SciDev.Net

An agricultural scientist whose work in sorghum improvement has benefited African farmers has won the World Food Prize.

Can nanosponges solve a continent's water contamination problems? Munyaradzi Makoni investigates.

Using low-soot stoves in Africa and Asia would cut levels of black carbon, which warms the atmosphere.

Fostering a research culture has put Uganda's Makerere University back on its feet and is inspiring others, says Peter Wamboga-Mugirya.

Is hydroponics — a system using no soil and very little water — a route to increased food security? Some Cape Verdean farmers think so.

Debate between locals and scientists is all the rage in Uganda — and the discussions are being taken to the next generation too.

The Internet is spreading to villages in the developing world — but sometimes in unexpected ways, reports Katherine Nightingale.

Is a South African row over academic freedom rooted in objections to post-apartheid reforms or to abrasive management, asks Sharon Davis.

Yvo de Boer, the UN climate chief, speaks to SciDev.Net about getting clean technology into the developing world.

Mozambique's science and technology minister, Venâncio Massingue, tells SciDev.Net how he hopes to ensure that science benefits everyone.

A peanut butter-like paste has been proposed to curb childhood malnutrition, but critics claim there is little evidence for its success.

A mobile phone application called EpiSurveyor proved instrumental in monitoring and containing a polio outbreak in Kenya.

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

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

Vaccines for non-infectious illness could help developing nations tackle the growing burden of chronic disease. Maryke Steffens reports.

Abdallah S. Daar speaks to SciDev.Net about the Grand Challenges in Chronic Non-communicable Diseases initiative.

Small-scale solar power is taking off in Kenya due to its ease and cost-effectiveness — a welcome change from costly, unreliable electricity.

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

Prudence Mutowo, winner of a 2006 L'Oreal UNESCO fellowship, speaks to SciDev.Net about her experiences as a woman in science.

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