The road to Pedrovo is thrillingly steep, and at every tight bend I find myself hoping no tractor appears around the corner. Near the village, we leave the car behind and walk the final stretch to the hamlet, a cluster of white houses with red roofs perched on a sharp karst slope. The warm, dry breeze carries the fragrance of wild sage. A painted wooden sign points us towards Čilčevi Farmstead. We head down a flight of stone steps into a green garden, where a table waits beneath the trees with

BENGALURU, India (AP) — Delegates from almost 200 nations concluded United Nations talks on desertification in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on Friday, focusing on how to keep land fertile as a warming climate intensifies and damaged soils and ecosystems become less able to retain water, grow food and sustain communities. As much as 40% of the planet’s land is degraded, according to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, which hosts the biennial conference. Drought is also appearing