Sad coconut leaves - Tristes feuilles de cocotier

Female children and women are working extremely hard to harvest and carry coconut leaves for various uses and business in plantations devastated by overpasture near Abidjan, West Africa, Côte d'Ivoire....

Des jeunes filles et des femmes travaillent dans des conditions extrèmement dures pour récolter et transporter des feuilles de cocotier dans des plantations dévastées par le sur-pâturage...

Child labour interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful. This practice is considered exploitative by many international organisations. Legislation across the world prohibit child labour. These laws do not consider all work by children as child labour; exceptions include work by child artists, family duties, supervised training, certain other categories of work.

Child labour has existed to varying extents, through most of history. Before 1940, numerous children aged 5–14 worked in Europe, the United States and various colonies of European powers. These children mainly worked in agriculture, home-based assembly operations, factories, mining and in services. Some worked night shifts lasting 12 hours. With the rise of household income, availability of schools and passage of child labour laws, the incidence rates of child labour fell.

In developing countries, with high poverty and poor schooling opportunities, child labour is still prevalent. Worldwide agriculture is the largest employer of child labour. Vast majority of child labour is found in rural settings and informal urban economy; children are predominantly employed by their parents, rather than factories. Poverty and lack of schools are considered as the primary cause of child labour. Globally the incidence of child labour decreased from 25% to 10% between 1960 and 2003, according to the World Bank. Nevertheless, the total number of child labourers remains high, with UNICEF and ILO acknowledging an estimated 168 million children aged 5–17 worldwide, were involved in child labour in 2013.

Put racism in the right place

Here is an impressive and efficient anti-racism advert, made in Portugal in the Framework of the Fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Creative Director: MARCELO LOURENÇO / PEDRO BEXIGA

Copy: MARCELO LOURENÇO

Art Director: PEDRO BEXIGA

Racism and racial discrimination are often used to describe discrimination on an ethnic or cultural basis, independent of whether these differences are described as racial. According to the United Nations convention, there is no distinction between the terms racial discrimination and ethnic discrimination, superiority based on racial differentiation is scientifically false, morally condemnable, socially unjust and dangerous, and there is no justification for racial discrimination, in theory or in practice, anywhere.

NEW ! "Coconut bonzai": reducing the vertical growth of Tall-type coconut palms

A traditional practice from farmers of the Mekong Delta

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In the island of Hung Phong (01008N 10622E) of the Mekong Delta, coconut farmers have a very special traditional practice. When 2 years old, the young tall coconut palm is removed from the ground, its roots and leaves are cut and, after that, the palm is planted again in the ground. Such palm will develop stem similar to those of Dwarf cultivars: no bole, very short internode distance and slow vertical growth. Farmers said that this practice causes a delay of about one year on the starting of production but does not affect the future performance of the palms.

To know more, please visit the new website: Coconut cultivation and use in Vietnam.

How to break a coconut with bare hand? - Comment casser un noix de coco à main nue?

How to break a coconut with bare hand?
Comment casser un noix de coco à main nue?

In December 2015, we were invited to participate in a scientific TV show named "On n’est pas que des cobayes” on the theme: "How to break a coconut with bare hand?". This popular scientific show from the France 5 Channel will be broadcast the Saturday, January 16, 2016 at 7pm (Paris hour) in France. More details on the website:

http://www.france5.fr/…/on-n-est-pas-que-des-cob…/diffusions

In our video, we show a traditional Polynesian technique which was not filmed in the TV show. This technique well allows a normal man to break a coconut with bare hand. Indeed, a man can do it, but what about a woman? Please check it in the video ...

Nous avons été récemment invité à participer à l’émission de télévision “On n’est pas que des cobayes” sur le thème: "comment casser une noix de coco à main nue?". Cette émission de vulgarisation scientifique de la chaîne France 5 sera diffusée en France le Samedi 16 Janvier 2016 à 19 heures. Plus de détail sur le website:...

 http://www.france5.fr/…/on-n-est-pas-que-des-cob…/diffusions

Dans notre vidéo, nous montrons une technique traditionnelle Polynésienne qui n’a finalement pas été filmée dans l’émission de télévision, mais qui permet bien à un homme normal de casser une noix de coco à main nue. A un homme, oui, mais à une femme? découvrez le dans la vidéo….

Equality, equity, security or liberty?

Equality, equity, security or liberty? Here is an image modified by Diversiflora from a previous version with only three pictures....

Egalité, équité, sécurité ou liberté? Une version modifiée par Diversiflora à partir d'un original qui comprenait seulement trois images....

Here is the original Three-pictures version...

Crumbling roads of Attécoubé in Côte d'Ivoire

Houses and roads built of the slopes and hills of Attécoubé are collapsing dur to heavy rain and erosion. Attécoubé (Ebrié: Abidjan Te) is a suburb of and one of the 10 urban communes of Abidjan, Ivory Coast. It is situated to the northwest of Abidjan's central Plateau commune overlooking the Baie du Banco. Attécoubé has a total area of 68.2 square kilometres (26.3 sq mi), 40 square kilometres (15 sq mi) of which is covered by forest and 5 square kilometres (1.9 sq mi) by Ébrié Lagoon. The commune forms part of Banco National Park.

See also:

Kouamé Appessika. 2003. A report on the urban slums in Abidjan (Ivory Coast) in Understanding Slums: Case Studies for the Global Report on Human Settlements 2003.

Houses in the Bobito shantytown, built on a hill of the Attecoube neighborhood of Abidjan, are collapsing due to heavy rains and erosion.

Dri, B. E. N., N’go, Y. A., Niamke, K. H., Ouattara, A., Toure, B., & Biemi, J. (2005). Effect of soil slope and cover on runoff and rate soil loss from experimental plots in area of Attécoubé. Editorial Advisory Board e, 21(3), 459-470.

See also

Sunday walk in the Banco rainforest inside Abidjan city

Elephants and King Coconut in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is an island country in South Asia, located about 31 km off the southern coast of India. The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage was first established by the Sri Lankan Department of Wildlife Conservation in 1975 for feeding and providing care and sanctuary to orphaned baby elephants that were found in the wild. It is located at Pinnawala village, 13 km (8.1 mi) northeast of Kegalle town in Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka. Pinnawala is now the largest herd of captive elephants in the world. In 2011, there were 88 elephants, including 89 males and 51 females from 3 generations, living in Pinnawala.

Coconut is the most widespread plantation crop in Sri Lanka, occupying 20% of the cultivated land area. The King Coconut is one of the most famous and tasty varieties found in the country. Even elephants like it....

The Sri Lankan elephant population shows a marked reduction during last five decades, mainly due to destruction of elephant habitats by development projects and illegal encroachments. With the limitations of the lands available for elephants and escalating human-elephant conflicts, domestication of the elephants appear to one of the viable way of conserving elephants. However, with the low demand for draft, domestication of elephants should be targeted on more economically attractive options such as tourism. A descriptive statistical analysis revealed that, about 8% of the sampled tourists have selected the Sri Lanka as their tours destination mainly to see the elephants while around 20% tourists arrive to Sri Lanka with an intention of watching elephants. The study revealed that more than 80% tourists like to experience the elephant rides whereas more than 60% tourists prefer experience on the elephant safaris (Bandara & Gunaratne, 2014). The survey carried out with the managers shows that more than 70 % of hotels and accommodations that are located vicinity of the parks have involved in any kind of elephant related activities as keeping elephants for tourism, promotion of elephant related activities and facilitating elephant watching.

See also:

Perera, S. A. C. N., Dissanayaka, H. D. M. A. C., Herath, H. M. N. B., Meegahakumbura, M. G. M. K., & Perera, L. (2014). Quantitative Characterization of Nut Yield and Fruit Components in Indigenous Coconut Germplasm in Sri Lanka. International Journal of Biodiversity, 2014.

De Mel, R. K., Kumara, M. R. D., Dangolla, A., Jayasekera, J., Nanayakkara, D. K. K., Rajapakse, C., ... & Weerakoon, D. K. (2013). An assessment of the stress levels of captive elephants held under different management conditions using serum cortisol levels.

Bandara, K., & Gunaratne, L. (2014). Economic potential of the tourism industry to conserve the endangered elephants in sri lanka. Wildlanka, 1(1), 17-32.