News
Friends of clean air: A #thaiRAIN success story
October 17, 2024
Too hard to breathe Air pollution has topped Thailand’s environmental challenges over the past decade. According to the State of Global Air Report, toxic haze was linked to 32,200 deaths in 2019 — higher than those caused by COVID. Thailand’s average PM2.5 concentration in 2023 was 4.7 times above the World Health Organization’s air quality […]
Silent heroes: Partnering with informal waste collectors to reduce plastic pollution
October 14, 2024
Each day, massive amounts of plastic waste continue to be generated in cities across Vietnam. With 1.8 million tons of plastic discarded annually, the recycling rate of just 27% feels alarmingly inadequate. Each year, between 280,000 and 730,000 tons of plastic waste end up in the ocean — equivalent to the weight of about 2,000 […]
The Climate Q&A…with Winrock International climate leaders
October 9, 2024
This year marked the 15th annual convening of Climate Week NYC, an event held alongside the U.N. General Assembly in New York City that brings together leaders from across sectors to champion inclusive climate action. Three common and interconnected threads at this year’s event were: 1) The urgency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prepare […]
Turkmenistan bans child labor on cotton farms with support from USAID and partners
October 2, 2024
In July 2024, Turkmenistan’s minister of Labor and Social Protection adopted an order prohibiting children younger than 18 from working in cotton harvesting, officially adding “cotton picker” and “cotton grower” to the list of banned forms of child labor in the Central Asian country. The decree, which is now registered with the Ministry of Justice, is in […]
Southeast Asia “center of excellence” in the making: a #thaiRAIN success story
September 19, 2024
We need to talk about agri-food climate-smart innovations Southeast Asian farmers are facing the concrete effects of climate change, such as unusual weather, rising temperatures, water shortages, increasing pest infestations and devastating floods. The region has invested in R&D and innovations for many years, but the results have been unsatisfactory. Crop yield increases have stalled […]
First RAIN DROP excitement: A #thaiRAIN success story
September 19, 2024
Isn’t RAIN DROP refreshing? Isn’t it refreshing to feel raindrops falling from the sky? Just like that, RAIN’s grant program, called RAIN DROP, aims to revitalize Thai agriculture by enhancing the capacity of grantees — partners who will work to scale technologies among farmers. RAIN has prioritized grant programs, given that the project works with […]
Low overhead dairy grazing: Exploring the current state of dairy in the U.S. Midwest
September 19, 2024
(Feature photo image, above: Saxon Homestead Farm dairy cows grazing. Photo credit: Dan Hagenow Video Creation, LLC.) On July 18, 2024, Wallace Center and Winrock International staff hosted their first farmer workshop in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, for the Improving the Health of the Great Lakes through Profitable Low Overhead Dairy Grazing project. Funded by the Great Lakes […]
Supporting business acceleration and entrepreneurial ecosystem expansion in Senegal
September 18, 2024
Senegal has a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem yet many local entrepreneurs still struggle to recognize the value of business development services and capitalize on market opportunities. To thrive as agile leaders, entrepreneurs need real-time feedback to adapt and pivot their businesses effectively. At the same time, business development service providers require better access to market information […]
The Climate Q&A… with Krysla Lima: A transformational shift in community-based conservation and management of peatlands
September 12, 2024
Krysla Lima, senior specialist with Winrock International’s Ecosystem Services team, is a natural resources and climate-smart agriculture specialist focusing on improving economic and environmental outcomes through innovative, market-based approaches and evidence-based policy and program implementation. With over 10 years of experience in sustainable agriculture and climate change mitigation program implementation in Asia, Africa and Latin […]
Community partnerships and action to reduce pollution from open burning in Vietnam
September 10, 2024
Open burning, both of household waste and agricultural straw, is a major source of air pollution in rural and urban Vietnam, contributing to deteriorating air quality and increasing public health risks. To tackle this pressing issue, the USAID Reducing Pollution project, implemented by Winrock International, is supporting community-driven solutions aimed at reducing open burning and […]