State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Agriculture34

  • New Program in Tropical Biology and Sustainability

    The Tropical Biology and Sustainability Program will allow students the opportunity to study ecology, evolutionary biology, conservation biology, environmental engineering, and sustainable development in the environmental hub of East Africa.

  • Investigating Impacts of Increased Fertilizer Use in Africa

    Investigating Impacts of Increased Fertilizer Use in Africa

    The rains came late this year in Kenya. I was there for several months in the winter and spring to conduct research for a post-doctoral fellowship, examining the consequences of increases in fertilizer use on soil fertility, maize yields, nitrogen gas emissions and nitrogen leaching losses.

  • Water Center, PepsiCo Foundation Present Sustainable Water Successes at Rio+20

    Water Center, PepsiCo Foundation Present Sustainable Water Successes at Rio+20

    The rural communities of Ceará, Brazil, had long been accustomed to drought and the problems that result: food insecurity, death of livestock, and conflict over scarce water resources. While Ceara’s problems may have been typical of a water scarce region in the developing world, the work of the Columbia Water Center and PepsiCo Foundation has…

  • Water Shortages in Jordan

    Water Shortages in Jordan

    By Melissa von Mayrhauser Jordan is the third most water scarce country in the world, while its population is rising at approximately 3% annually. Columbia’s SEE-U Jordan program is investigating the reasons behind the country’s lack of water security while also considering possible solutions. We dove into our studies by swimming in the Red and…

  • Daniel Hillel, Originator of High-Efficiency Irrigation, to Receive World Food Prize

    Daniel Hillel, Originator of High-Efficiency Irrigation, to Receive World Food Prize

    Daniel Hillel, an adjunct senior scientist at Columbia University’s Earth Institute, has been awarded the World Food Prize for his work in conceiving and promoting water-saving methods that have increased crop production on arid lands in 30 countries.

  • Daniel Hillel, Pioneer in High-Efficiency Irrigation, to Receive World Food Prize

    A Career in 30 Nations, From the 1950s to Today

  • Goals for Rio: A Path to Sustainability

    Goals for Rio: A Path to Sustainability

    In an article published in The Lancet, Earth Institute Director Jeffrey Sachs outlines his own ideas for sustainable development goals, and how how these goals can build on the Millennium Development Goals, the UN’s set of targets that aim to reduce extreme poverty and boost social well-being in many other ways by 2015.

  • Photo Essay: In the Heart of Dryness

    Photo Essay: In the Heart of Dryness

    Explore the country of Niger in this visual essay while learning about the importance of seasonal forecasting to the Sahel, one of the poorest and most climate-vulnerable regions in the world.

  • Capstone Workshop and Bangladesh Presentations 2012

    Capstone Workshop and Bangladesh Presentations 2012

    By: Deborah Sachare Students in the Undergraduate Program in Sustainable Development gathered at the end of the spring semester as part of the Capstone Workshop in Sustainable Development, to present their final recommendations to clients and members of the Columbia University community. The goal of the workshop is to bring together the theoretical and environmental…

  • New Program in Tropical Biology and Sustainability

    The Tropical Biology and Sustainability Program will allow students the opportunity to study ecology, evolutionary biology, conservation biology, environmental engineering, and sustainable development in the environmental hub of East Africa.

  • Investigating Impacts of Increased Fertilizer Use in Africa

    Investigating Impacts of Increased Fertilizer Use in Africa

    The rains came late this year in Kenya. I was there for several months in the winter and spring to conduct research for a post-doctoral fellowship, examining the consequences of increases in fertilizer use on soil fertility, maize yields, nitrogen gas emissions and nitrogen leaching losses.

  • Water Center, PepsiCo Foundation Present Sustainable Water Successes at Rio+20

    Water Center, PepsiCo Foundation Present Sustainable Water Successes at Rio+20

    The rural communities of Ceará, Brazil, had long been accustomed to drought and the problems that result: food insecurity, death of livestock, and conflict over scarce water resources. While Ceara’s problems may have been typical of a water scarce region in the developing world, the work of the Columbia Water Center and PepsiCo Foundation has…

  • Water Shortages in Jordan

    Water Shortages in Jordan

    By Melissa von Mayrhauser Jordan is the third most water scarce country in the world, while its population is rising at approximately 3% annually. Columbia’s SEE-U Jordan program is investigating the reasons behind the country’s lack of water security while also considering possible solutions. We dove into our studies by swimming in the Red and…

  • Daniel Hillel, Originator of High-Efficiency Irrigation, to Receive World Food Prize

    Daniel Hillel, Originator of High-Efficiency Irrigation, to Receive World Food Prize

    Daniel Hillel, an adjunct senior scientist at Columbia University’s Earth Institute, has been awarded the World Food Prize for his work in conceiving and promoting water-saving methods that have increased crop production on arid lands in 30 countries.

  • Daniel Hillel, Pioneer in High-Efficiency Irrigation, to Receive World Food Prize

    A Career in 30 Nations, From the 1950s to Today

  • Goals for Rio: A Path to Sustainability

    Goals for Rio: A Path to Sustainability

    In an article published in The Lancet, Earth Institute Director Jeffrey Sachs outlines his own ideas for sustainable development goals, and how how these goals can build on the Millennium Development Goals, the UN’s set of targets that aim to reduce extreme poverty and boost social well-being in many other ways by 2015.

  • Photo Essay: In the Heart of Dryness

    Photo Essay: In the Heart of Dryness

    Explore the country of Niger in this visual essay while learning about the importance of seasonal forecasting to the Sahel, one of the poorest and most climate-vulnerable regions in the world.

  • Capstone Workshop and Bangladesh Presentations 2012

    Capstone Workshop and Bangladesh Presentations 2012

    By: Deborah Sachare Students in the Undergraduate Program in Sustainable Development gathered at the end of the spring semester as part of the Capstone Workshop in Sustainable Development, to present their final recommendations to clients and members of the Columbia University community. The goal of the workshop is to bring together the theoretical and environmental…