Kenya

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TV makeover show shapes up East African agricultural economies

Edutainment company Mediae's latest recipe to revive rural livelihoods in Kenya mixes agricultural education and reality TV, with a pinch of celebrity and a dash of drama.

Water collection might be easier with the help of remote sensing technology. Photo: <a href="http://www.mercycorps.org/jillmorehead/blog/25839">Jill Morehead (Mercy Corps)</a>

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A map of subterranean lakes could cut Kenya's water prices

Kenya has invisible lakes beneath its surface—an estimated 60 billion cubic metres of underground water. A new project intends to tap that untouched source to fight thirst and drought.

A Riders healthcare worker. Photo: <a href="http://www.riders.org">Riders for Health</a>

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The missing link in African health systems? The auto mechanic

Twenty-four years ago, Barry and Andrea Coleman saw women in labor being carted to hospital in wheelbarrows. Today their organisation, Riders for Health, mobilizes 3000 health workers with reliable transportation and ensures 12 million Africans have access to health care.

With new data transmitters, African hand pumps can keep the water flowing. photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldbank/2944066423/sizes/o/in/photostream/">World Bank Photo Collection (Flickr)</a>

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Another job for Africa's mobile phones: Fixing water pumps

First money, then medicine, now water: What problems can’t the mobile phone solve?

Those mangroves aren't just nice-looking - they could be delivering serious value to nearby farms just by staying put. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/aramisfirefly/3306656930/in/photostream/">Matthew Stewart (Flickr)</a>

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10 African countries will put a price on 'natural capital'

A plot of mangroves could be harvested for $850, then the land sold for $9,000 to a shrimp farmer. Or, alternatively, it could stay standing and offer $16,000 worth of flood protection to everyone nearby.

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Who needs the grid? Three ways Africans are making DIY electricity cheaper

Thanks to the One Acre Fund, microfinance is finally reaching Africa's small farmers. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lukas/4291386306/">Lukas Bergstrom (Flickr)</a>

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Why the future of rural microfinance looks a lot like the One Acre Fund

Two weeks after our coverage, the One Acre Fund was also featured in a 10-minute segment on the PBS Newshour.

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Halting HIV in Infants with SMS Technology

New technology that diagnoses HIV in infants has injected new hope into the veins of countless Kenyans.

Finding prime locations to generate solar energy in India is one application of innovative mapping technology. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hjl/54928934/sizes/m/in/photostream/">Photo: hjl (flickr)</a>

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Seeking prosperity? More often than ever, there's a map for that

New mapping innovations are helping communities around the world make their way toward relief and opportunity.

Fostering agricultural growth will minimize the need for food aid. Photo:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/breadfortheworld/6377989109/sizes/m/in/photostream/">Bread for the World (Flickr)</a>

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Aid & Subsidy Junction: What's Your Function?

The 2012 Farm Bill has reignited the food aid debate. If a few innovative policies can help alleviate hunger and trim the foreign aid budget, will governments bite?

Women in Kenya drag jerry cans of water 4 kilometers through a parched landscape. Photo by Erin Gray/Mercy Corps.

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The East Africa drought: forecasting for humanitarian aid

How bad is the drought and famine in East Africa? Climate scientist Simon Mason elaborates in this video interview.

The use of technology in humanitarian aid planning is on the rise. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22015699@N00/343384475/">Esther Gibbons (Flicker)</a>

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Technology against poverty: Three inspiring new successes

2011 is over, but the impact technology had on humanitarian aid planning last year could be just beginning to emerge.

Humanitarian issues demand immediate solutions. In 2011, a lot of solutions to crises placed heavy emphasis on technology. Here are three notable examples: