How to Change the Size of Raindrops

How to Change the Size of Raindrops

From Working Hours by Western Studios, Leeds Ltd

March 30, 2026 · 1h 35m · Season 7 · Episode 2

About this episode

Tony Crooks discusses his work on a $3 billion program to restore water cycles in East and Southern Africa.

Recorded on 28/01/2026 Tony Crooks started LeedsNet.com, the first public information service for Leeds, thirty years ago in 1996, before the internet got to the UK. He had 54 telephone lines, with a modem for each line, in the back to back house in Harehills he lived in at the time. Originally starting his working life in horticulture, Tony became an award‑winning cabinet maker, and he has carried that mind-set of having the right tools for the job into his role as Group Head of Research and Development at Aotea Global, where he now applies the right mix of knowledge, methods, and on‑the‑ground practices to solve real problems for communities and governments across Africa. Welcome to How to Change the Size of Raindrops. Tony is leading a massive $3 billion program to restore water cycles across East and Southern Africa. By re-greening huge areas of barren land with simple, natural methods the program will end floods and droughts, deliver full food-security to the nations involved, and enable them to export food in future years—just what Europe and the UK will need as climate change cuts their crop yields. All the tools needed to fix these problems already exist; some are modern…

People in this episode

Guest: Tony Crooks

Topics covered

  • water cycles
  • climate change
  • sustainability
  • agriculture
  • community development

Keywords

  • raindrops
  • water restoration
  • food security
  • climate solutions
  • sustainable agriculture

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: LeedsNet.com, Aotea Global

Places: East and Southern Africa

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