SciDev.Net

Greg O'Hare explains the what, why, when and how of cyclones, and reviews their effects in South Asia.

Bay of Bengal cyclones are often hugely destructive. India hopes to cut deaths in the region through improved storm prediction and research.

Florence Wambugu, winner of the 2008 YARA prize for African agriculture, speaks to SciDev.Net about the challenges facing the field.

Vietnam is protecting flood prone areas with barriers that make use of innovative technology.

Afghan farmers are weaning themselves off illegal poppy cultivation and branching out into other crops, reports T. V. Padma.

Cassava is getting a transgenic makeover to boost its nutritional value, shelf-life and disease resistance.

Chinese action on Olympic air pollution is a huge experiment that will be closely watched across China, and further afield, writes Wang Ying.

The Tibetan plateau is feeling the effects of climate change, with glacial retreat and permafrost degradation among the effects.

A low-tech clay water filter is proving successful in Sri Lanka, cutting disease levels and saving on fuel costs.

The first drought-tolerant maize varieties developed by the Asian Maize Network, established to tackle poor harvests, are showing promise.

A mutant strain of drought-resistant wheat is contributing to Kenya's food security, enabling the use of land previously unsuited to cultivation.

Tanzania's land is gradually being reclaimed, thanks to a new regional development programme and improved land management systems.

The UN supports forest protection in the next climate agreement, but questions on how to tackle deforestation are still being debated.

Climate change and overgrazing near Lake Hovsgol in northern Mongolia may cause irreversible damage to the surrounding ecosystem.

Climate change threatens food crops across the world. Now scientists are re-focusing their efforts on crop resilience, rather than yields.

Traditional healers are joining forces with plant chemists in Kenya to develop antimalarials isolated from plants, reports Tatum Anderson.

Brazil's successful sugarcane ethanol industry owes much to massive investment in infrastructure and research, reports Carla Almeida.

Biofuel holds promise for Africa but research is not yet in place to fully reap the rewards, or analyse the pitfalls, reports Kimani Chege.

Local efforts to put an end to aflatoxin outbreaks are helping groundnut farmers back to prosperity, reports Charles Mkoka.

An eminent Indian scientist believes India can close the urban-rural divide with information technology, writes Daemon Fairless.