Nature Answers: Rural Stories from a Changing Planet

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.

Content warning: This episode contains descriptions of domestic violence and pregnancy loss, and may be distressing to some listeners. This is Part 2 of a two-part series. In the previous episode, we heard how deforestation reshaped the lives and safety of women in Katagi Village, Uganda. What does it truly take to rebuild both ecosystems and lives, and is restoring the forest enough? In this powerful conclusion to a two-part series, host Ivy Prosper returns to Katagi Village in Uganda, where the ripple effects of deforestation and climate change reach far beyond the land. As poverty deepens and access to education remains out of reach, many women find themselves trapped in cycles of dependence and abuse. Through deeply personal stories, we hear from Annet Nassanga, Zigama Elivania, and Kyalinkunda Esiter, who share how environmental destruction has shaped their lives, as well as how community, education, and financial independence are helping them rebuild their futures.

In this episode, host Ivy Prosper takes us to Biasso, where fish farming is helping a community adapt to climate change through practical, Nature-based Solutions. As Marina and other residents share, what began as a necessity has grown into a model of resilience, supporting both livelihoods and long-term sustainability.

Climate change skeptics in their community doubted them. Still, Bebane Mahadi’s joined forces with other young farmers, dug up two wells, and manually installed an innovative irrigation system that saved them during the 2016 drought.

In this season finale of Nature Answers, we meet a cooperative of people recovering from addiction who are turning agricultural waste into sustainable charcoal and soil-enhancing biochar.

When Cornwell Hademu, of Choma, Zambia, started mentoring the women of nearby Mbole, he was sure it would help them on their fields and their farms. What wasn’t clear was just how far that mentorship would take the women.

In Northern Uganda, a community once torn apart by war is regrowing its future—one tree at a time.

In Kugzua, Ghana, farmers were falling sick. They soon determined the cause: chemical fertilizer. But faced with a choice between poor crops and poor health, farmers stuck with what they were told would keep them fed—until they encountered another option.

When Jessica Sheillah Aanyu survived a life threatening illness, she asked herself what she could leave behind that the world would be proud of. The answer became Trees for Life, an environmental organization bringing trees and education to people in her Ugandan home.

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.

When Gingo 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.

When Shelanyili boldly banned bushfires outright it sparked conflicts and forced both the community and their neighbors to reckon with both protecting tradition while adapting to climate change.