India, the world’s second-largest producer of rice, is sitting on a mountain of raw material, without realistic options to cash in on it. So each year, farmers burn around 90 million tons of rice straw, releasing a considerable amount of C02 in the process. Indian and Dutch public and private organisations have created the Biomass India consortium to convert this waste into climate-positive products.

Greenery makes cities more attractive, improving quality of life. But not many people know that urban green spaces can also make cities more climate resilient. In Shanghai, Niek Roozen Landscape has found a way that perfectly balances decorative green with functional advantages. This protects the Chinese metropolis from floods and drought, while simultaneously making it a better place to live.

Singapore is better known for its skyscrapers than its farms. Less than one per cent of the country’s territory is agricultural land, and it imports over 90% of its food. This makes Singapore particularly vulnerable to fluctuations on the world food market. To remedy this, the government wants to boost local food production and has set a goal to produce 30 percent of its nutritional needs locally by 2030. Singaporean-Dutch partnership Urban Farming Partners Singapore (UFPSG) is keen to support this ambitious goal.