The news could hardly be worse. Just like the rest of Africa, Zimbabwe, a country where 80 per cent of the 10 million population rely on wood to cook their meals, is running out of firewood. The drought there is the worst in a century, with rainfall in many areas less than a quarter of normal years.
Without trees and shrubs to provide the fire to cook their staple foods, rural people face malnutrition as they are forced to live off roots and berries that become scarcer as demand grows. Hence trees are needed that combine the vital elements of rapid growth, good burning characteristics and strong resistance to drought.
These come from the tropical savannas, broad grasslands scattered thinly with trees and shrubs, which span 20 per cent of the Earth's surface and extend over some 15 to 20 degrees of latitude between the tropics. In Africa, they cover ...
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