AGRICULTURE-SENEGAL: Groundnut Production in Freefall

Farmers are complaining about a lack of technical assistance and the poor quality of seeds they've planted this year in the Kaolack region, Senegal's groundnut-producing area, 200 kilometres south of the capital Dakar.

HEALTH: Vaccines, Antibiotics Could Slash Pneumonia Deaths

Seven-month-old Marta lived in the central highlands of Guatemala when she came down with a high fever and rapid, shallow breathing.

LABOUR: Sorting Garbage – Green and Dignified Work

More than 1,500 representatives of waste recyclers from 13 countries, and thousands of other visitors, including the host country Brazil's left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, met last week in São Paulo, demonstrating that they are no longer pariahs in our throw-away society.

ARGENTINA: ‘Drugs Are Killing the Youngsters We’re Feeding’

"You often ask yourself why feed them if some wretch is just going to come along and sell them that rubbish," says Isabel Ruiz, who runs the Las Brujas soup kitchen in Moreno, a poor neighbourhood on the west side of the Argentine capital.

CHILE: Teen Pregnancy, a Problem That Won’t Go Away

Chile currently stands out for its spectacular progress in a number of health indicators, including maternal and child mortality and chronic malnutrition. But these successes obscure an acute social problem that refuses to yield: the steady rise in the number of teenage mothers.

DEVELOPMENT: Hunger and Conflict Go Hand in Hand

Countries emerging from conflict need more international assistance to rebuild their food production, since hunger and scarcity may prompt a return to fighting, United Nations and development officials warned this week.

MOZAMBIQUE: Quiet Progress Against HIV/AIDS

When Dorothy Kakongwe smiles, her creases tell stories no history book can recount. This elderly nurse can reflect on numerous changes in the landscape and people around her.

COTE D’IVOIRE: Without Better Storage, We Are Farming to Feed Insects

Every year, Robert Assalé, a farmer at Tangamourou in the Bondoukou region in east-central Côte d'Ivore, produces an impressive amount of yams. He harvested 30 tonnes in 2007, 42 tonnes in 2008 and has almost surpassed 50 tonnes this year.

SIERRA LEONE: New Agriculture Plan Sprouts

When in power, the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) promised that thanks to its pursuit of a pro-agriculture agenda, no Sierra Leonean would go to bed hungry by 2007. But the appointed date came and the people were still hungry. Unfortunately for the SLPP, it was an election year.

HEALTH: U.S. Urged to Double Aid to Global Projects

As the effort to achieve universal health coverage within the U.S. crawls forward in Washington, a new report by a coalition of global health organisations details how the U.S. can "help lead the world to universal access to comprehensive health care in developing countries".

GERMANY: New Govt May Neglect Development Aid

Concerns have risen with the inauguration of the new government that Germany will cut back on its commitments on international development.

CUBA: Food Security Focus of New UN Programmes

Three new international cooperation agreements channeled through the United Nations system in Cuba are aimed at strengthening food security, especially in the poorest parts of the country.

CLIMATE CHANGE-BOLIVIA: Climbing a ‘Dead’ Glacier

The rapid disappearance of glaciers and the subsequent exhaustion of water sources are pushing indigenous communities in the Bolivian highlands even further into poverty, Bolivian experts told IPS, adding that an increase in awareness about climate change is desperately needed.

DEVELOPMENT: Scandinavia Leads World in Pro-Poor Policies

Scandinavian countries pursue policies that are most effective in promoting development in poor nations, according to the latest edition of the annual "Commitment to Development Index" released by the Washington-based Centre for Global Development (CGD).

BOLIVIA: Politics, a Risky Business for Women

Taking an active part in politics in Bolivia can be a hazardous undertaking. Hundreds of reports of violence against women participating in politics attest to the risk. And while attacks go unpunished, a bill designed to protect the rights of women occupying public office has spent almost a decade in Congress waiting to be approved.

KENYA

: Practical Measures Needed on Teen Sexual Education

Kenyan teenagers are having sex. And they appear to have no clue how to go about it.

RIGHTS: Women Still Sidelined in Economic Decision-Making

Gender equality contributes to economic growth, but economic growth does not always contribute to gender equality, says the United Nations World Survey on the Role of Women in Development launched Tuesday, a message well timed in the context of the current financial crisis.

CLIMATE CHANGE: Budgeting Environmental Justice

There is a consensus that industrialised nations are mainly responsible for the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming. It should be equally clear that such responsibility should have political consequences. But it isn't.

ZAMBIA
: Fishing in Troubled Waters

In two decades of fishing on the Zambezi, Darius Wamulume has never seen anything like this. With deep ulcerations and tissue decay, the fish he has caught recently is too unsightly to sell and too suspect to eat.

WATER-BOTSWANA: A Garden In the Heart of the Village

Look, there's no drama with the borehole in Mokobeng. And that's the way it should be.

CENTRAL AMERICA: The World’s Most Violent Region

Although the UNDP's Report on Human Development in Central America 2009-2010 says the region has the highest rates of non-political crime in the world, there are nevertheless plenty of opportunities to improve public security, analysts and experts say.