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PODCAST

Nature Answers: Rural Stories from a Changing Planet

Farm Radio | Carleton University

How can nature itself help us tackle the challenges of a changing world? Each episode, we dive into an inspiring story of how a community in rural Africa is harnessing the power of nature-based solutions to adapt, thrive, and heal the planet. In Season Two, our new host Ivy Prosper takes us to her home country, Ghana, plus Uganda, Cote d’Ivoire, and Zambia, where we meet a woman growing her community, one tree at a time; young people banding together to save a swamp and the birds living in it;

science nature

All Episodes

00:29:26

How a Ghanaian village banned charcoal production —...

Nature Answers: Rural Stories from a Changing Planet ·

2025/03/20

Yaara stands as a lone, lush oasis in its part of Ghana. And yet, women in the town have to walk six miles every day to fetch water. Despite pressure from surrounding communities, Yaara has decided against cutting their trees to make a profit by producing charcoal. Why? They’re holding out hope they can bring their water access back. Community members, including Chief Nana Yaw Sumaa, the Queen Mother, and local farmers like Aisha Gbinda, share their insights on why they hope protecting the forest

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00:20:03

How one woman is changing the landscape of Uganda’s...

Nature Answers: Rural Stories from a Changing Planet ·

2025/03/06

When Jessica Sheillah Aanyu moved a six hour bus and motorcycle ride from home, she found herself asking, “What can I do to make a difference.” When an illness threatened her life, she asked herself, “What have I left behind that the world will be proud of.” The answers to these questions led to founding Trees for Life, an environmental organization started by Jessica and her husband that brings trees and education to people in her Ugandan home. This International Women’s Day, meet a woman whose

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00:23:57

What an Ivorian community gave up to protect their...

Nature Answers: Rural Stories from a Changing Planet ·

2025/02/20

Mangroves are money-makers in coastal Côte d’Ivoire. And the fish you can cook with the smoke from their branches are delicious. But the very practice of cutting down the trees to burn put the fish in danger. So people like Jean-Claude Kaké have had to make a choice: Do you keep cutting the trees to make money in order to feed your family? Or do you forgo the cash for a future that might take years to appear? Finding the answer has not been easy for people in Dabéda and Niani, in the Sassandra

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00:21:29

How these Zambian women beat a drought and made their...

Nature Answers: Rural Stories from a Changing Planet ·

2025/02/06

When the Malili Women’s Cooperative first tried new farming techniques in reaction to climate change, their community laughed at them. But what started as a simple listening group for a farming radio program has grown into a powerful, women-led farming cooperative, leading the way with nature-based solutions.These women have faced financial struggles, skepticism from their community, and even a national drought—but through perseverance and innovative farming techniques, they are proving that change

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00:25:05

How the once-polluted Mabamba swamp became a haven...

Nature Answers: Rural Stories from a Changing Planet ·

2025/01/23

The Mabamba Swamp is home to the dinosaur-like shoebill stork. But it wasn't always that way. In order to save it. Joseph Kimbagaya had to convince his friends, his elders, and ultimately the Catholic Church. In our season launch, host Ivy Prosper takes us to the lush Mabamba Swamp in central Uganda, home to over 300 bird species, including the striking shoebill stork. Hear how local leaders, tour guides, and conservationists, like Joseph Kimbagaya and Kasasa Hanington, have transformed this wetland

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00:12:11

Regrowing relationships… and trees! Plus meet our...

Nature Answers: Rural Stories from a Changing Planet ·

2025/01/16

When Ggingo first found encroachers digging up their community forest, they called the police. But they soon found that chasing people from the forest wasn’t a long term solution – so they changed tactics. In this teaser for Season 2 of Nature Answers you’ll find that conflict isn’t always the answer. And – meet our new host, Ivy Prosper. The Ghanaian-Canadian joins us from Accra, Ghana where we chat about the stories you’ll hear in the new season of Nature Answers. The full season launches on

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01:01:36

Bonus: The Future is Informed (Live Recording)

Nature Answers: Rural Stories from a Changing Planet ·

2024/12/03

Local media can make a difference — at least if it's done right. That's what these professionals had to say during a recent live podcast recording at the Cooperation Canada Forum in Ottawa, Canada. Hear from media professionals both in Canada and Africa about the power of community media in all its forms. This lively discussion saw panelists tasked with proving the impact of radio in a world of digital media, with discussing the impact of "information poverty" and with giving advice on how media can

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00:19:16

How banning wildfires sparked (and ended) a conflict...

Nature Answers: Rural Stories from a Changing Planet ·

2024/05/16

Bushfires are both a way of life, and threaten the way of life, in communities in northern Ghana. But one community, Shelanyili, made a bold change: they banned bushfires outright. The consequences of that ban ranged beyond their community, sparking conflicts, and forcing both themselves and their neighbours to reckon with what it means to change your lives to adapt to climate change. Meet Baba Salifu, a community elder who has watched the impacts climate change have made on his community and Ayi

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00:34:51

Five trees for every child: Why this community is...

Nature Answers: Rural Stories from a Changing Planet ·

2024/05/02

When Morungatuny in Uganda realized the essential need to start replanting trees in the face of their ever-depleting forests, they realized something stunning: not only was nature becoming healthier, but the trees were reducing gender-based violence and improving the community as a whole. Trees are the looming lifelines of our planet, and their roots run deep in rural Uganda. But in Morungatuny burning them for charcoal was the main economic driver of the economy. And trees were needed for firewood

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00:28:15

Taking the classroom outside: How nature is teaching...

Nature Answers: Rural Stories from a Changing Planet ·

2024/04/18

A 100-year-old mango tree grows in the heart of Kikandwa, Uganda. But not long ago, the community considered cutting it down for charcoal. Instead, everyone from school children to elders have been part of a community environmental effort. John Kaganga founded the Kikandwa Environmental Association in memory of his grandfather, who would walk hundreds of kilometers for seeds to plant trees. But it’s taken community members like Vincent Lutalo to make John’s dream of a green future a reality. Vincent

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00:11:37

What are Nature-based Solutions?

Nature Answers: Rural Stories from a Changing Planet ·

2024/04/04

What are Nature-based Solutions actually? We talk alot about them on Nature Answers, but what makes a Nature-based Solution a nature-based solution? What does it mean to have both human and ecological benefits? And why are they so important anyways? These are the questions we answer in Episode 5 of Nature Answers. Instead of a documentary episode, this week we sit down with Sareme Gebre, Farm Radio International's Nature-based Solutions Advisor. For more about Nature-based Solutions visit the

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00:27:20

How mangrove rehabilitation can save a community’s...

Nature Answers: Rural Stories from a Changing Planet ·

2024/03/21

How mangrove rehabilitation can save a community’s futureWhat can you do when the resources that pay you stop growing back? That’s the question asked by residents in Agbledomi, a coastal community in the Volta region of Ghana. Mangroves are environmental heavy hitters – they sequester carbon, prevent coastal erosion and contribute to biodiversity in intertidal areas. But they’re also an important part of the community’s economy after the construction of the Akosombo dam reduced fish populations. And

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00:31:25

What can fish do to drive recovery after a civil war

Nature Answers: Rural Stories from a Changing Planet ·

2024/03/07

After years of civil war and the challenges of restoring their environment, this community has found an innovative solution—a sustainable fish farm. Meet Betty Achen and Dennis Obote, two community members whose work, land and passion have turned fish into a future.In this episode, we visit Balwalwa, a community in the Artwotngo Parish in Northern Uganda. We hear into what it takes to establish a sustainable fish farm, the setbacks faced due to drought and market access, and the unexpected return of

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00:16:46

How can mangoes grow economies and limit wind damage

Nature Answers: Rural Stories from a Changing Planet ·

2024/02/22

When wind blew off roofs in Gagbiri in northern Ghana, the community made what turned out to be a fruitful choice: they planted mango trees! Discover how the community planted over a thousand trees, growing windbreaks and economic empowerment. Learn how women played a pivotal role, breaking cultural barriers and contributing to the project's success – and reaping the rewards of its progress as well. The thriving mango plantation not only shields homes but transforms lives, boosting income, funding

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00:20:02

What do trees have to do with rain?

Nature Answers: Rural Stories from a Changing Planet ·

2024/02/08

Inconsistent rainfall and a lack of reliable water are no small challenge for rural farmers, but two innovative communities in Ghana have found creative solutions to their water issues. The thing they both have in common? Trees! Join us in the surprisingly green landscape of Mem, where we learn about the community’s unique approach to securing rainfall—planting teak trees. Teak trees, with their towering canopies and ability to absorb carbon dioxide, have become a vital part of the community's

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00:01:22

Introducing ‘Nature Answers: Rural Stories from a...

Nature Answers: Rural Stories from a Changing Planet ·

2024/01/22

Facing down climate change seems like an enormous task. But some of the most rural and remote communities on earth are up for the challenge – and using lessons learned from nature to do it. In Nature Answers, you’ll hear stories of individuals who have come together in the face of a changing planet and learn from the rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa who are turning to nature to adapt. These are the stories of people looking to nature, about how to save nature. Hear the hopeful side of climate

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