August 2022
An agricultural crisis is plaguing the Punjab. Encouraged to change to higher yield, but more demanding crops, thousands of farming families are now in serious debt. As a result, suicides among the male community of farmers have been rising. In the August issue of Geographical we visit some of the women left behind to manage their families and their remaining land. Facing impossible situations, they have nevertheless banded together to campaign for recognition and change, finding the strength to continue in the new friendships they have forged.
Meanwhile, regular contributor Nick Redmayne recounts his recent trip to Syria, where he found a country decimated by war yet still limping on. We return to the subject of desalination, asking whether the controversial technology can counter some of the world’s most serious fresh-water crises – which are only predicted to get worse. And we look closer at an intriguing study on rewilding, which promises big results.
