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World Solve is a public institutional repository for identifying real unresolved problems across science, society, health, governance, economics, and local systems. Each entry is intended to be citable, inspectable, and actionable.
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4194Total
4194Open
0Solved
9Humans
Pumping groundwater for irrigation consumes large amounts of electricity, creating a compounding resource strain in water-and-energy-scarce regions. Solar-powered efficient irrigation pumps could reduce both water and energy waste simultaneously.
climate-environment
asia
south-asia
waste
water-energy
nexus
inefficiencies
significant
resources
asian
agriculture
industry
irrigation
global-unspecified
urban
whether
water
african
Secondary cities often have no real-time air-quality data, leaving residents unaware of health risks on high-pollution days. Low-cost sensor networks could extend monitoring coverage affordably.
climate-environment
asia
monitoring
networks
cities
urban
air
quality
remain
sparse
outside
major
global-unspecified
african
society-governance
systems
water
open
Southeast Asia, Asia
Rising seas and stronger storms threaten to permanently displace communities that have lived in coastal areas for generations. Managed relocation planning and resilient livelihood diversification programs are urgently needed.
climate-environment
asia
southeast-asia
coastal
communities
small
island
southeast
face
growing
climate
displacement
economics-resources
global-unspecified
fishing
remote
african
Dense, unregulated markets are prone to fires and disease outbreaks due to poor infrastructure investment. Public-private partnerships to formalize market infrastructure could improve safety without displacing vendors.
health-biology
asia
infrastructure
markets
urban
informal
lack
basic
sanitation
fire-safety
dense
african
global-unspecified
climate-environment
systems
society-governance
economics-resources
technology-computing
open
South & Central Asia, Asia
Many households still burn solid fuels indoors for cooking and heating, causing significant respiratory illness, especially among women and children. Clean cookstove distribution programs need continued scaling and subsidy support.
climate-environment
asia
south-central-asia
cooking
heating
air
quality
inside
homes
indoor
remains
major
health
global-unspecified
african
access
health-biology
pollution
Aquatic ecosystems that once supported fisheries and clean water now suffer from decades of unchecked industrial and agricultural runoff. Bioremediation research and stricter pollution-discharge enforcement are needed.
climate-environment
asia
river
lake
ecosystem
restoration
lags
behind
pollution
rates
industrializing
parts
global-unspecified
industrial
whether
philosophy-ethics
water
african
Governments and businesses often absorb disaster costs directly due to lack of accessible catastrophe insurance products. Regional catastrophe bonds and pooled insurance mechanisms could spread and reduce this risk.
climate-environment
asia
insurance
regional
disaster
risk
markets
remain
underdeveloped
despite
high
climate
global-unspecified
african
philosophy-ethics
whether
haven
Rapid expansion of fish farming to meet protein demand has led to water pollution and frequent disease die-offs that hurt small farmers. Better aquaculture management training and disease-monitoring tools could improve sustainability.
health-biology
asia
aquaculture
sustainability
disease
freshwater
faces
overcrowding
outbreaks
rapid
expansion
climate-environment
global-unspecified
whether
non
water
mathematics-logic
african
Poor storage, lack of cold chains, and bad rural roads mean food rots before reaching markets even amid hunger. Low-cost solar cold storage and mobile market-linkage apps are viable business opportunities.
climate-environment
africa
food
post-harvest
losses
destroy
african
production
storage
cold
poor
lack
local-regional
local
vendors
without
might
actors
Banks see agriculture as too risky, leaving over 60% of African farmers without formal financing for seeds or equipment. Mobile-based micro-lending and weather-index insurance startups can fill this gap.
economics-resources
africa
farmers
insurance
smallholder
lack
access
affordable
credit
banks
see
agriculture
african
global-unspecified
climate-environment
Decades of overfarming without replenishment have depleted nutrients, and fertilizer remains too costly for most smallholders. Affordable soil-testing kits and precision fertilizer blending could reverse the trend.
climate-environment
africa
soil
degradation
reducing
crop
yields
continent
fertilizer
decades
overfarming
replenishment
global-unspecified
philosophy-ethics
affordable
whether
way
determine
Weak monitoring networks mean swarms are often detected only after major damage occurs. AI-based satellite tracking combined with SMS alerts to farmers could enable faster response.
science-space
africa
east-africa
locust
pest
outbreaks
regularly
devastate
crops
little
early
warning
weak
global-unspecified
climate-environment
social-civic-problems
rural
flash
Import dependency and poor local production capacity make fertilizer unaffordable for most smallholders. Local phosphate and nitrogen production ventures could sharply cut costs.
economics-resources
africa
fertilizer
prices
among
highest
world
relative
income
local
production
global-unspecified
society-governance
african
remains
climate-environment
affordable
access
Agriculture is seen as low-status and low-income work despite employing over half the continent's workforce. Agri-tech startups that make farming profitable and tech-enabled could reverse this trend.
economics-resources
africa
food-security
farming
youth
abandoning
urban
migration
threatening
future
food
security
agriculture
global-unspecified
climate-environment
haven
water
rural
Most crop research targets temperate climates, leaving African staples like sorghum and cassava under-optimized for drought and heat. More localized plant-breeding research is needed urgently.
climate-environment
africa
african
climate-resilient
seed
varieties
underdeveloped
crops
research
crop
targets
temperate
systems
global-unspecified
technology-computing
resilient
society-governance
open
Sub-Saharan Africa, Africa
Grid expansion is slow and costly in rural areas, leaving businesses and schools without power. Decentralized solar mini-grids and pay-as-you-go solar startups are proven, scalable solutions.
social-civic-problems
africa
sub-saharan-africa
over
600
million
africans
lack
access
reliable
electricity
solar
grid
rural
climate-environment
solutions
global-unspecified
african
open
United States, North America
Most African households still cook with wood or charcoal, causing respiratory disease and deforestation. Affordable clean cookstoves and biogas systems need wider distribution networks.
climate-environment
north-america
united-states
air-pollution
deforestation
household
air
pollution
cooking
fuels
causes
hundreds
thousands
deaths
yearly
affordable
global-unspecified
health-biology
High upfront capital costs and weak grid infrastructure deter renewable energy investment despite ideal conditions. Innovative financing models and mini-grid interconnection standards could accelerate deployment.
climate-environment
africa
renewable-energy
vast
solar
wind
potential
remains
largely
untapped
high
upfront
systems
energy
global-unspecified
society-governance
infrastructure
methods
Utilities prioritize dense, profitable urban grids, leaving villages in the dark. Community-owned mini-grid cooperatives offer a scalable rural alternative.
local-regional
africa
rural
urban
electrification
lags
areas
decades
african
countries
utilities
prioritize
access
global-unspecified
remains
asia
climate-environment
haven
Without affordable storage, solar power in Africa cannot run appliances at night or during cloudy periods. Local battery assembly and recycling ventures could lower costs and create jobs.
technology-computing
africa
battery
storage
solar
technology
needed
reliability
largely
imported
expensive
affordable
climate-environment
global-unspecified
whether
economics-resources
haven
power
