News
Examining Climate Information Services from Production to Uptake
July 31, 2018
By Abby Love, Fatema Rajabali and Robert O’Sullivan In June, the fifth international climate change adaptation conference, Adaptation Futures, was held in Africa, a first for the conference series. Around 1,200 people attended Adaptation Futures in Cape Town with a program that reflected the growing emphasis on climate information services (CIS) in the adaptation community. […]
SWP at World Water Week
July 27, 2018
The USAID-funded Sustainable Water Partnership (SWP) will participate in a sofa session at World Water Week (August 26-31) in Stockholm, Sweden. This global annual conference, organized by Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), acts as a focal point for water experts, decision-makers, businesses and thought leaders concerned with water issues. This year’s theme is “Water, Ecosystems and […]
Providing Low-Income Customers with Life-Improving Products
July 26, 2018
By Katie Gross and Evgenia Sokolova When Lilian first saw the modern charcoal stove for sale through a local retailer in her town of Kiserian, Kenya, she admired the product. But with only 1,000 shillings (USD $10) in her pocket, she couldn’t afford to pay for the $40 stove outright. School fees were a struggle […]
Winrock Forward
July 17, 2018
Winrock President and CEO Rodney Ferguson outlines his vision for creating maximum impact. Interview by Chris Warren As the President and CEO of a development organization with projects in the U.S. and around the world, Rodney Ferguson often carves out reading time while on airplanes. On a recent trip from his home base in Washington, […]
In Nepal, Macro Lessons for Micro-Hydro
July 13, 2018
Winrock International has a long history of work in Nepal’s micro-hydro industry, and that legacy was much in evidence in a series of learning and sharing workshops put on by Sharing Learning Across Projects: Operating Micro Hydro (MHPs) as Commercially Viable Enterprises, a clean energy project in Nepal. The project is financially supported by WISIONS […]
“Hope is Not a Strategy”
June 20, 2018
“Water variability has always existed,” said USAID Climate Change Adaptation Specialist Jonathan Cook, opening the fourth and final “Sustainable Water, Resilient Communities” event. For centuries, places and people around the world have depended primarily on erratic water supplies; in Cambodia, for example, people have adapted over time to the fluctuation brought on by the annual monsoon. […]
Major Climate Challenge Solved
June 18, 2018
WASHINGTON, D.C. — June 18, 2018 — Winrock scientists have solved the vexing problem of how to remotely measure how much timber is removed from forests and the resulting greenhouse gas emissions. With breakthrough work just published in Environmental Research Letters, Dr. Tim Pearson and his team at Winrock International have developed a new method […]
“We Are the Water Users”
May 30, 2018
The devastation of torrential rains and flooding in northern Kenya grabbed the headlines last week. Cape Town, South Africa’s water crisis woke many people up to the reality of a permanent water shortage, as well as the city’s lack of preparedness and planning. Other African cities (Lagos, Accra, Addis Ababa) have faced recurrent water crises. […]
SWP to Conclude Wilson Center Series with “The Challenge of Erratic Water”
May 16, 2018
Water is indispensable, but also highly variable. Communities around the world need a reliable and predictable supply of fresh water, but outdated infrastructure, poor management, and political battles can make this difficult—and this challenge is exacerbated by fluctuating weather patterns and frequent natural disasters. In the fourth and final event of the “Sustainable Water, Resilient […]
When Improving America’s Infrastructure, Don’t Forget Forests
May 14, 2018
America’s water infrastructure is in a state of disrepair, as evidenced by disasters such as the public health crisis in Flint, Michigan and dangerous flooding at the Oroville Dam. While water infrastructure like treatment facilities, flood control systems, pipes, wastewater treatment plants and reservoirs are essential for public health and safety, our current, aging systems are inadequate for […]