helping manage the spread of disease in developing countries.
The Open Medical Record System (OpenMRS) is providing countries, such as South Africa, with an online patient medical record system.
Users do not require any programming knowledge for the tool which helps improve how people are treated.
Full […]

When contemplating the world’s environmental problems, it’s sometimes hard not to feel like humanity is screwed. But then you attend an event like Future Cities, a panel of sustainability experts held last night at the World Science Festival, and it seems like we might just figure out how to thrive on this planet after all.
Full […]

The number of felons walking back through the state’s prison doors for another stay dropped to an alltime low since 2004, Gov. Rod Blagojevich said recently. Blagojevich said the repeat cycle of crimes by formers offenders was halted by statewide reforms that translated into an estimated $64 million in prison costs savings for taxpayers.
Convictions among […]

For years, New Yorkers have grown basil, tomatoes and greens in window boxes, backyard plots and community gardens. But more and more New Yorkers like the Wilkses are raising fruits and vegetables, and not just to feed their families but to sell to people on their block.
This urban agriculture movement has grown even more […]

they wonder if the tribe is engaged in a shrewd chess game to block Shakopee’s development plans, then move out into open countryside to start reacquiring vast stretches of ancestral land. It’s a question emerging from New York to California as tribes riding high on casino profits have begun spending that wealth to reassert […]

So I didn’t post much stuff last week, and I didn’t do a week in review. Sorry, been busy. I’ve also been meaning to write an overview of reasons to be hopeful, like this one form last year. I’ve found Fareed Zakaria’s article “The Rise of the Rest” does a pretty good job. This […]

A group of volunteer engineers are finishing the design for a home-brewed wind turbine that will bring electricity to off-the-grid Guatemalan villages by this summer.
[…]
We’re shooting for under $100, which is a challenge, but we’re in that range.”
The effort comes amidst recent efforts to bring new light and power to small towns in the […]

From Day to Day:
To combat the skyrocketing price of flour, several Massachusetts bakeries have taken on a project that’s part Little Red Hen, part World War II Victory Garden. The bakeries are recruiting their customers to till up their lawns and gardens and plant wheat.
Listen to it at NPR
This sounds like a better solution to […]

Statement from Kiva’s web site:

We’ve funded EVERY business on the site!! Your loans are now on their way to the developing world. Those of you who have been with us for a while probably know that this has something to do with the recent glowing press we’ve received and the record traffic that has […]