From insurgency to opportunity: how reforestation is building a better life in Alebelebe
Nature Answers: Rural Stories from a Changing PlanetShow Notes
Before the guns came, Alebelebe Village was alive with trees, rain, and abundance. What happened next, and how this community found its way back, is a story you won't soon forget. In this episode, we take you to Alebelebe Village in the Lira District of Uganda, where the Lord's Resistance Army insurgency forced families from their homes and shattered the rhythms of life they had always known. When residents finally returned, they found their land damaged and their livelihoods gone. Desperate to survive, many turned to cutting down trees to produce charcoal, which was a decision that deepened the crisis, stripped the land bare, and drove away the rain.
More from Nature Answers: Rural Stories from a Changing Planet
In this episode, host Ivy Prosper takes us to Kamonaayili in northern Ghana, where farmers are using biochar, made from burned plant waste, to improve soil fertility, retain moisture and increase crop yields. We hear from farmers of different generations about how this nature-based solution is helping families improve food security, build financial independence and invest in their children’s futures. As harvests improve, young people are finding new opportunities in farming, and some who left the community are returning home.
What if restoring mangroves could help bring fish back to a community?
In the Volta region of Ghana, the coastal community of Vodja has already lost 90% of its land mass to rapid sea erosion. Nestled precariously between a lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean, residents are refusing to let the water claim the rest of their homes. Host Ivy Prosper travels to the shoreline to meet the local committee turning to a nature-based shield—massive coconut plantations—to stabilize the sand, reclaim their beach, and hold back the rising tide.
Season 4 of Nature Answers will be in your feed THIS Thursday! More about Nature Answers: Rural Stories from a Changing Planet at farmradio.org/natureanswers
In this episode, we sit down with a key project coordinator to explore the vital intersection of community radio, climate resilience, and rural collaboration. Our guest unpacks their precise role within the Movement for Impact and Sustainable Action (MISA) and the Nature-Based Solutions project. We learn how they manage relationships with local broadcasters—including Breeze FM—and coordinate rural listening groups. The conversation clarifies the geographic reach of these initiatives, detailing how check-ins are conducted across Eastern Province to ensure high engagement and reliable feedback loops.