Territories and heritages

8 results

Small-scale family farming, an age-old model and sustainable solution for the Global South

Family farming, an age-old way of working the land, also embodies a tangible future for sustainable farming in the Global South. It a crucial and promising sector, in light of the number of farmers involved, production volumes, surface areas cultivated, well-established growing practices and...
Paysage rural sahélien avec arbres et cultures à leurs pieds.

The Great Green Wall, for the benefit of environments and rural societies in the Sahelo-Saharan zone

The Great Green Wall is an unprecedented project designed to mitigate the effects of climate change and combat land degradation and poverty in the Sahelo-Saharan zone. The project represents much more than a simple reforestation initiative on the edge of the desert. It mobilizes scientists...
Elephant and her baby entering a river to bathe, accompanied by their mahout.

The valuable knowledge of elephant pharmacists

Scientists are carefully studying the incredible knowledge of the domesticated elephants of Laos. These pachyderms are genuine experts on their environment and inspire the therapeutic practices of their mahouts and local populations.

The unexpected and little-known figures of Cuba-Africa relations

Time-honoured and varied, the relationship between Cuba and Africa is the focus of a recent scientific publication coordinated by IRD specialists. The work reveals little-known and fascinating aspects of the subject, with new knowledge of Cuban civil cooperation, the destiny of the actors involved...

Safou fruit reveals dynamic urban genetic diversity

Disturbances linked to human activity - overexploitation, deforestation, climate change etc. - are all threats to the genetic diversity of plants. However, city dwellers with cultivated gardens can play a key role in protecting species. A multidisciplinary study combining genetics and ethnoecology...

As India urbanises, access to services is uneven

In her new book, Marie-Helène Zérah, Research Director at IRD and member of the Centre for Social Science Studies on the African, American and Asian Worlds (CESSMA), examines the great disparities in India in terms of access to water, sanitation and electricity services. In this country that has...
Group of African women galvanized by prayer, almost in a trance.

Religious Reconfiguration in the Global South

Challenging the simplistic stereotype of a binary geopolitical and religious landscape, defined by the inevitable opposition between the Muslim South and the Christian North, the academic work conducted by IRD and its partners reveals a much more nuanced situation. Their research has explored the...
Petites maisons colorées sur un bout de terre entourée de mer

Islands and island environments faced with global changes

Openness to the outside world, incorporation within the global economy but also the growth in natural risks and rising sea levels.... With their unique characteristics, often under threat, island environments and communities are today faced with unprecedented destabilising factors.