hothousands of volunteers in0”" india are helping to save local lakes and rivers. dwindling diversity -- how the seed industry is booming at the cost of crop variety. and finding hope -- how guatemala is trying to turn the tide on its migration crisis.

at the end of 2021, one in five refugees worldwide came from south and central america. their exodus is caused by political crisis, a lack of food, collapsing healthcare systems, and also corruption and rising crime. their desired destination -- the usa and canada, where they're often less than welcome. our report from guatemala looks at initiatives that are hoping to give people a brighter future, in their own country. reporter: the u.s. border is about 2300 kilometers away. rafael coc rax would love nothing more than to just keep on riding and leave the hardship of life in guatemala behind him. likealf the population of the country, he works in

agriculture. extreme weather is increasing the frequency of droughts and floods. farmers are anxious about their futures. rafael: look at this measly corn cob. they're supposed to be much bigger. reporter: these days, the harvest is barely enough to even feed his own family. a recent hurricane left havoc in its wake. the damage will have lasting consequences. rafael: you have to dig deep to even find any soil. that's why nothing grows properly anymore. the hurricane dropped a thick layer of sand on the fields. reporter: climate change. corruption. violence. he and millions of others in guatemala despair for the country's future. a study shows that one in six guatemalans emigrate to the u.s.

marcos ixtamer is a social worker. he works with young people, encouraging them to create change. he runs the "centro quedate," which translates as the “stay here center.” he teaches classes to help young people find jobs -- and success -- in their own country. marcos: if the younger generation were better trained, they could find work in their own communities or even start their own businesses. they could use their talent, skills, and potential to strengthen their communities, and the country. reporter: but many young people struggle to even get to a training center on a regular basis. they often have to travel long

distances, and infrastructure is lacking. that's why ixtamer sends the teachers into the communities. this young man trained as a welder and got a job with this small business. >> you might be able to lead a better life in the u.s., but what's the point if your family, your friends, and your home are here. reporter: the centro quedate is thriving, and the project is now expanding. it's co-funded by the guatemalan government and the u.s., and it's one of many projects designed to encourage the younger generation to remain in the country. it appears to be working. but despite these initiatives, growing numbers of people are turning to crime. villanueva is considered the most dangerous place in the country. gangs control the city, which

is riddled with corruption. anyone who resists must fear for their life. like juan sandoval. he was the government's anti-corruption prosecutor until july 2021. but his investigations into former officials, presidents, and business leaders led to his dismissal. he now lives in exile in washington, d.c. juan: the people in power are taking advantage of a population that's starving. a population that can barely survive. they're a source of cheap labor. they know corruption creates the conditions that make it impossible for them to earn a living. reporter: public schools are only open four hours a day. aid organization glasswing international is trying to help. glasswing knows that teenagers here experience violence every day. its workers try to give them hope and teach them that there are alternatives to leaving the

country. today, they're making a list of the things that connect them to their homeland, and the things they hope to find in the u.s. >> when we hear guatemala, we think of violence, hunger, danger, and gangs. things that we fear. that's why so many people want to flee to the u.s. they're hoping for a good income, education, a nice home, and money to send home to their family. reporter: the organization hopes to offer teens an alternative to the “pandias,” the teenage gangs. they work to instill values like education, confidence, and non-violence. elubia: i'm convinced that it's worth it. just look at the smiling faces and the dreams they have. the different viewpoints. all of that in a place where i never know if i'll make it back alive when i step outside.

>> even if we speak different languages, we're basically all the same. we're human beings. many of us have no prospects. all we want is a chance. reporter: back to rafael. he's enjoying his evening at home with his wife and five daughters. but his oldest daughter is missing. she was smuggled into the u.s. a child with an uncertain future. thousands of kilometers away from her family. for many families in guatemala, it's just a part of life. rafael: when my daughter left, i was sad, because i wanted to go myself, but we couldn't afford it. maybe someday, i'll still get my chance. reporter: rafael and his family hope that their daughter will one day be allowed to work in the u.s., so that she can send the family money. until then, he, like many guatemalans, will continue the struggle to make ends meet.

host: our planet is home to a wide variety of plants, which have adapted to very different environments. of the 400,000 species in total, we actually eat just a tiny fraction. and half of our food intake is covered by just three crops -- corn, rice, and wheat. and the range of plants on our fields is continuing to shrink. according to u.n. estimates, in the last century alone the world lost 75% of its crop diversity. a major reason is the industrialization of agriculture. more than half the global seed market is controlled by just a handful of corporations. and they decide what's grown in our fields and ends up on our plates -- a billion-dollar industry at the cost of plant diversity. reporter:

for thousands of years farmers freely bred, preserved, and shared seeds. but then, agriculture radically changed. in the 20th century, farmers got new machines, chemicals, and lab-made seeds. and big companies stepped in. these major players dominate the market today. one of them had a special role in shaping modern agriculture, especially in the u.s. now owned by german multinational bayer, monsanto was one of the giants of the business. they turned seeds into property, and farmers into submissive customers. to understand how they did it, it's important to know their history. during the vietnam war, monsanto was one of the largest suppliers of the notorious agent orange for the u.s. military. 50 million liters of this deadly herbicide were sprayed to kill trees and tropical foliage that provided cover for viet cong fighters. not only do these areas remain contaminated, millions have been poisoned by the chemical. next, monsanto turned their

attention to peacetime weed-killing, developing the blockbuster herbicide roundup. it hit shelves in the 1970's and became the company's key profit-driver. >> roundup -- kills the root, kills the weed. reporter: roundup kills thanks to its main componentglyphosate. but it ended up killing so well that it also killed farmers' crops. so, they could only spray it before planting seeds, or after the harvest. but what if there were seeds that could tolerate roundup? that's how monsanto stepped into the seed business. in 1996, they rolled out roundup ready. these were seeds that were genetically modified to be immune to glyphosate. bartow: who would not buy into that? it was like magic if you talk to farmers at that moment. reporter: bartow elme is an environmental historian at t ohio state university. he spent a decade working on this book about monsanto. bartow: weeds almost immediately began

developing resistance to roundup. and you kind of have this cycle in this genetically engineered seed system now of overusing a chemical -- which, by the way, is very profitable for the company that's selling it. reporter: and monsanto did something else that changed agriculture forever. they patented the technology behind their seeds. this meant they could dictate the way farmers used them. monsanto created a system that they controlled. by 2008, monsanto had bought 50 international seed firms. the market power of monsanto and similar companies was growing more and more. today, 90% of corn, upland cotton, d soybeans in the u.s. are produced with patented seeds. monsanto. or today, bayer, is the biggest supplier. the big promise behind genetically engineered crops, like those from monsanto, are higher yields for farmers. but in 2016, the national academy of sciences published a 600-page dossier on the effects of g.e. crops in the u.s.

scientists found little evidence that such crops actually lead to higher yields. what has been going up is the use of monsanto's poster child, glyphosate. it's the most-used herbicide globally. these two maps of the u.s. show the amount of roundup being sprayed onto fields. the darker the colors, the more is being used. meanwhile, what's been going down is the variety of foods on our plates. there are over 50,000 edible plants in the world. but we mostly rely on just 15. corn, wheat, and rice are the major hits. the modern agricultural system created this standardization of food. powerful companies, owning the seeds, get to choose what farmers grow and how. and that determines what we eat. planting the same varieties also makes crops more vulnerable to drought and diase. and the climate crisis is only making it worse. but it's a diffent story with traditional seeds. damaris:

if you want to look for something that will tolerate harsh climic conditis, especially now that we are emphasizing on climate change,e seeds that have not been selected. reporter: this damaris odeny. she's a plant geneticist at the international crops research institute for the semi-arid tropics. the more differenteeds we plant, the higher the chances of finding the ones that can adapt to extreme weather. for example, in just one region in southeast india, scientists discovered almost 400 varieties of neglected crop species. among them were six traditional local rice varieties that deal better with drought, salty soils. and flooding stress compared to commercial alternatives. luckily, even wh traditional seeds are gone from fields, they are not always “gone,” gone. luwe have them in places like these. more than 1700 seed banks around the world store the untapped potential of traditional seeds. probably the most famous seed bank, or at least the coolest looking one, is this one in

norway. it stores over a million seed samples from across the world. and the chilly permafrost conditions make sure these little fellas are preserved for centuries. the system works like a bank. the depositor owns the samples. the bank, in this case the government of norway, owns the facility. for example, brazil has thousands of seeds in here. some of these seeds were rescued only because indigenous communities and traditional farmers kept them. the way we grow our food has drastically changed. and it's the large corporations who have benefitted, at the expense of everyone else. farmers have got hooked on chemicals and lost ownership of their seeds. and consumers miss out on so many flavors and nutrients. so it's time to ask ourselves, how we can grow food better, this time, for everyone? host: water is an increasingly scarce commodity in many parts of india. the rainy season is getting shorter, heat waves longer, and droughts more frequent. much of india now faces a water crisis.

but it's not only climate change that's to blame. many lakes and rivers are badly polluted. but help is at hand, from local clean-up operations. reporter: here's what it looked like before the clean-up, and after. and it happened in less than two hours. manikandan: we have had 25,000 to 30,000 volunteers who have worked with us directl peoplere keen to make a positive contribution to society. the hard part is organizing it. reporter: manikandan is the founder of the ngo called kovai kulangal pathukappu amaippu. its volunteers have been restoring water bodies across coimbatore for the past five years. and this is how they do it. suresh is in charge of getting all volunteers to arrive at the scene. suresh: come this way. take masks, wear gloves, and sign in. reporter: it's manikandan's job to divide them up into various groups.

manikandan: hello. you are all there wearing gloves, come this way please. reporter: abu distributes supplies. abu: what about her? reporter: and gopi is in charge of documenting the process. gopi: the group at the back, please come closer. reporter: it all started in 2017 when coimbatore was facing a severe drought. manikandan was determined to revive one of the city's driest water bodies. manikandan: it was the perur tank. it hadn't received water for many years. we decided to clean the tank by removing plastics and invasive weeds in them. we began cleaning activities on the 12th of february 2017. in the first week, 50 showed up. but in the weeks after, 400 ople showed up. in just a month, we finished cleaning the tank. we don't have a financial or political background, but we had volunteers who were ready to work for this. so, we decided to clean-up

various water bodies every sunday. so far, we have been working for 249 consecutive sundays. reporter: the organization has resred four large lakes, nine small ponds, and more. but if you ask manikandan which project was hardest, he'll insist on taking you there, before he tells you the story behind it. manikdan: this is vellalore. reporter: spread across 90 acres, the vellalore tank is one of coimbatore's oldest. it's fed by the noyyalur river. for 15 years, it remained dry because of three major problems. manikandan: there were lots of invasive weeds here and the canal for water had been blocked. people had encroached on 4.5 of the 6.5-kilometer-long canal, on either side of the riverbanks. and garbage had been dumped into the check dams through

which this tank receives water. these were the three problems. reporter: in 2017, manikandan and his team began cleaning the tank and its check dams. they also played a role in convincing 2500 families settled along the river's banks to relocate to state housing. and then, for the first time in 17 years, the vellalore tank was full. villages two kilometers away once lacked a reliable water source. but just a few months after the restoration was completed, locals noticed an increase in groundwater levels, because the vellalore tank could now retain the water it received. nagaraj: back in the old days, we only farmed if it rained. if it didn't, we wouldn't farm. since there is water in the tank, for the past four years, there's been water in our wells. we use a motor to pump out the water for farming. subramani: i used to buy 200 to 300 liters of water every day.

it's much better now because i can get water whenever i need it at home. my savings have increased as a result. manikandan: once this tank was able to hold water again, it's not only people who have benefitted from it and from the groundwater regenerating itself. this tank has now also become a habitat for various species. reporter: that's because volunteers went beyond just cleaning the tank. they planted over 10,000 trees of native varieties using the miyawaki method, a japanese afforestation technique. this strip of forest protects the water in the tank. it's also attracted dozens of bird and butterfly species to the vellalore tank and the green zone surrounding it. manikandan i cannot express the joy i had when i saw the tank fill up with water in 2018. we used to water these plas with wer from lorries, but shortly after that, we used buckets to transfer the water from the tank for these plants. reporter: to find volunteers, the ngo

reacs out to schools a colleges. yet its most powerful tool has been social media. by sharing its whatsapp link and posting clean-up dates, it's succeeded in bringing many young people together who wish to be a part of the process. gopi is the perfect example. he joined when he was just a student. today, he pitches in with his skills as a drone cinematographer. gopi: when we're cleaning a particular lake, we choose a position and shoot it before the cleaning, after the cleaning, and after the water gets restored. we then present it to companies looking to fund organizations. at the same time, we show it to the government officials. this helps us get access to csr opportunities and allows us to continue our work with government approval in other locations. manikandan: instead of us approaching people about this, they've becoming aware on their own. there's a young boy who

volunteers with us. if you ask him, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” he says, “like you, i'll go plant trees and save lakes.” “but what will you do for food?” he replied, “i will go home and eat.” we are seeing such positive changes amongst children. gopi: when it is organization-driven work, the effects are usually low. but here, since people get their hands dirty, they feel “this is my home. i will keep it clean.” it's more effective. reporter: the protection of water bodies requires more than restoration. increasing encroachment, waste dumping, effluent discharge, and lack of proper maintenance by civic bodies are just some of the major problems. manikandan: if you pollute near a well in a village, the peoe will drive you out. but if someone dties a tank here, nobody raises questions because, unlike the villagers, nobody drinks this water. the governme is spending cror of rupeeso revive lakes in coimbatore. but had it made efforts to make that very water consumable, people would begin to care.

reporter: manikandan has succeeded in uning people who care about water. now he has his sights set on restoring the noyyal river, which is the backbone of modern-day coimbatore. this river that passes through four districts and feeds 25 tanks is under threat. manikandan: coimbatore city itselfs on the banks of the noyyal river. but we don't drink from it. instead, we take waterrom bhavani or aliyar river. the number of days that water flows through this river is decreasing each day. we want to increase it and that's what we're now workin towards. reporter: volunteer organizations like manikandan's help spread awareness about the urgent need to save local water bodies. tamil nadu has over 200,000 tanks and other irrigation sources, but less than 90,000 of them are in use. it will take a collective effort from the government and citizens to save water for future generations.

host: this week, we tuck into a tasty snack from tunisia. reporter: in the very north of africa lies bizerte. the tunisian port city has been an important maritime and trading center for more than three millennia. to fortify themselves between meals, residents here like to eat lablabi. and they get it here. hassan: my name's hassan saidani. i'm 22 and i've been working here with my uncle for almost 12 years. reporter: lablabi is a baguette, topped

in different ways and freshly prepared. vital ingredients are the hot chili paste harissa, and chickpeas. soaked in water the night before, they're cooked in the morning. customers then choose additional toppings. such as spices, cooked vegetables, garlic, sardines, olives, and tuna. demand is huge. saidini prepares one lablabi after another. what makes this sandwich so popular? >> i like the taste, how spicy it is, and chickpeas are good for you. i just like how it tastes.

it's not as unhealthy as other sandwiches that contain burnt oils and lots of fried ingredients that aren't fresh. i feel this one is better for you than other sandwiches. reporter: at prices between 1 and 1.5 dinars -- barely 50 euro cents -- it's affordable, too. lablabi has a long tradition in bizerte. >> it began in the 1970's. lablabi started to appear in small roving carts like this one and met with great success here in bizerte. people here like it and buy it frequently. this type of sandwich is different than in other regions. lablabi is unique to bizerte. reporter: so hassan saidani supplies bizerte's residents with fresh

lablabi every day from 5:00 a.m. onwards. host: and that's all from us this week. thanks for watching and do write to us, global3000@dw.com, or on facebook, dw global ideas. bye-bye. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its

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