Using every drop: rainwater harvesting for food security in Mbale, Uganda

Abstract The world population is expected to increase with corresponding increase in food production and water withdrawals. To ensure continuous food production throughout the year, increasing irrigation is inevitable. However, the water available for agricultural use is inadequate due to the limited water resources globally and climate change challenges threatening water availability. The economy of Mbale, Uganda, mainly depends on rainfed agriculture. The rain season is from April to October whilst the dry season is from November to March. Therefore, this study examines the potential of rainwater harvesting for domestic and agricultural uses in Mbale. The AquaCrop model was adopted for the yield response of crops to water during the dry season. The study reveals that comparing the resulting rainwater harvesting potential with the water consumption, up to 186% of the annual water demand for domestic use, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) standard, can be provided. Thus, the excess harvested water from a 200 m2 rooftop was simulated for irrigation purposes, which shows that it can be used to cultivate areas of 269, 429, 125 and 388 m2 for cabbage, tomato, maize and potato respectively during dry periods. The economic analysis shows a benefit cost ratio of 1.99 over 10 years. It concludes by recommending RWH as an alternative water supply source for domestic and agricultural uses.

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Potential of Deficit and Supplemental Irrigation under Climate Variability in Northern Togo, West Africa

Water ◽

10.3390/w10121803 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 1803 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Agossou Gadédjisso-Tossou ◽

Tamara Avellán ◽

Niels Schütze

Keyword(s):

West Africa ◽

Rainwater Harvesting ◽

Irrigation Management ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Irrigation Scheduling ◽

Dry Season ◽

Yield Potential ◽

Yield Response ◽

Supplemental Irrigation ◽

Aquacrop Model

In the context of a growing population in West Africa and frequent yield losses due to erratic rainfall, it is necessary to improve stability and productivity of agricultural production systems, e.g., by introducing and assessing the potential of alternative irrigation strategies which may be applicable in this region. For this purpose, five irrigation management strategies, ranging from no irrigation (NI) to controlled deficit irrigation (CDI) and full irrigation (FI), were evaluated concerning their impact on the inter-seasonal variability of the expected yields and improvements of the yield potential. The study was conducted on a maize crop (Zea mays L.) at a representative site in northern Togo with a hot semi-arid climate and pronounced dry and wet rainfall seasons. The OCCASION (Optimal Climate Change Adaption Strategies in Irrigation) framework was adapted and applied. It consists of: (i) a weather generator for simulating long climate time series; (ii) the AquaCrop model, which was used to simulate the irrigation system during the growing season and the yield response of maize to the considered irrigation management strategies; and (iii) a problem-specific algorithm for optimal irrigation scheduling with limited water supply. We found high variability in rainfall during the wet season which leads to considerable variability in the expected yield for rainfed conditions (NI). This variability was significantly reduced when supplemental irrigation management strategies (CDI or FI) requiring a reasonably low water demand of about 150 mm were introduced. For the dry season, it was shown that both irrigation management strategies (CDI and FI) would increase yield potential for the local variety TZEE-W up to 4.84 Mg/ha and decrease the variability of the expected yield at the same time. However, even with CDI management, more than 400 mm of water is required if irrigation would be introduced during the dry season in northern Togo. Substantial rainwater harvesting and irrigation infrastructures would be needed to achieve that.

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Die Voedingstand van die Suid-Afrikaanse Bevolking

Curationis ◽

10.4102/curationis.v1i2.187 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 1 (2) ◽

Author(s):

J.P. Kotzé

Keyword(s):

South African ◽

Food Production ◽

World Health ◽

World Population ◽

Body Weights ◽

The World ◽

Considerable Problem ◽

Health Organization ◽

Age And Sex ◽

Weight For Age

During the period 1970 to 1975 the world population grew at an average annual rate of 1,98%. At presentthe estimated world population is 4,2 milliard (4,2 x 109). Food production has the formidable task of feeding85 million extra mouths per year.A recent United Nations document stated that during 1974 already about 500 million people suffered fromsome form of malnutrition. Of these about 100 million children under the age of 5 years were malnourished.According to the Gomez classification, which is accepted by the World Health Organization, first degreeprotein-energy-malnutrition (PEM) is present in children who have body weights between 75 and 90% of theexpected weight for age and sex. Children with body weights between 60 and 75% of the expected weight forage and sex suffer from second degree PEM (moderate). Third degree PEM (severely malnourished) is foundin children who reached 60% or less of the expected body weight for age and sex or suffer from oedema.Data are presented for the incidence of malnutrition in Africa and other parts of the world.South Africa and its newly independent territories have a total population of 27,2 million for whom 122,111million hectares of land is available. A hundred million hectares can be used for agricultural purposes andonly 15% of this land is arable.South African food production managed to remain comfortably ahead of population growth over the pastfew decades. At present at least 25 210 kilojoules/capita/day and 146,9g protein/capita/day are available forevery citizen. Despite such an enviable food position we have a considerable problem of malnutrition in SouthAfrica. Firstly, obesity is endangering the health of a fair portion of all ethnic groups. Secondly PEM andvitamin deficiency diseases are frequently diagnosed in the lower socio-economic groups. During 1976 286district surgeons reported 48 783 cases of kwashiorkor, 37 855 cases of pellagra and 1 008 cases of beri-beri.Although some of these diagnoses are unreliable, such figures do give a rough estimate of the extent ofmalnutrition in South Africa. These figures indicate that less than 3% of the population under the age of 5years suffer from kwashiorkor, pellagra and beri-beri.The applicability of the Boston standards to other populations is questioned. It is indicated that thesestandards give false high values for PEM amongst obviously obese South African Indians.The compilation of specific sets of standards for the South African population is suggested.

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Endovascular Bariatric Surgery as Novel Minimally Invasive Technique for Weight Management in the Morbidly Obese: Review of the Literature

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13082541 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (8) ◽

pp. 2541

Author(s):

Giuseppe Massimo Sangiorgi ◽

Alberto Cereda ◽

Nicola Porchetta ◽

Daniela Benedetto ◽

Andrea Matteucci ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bariatric Surgery ◽

Minimally Invasive ◽

Weight Management ◽

World Health ◽

Invasive Technique ◽

Morbidly Obese ◽

World Population ◽

Obese Patients ◽

The World ◽

Open Bariatric Surgery

Nowadays, obesity represents one of the most unresolved global pandemics, posing a critical health issue in developed countries. According to the World Health Organization, its prevalence has tripled since 1975, reaching a prevalence of 13% of the world population in 2016. Indeed, as obesity increases worldwide, novel strategies to fight this condition are of the utmost importance to reduce obese-related morbidity and overall mortality related to its complications. Early experimental and initial clinical data have suggested that endovascular bariatric surgery (EBS) may be a promising technique to reduce weight and hormonal imbalance in the obese population. Compared to open bariatric surgery and minimally invasive surgery (MIS), EBS is much less invasive, well tolerated, with a shorter recovery time, and is probably cost-saving. However, there are still several technical aspects to investigate before EBS can be routinely offered to all obese patients. Further prospective studies and eventually a randomized trial comparing open bariatric surgery vs. EBS are needed, powered for clinically relevant outcomes, and with adequate follow-up. Yet, EBS may already appear as an appealing alternative treatment for weight management and cardiovascular prevention in morbidly obese patients at high surgical risk.

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Will We Soon Run Out of Water?

Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism ◽

10.1159/000515019 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

Ghislain de Marsily

Keyword(s):

Food Habits ◽

Food Production ◽

Meat Consumption ◽

Good Health ◽

World Population ◽

Total Food ◽

Food Deficit ◽

The World ◽

Average Water ◽

Per Capita

In 2000, the World population was 6.2 billion; it reached 7 billion in 2012 and should reach 9.5 billion (±0.4) in 2050 and 11 billion (±1.5) in 2100, according to UN projections. The trend after 2100 is still one of global demographic growth, but after 2060, Africa would be the only continent where the population would still increase. The amount of water consumed annually to produce the food necessary to meet the needs varies greatly between countries, from about 600 to 2,500 m3/year per capita, depending on their wealth, their food habits (particularly meat consumption), and the percentage of food waste they generate. In 2000, the total food production was on the order of 3,300 million tons (in cereal equivalents). In 2019, about 0.8 billion inhabitants of the planet still suffer from hunger and do not get the nutrition they need to be in good health or, in the case of children, to grow properly (both physically and intellectually). Assuming a World average water consumption for food of 1,300 m3/year per capita in 2000, 1,400 m3/year in 2050, and 1,500 m3/year in 2100, a volume of water of around 8,200 km3/year was needed in 2000, 13,000 km3/year will be needed in 2050, and 16,500 km3/year in 2100. Will that much water be available on earth? Can there be conflicts related to a food deficit? Some preliminary answers and scenarios for food production will be given from a hydrologist viewpoint.

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Iodization of table salt and attitudes and habits in relation to the use of salt in general population

Srpski arhiv za celokupno lekarstvo ◽

10.2298/sarh1004225s ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 138 (3-4) ◽

pp. 225-229

Author(s):

Gorica Sbutega-Milosevic ◽

Zorica Djordjevic ◽

Zoran Marmut ◽

Boban Mugosa

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Iodine Content ◽

World Health ◽

Nutritional Deficiencies ◽

World Population ◽

Table Salt ◽

Salt Iodization ◽

The World ◽

Domestic Use ◽

Health Organization

Introduction. Combating nutritional deficiencies of micronutrients, such as iodine, represents a priority task of health care organizations. In 2003, the World Health Organization (WHO) published the publication: Global Prevalence of Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD), according to which some 2,2 billion people live in areas poor in naturally occurring iodine. Approximately 13% of the world population suffer from goitre - one of the IDD. The recommended iodine content in table salt is 20-40 mg/kg, which should satisfy the daily iodine requirements of an adult. Objective. The authors sought to ascertain whether iodization of table salt in Montenegro was carried out in accordance with the existing legislature. An assessment was also carried out of the attitudes and habits of the population regarding the use of salt in nutrition and the level of awareness in relation to the relevance of table salt iodization. Methods. The research was carried out in 2004 and was sponsored by UNICEF. A sample of 594 homes from the municipalities of Bar and Podgorica was chosen: 354 homes from urban and 240 from rural areas. The participants completed a questionnaire related to the daily use and intake of salt, as well as their understanding of the relevance of table salt iodization. Iodine content was tested in 15 samples of table salt at production level, 170 samples at retail level and 126 samples taken from domestic use. Results. The analysis of table salt samples showed an optimal iodine level in 73.3% of samples from production, in 81.2% from retail, and in 73.0% from domestic use. A lower level of iodine was found in 8.8% retail samples and 15.1% samples from home use. A greater concentration of iodine was found in 26.7% production, 10.0% retail and 11.9% samples from domestic use. Conclusion. Although the application of the WHO programme has led to an improvement in iodization of table salt in Montenegro, both at production and retail levels, this still falls short of the standards recommended by WHO to combat IDD. The levels of iodine in table salt in domestic use also fail to comply with the WHO criteria for elimination of IDD.

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The Central Role of Non-Structural Protein 1 (NS1) in Influenza Biology and Infection

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms21041511 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (4) ◽

pp. 1511 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Nícia Rosário-Ferreira ◽

António J. Preto ◽

Rita Melo ◽

Irina S. Moreira ◽

Rui M. M. Brito

Keyword(s):

Viral Disease ◽

Influenza Viruses ◽

World Health ◽

World Population ◽

Structural Protein ◽

Human Respiratory Tract ◽

Host Interactions ◽

The World ◽

Health Organization

Influenza (flu) is a contagious viral disease, which targets the human respiratory tract and spreads throughout the world each year. Every year, influenza infects around 10% of the world population and between 290,000 and 650,000 people die from it according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Influenza viruses belong to the Orthomyxoviridae family and have a negative sense eight-segment single-stranded RNA genome that encodes 11 different proteins. The only control over influenza seasonal epidemic outbreaks around the world are vaccines, annually updated according to viral strains in circulation, but, because of high rates of mutation and recurrent genetic assortment, new viral strains of influenza are constantly emerging, increasing the likelihood of pandemics. Vaccination effectiveness is limited, calling for new preventive and therapeutic approaches and a better understanding of the virus–host interactions. In particular, grasping the role of influenza non-structural protein 1 (NS1) and related known interactions in the host cell is pivotal to better understand the mechanisms of virus infection and replication, and thus propose more effective antiviral approaches. In this review, we assess the structure of NS1, its dynamics, and multiple functions and interactions, to highlight the central role of this protein in viral biology and its potential use as an effective therapeutic target to tackle seasonal and pandemic influenza.

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An Economic-Based Evaluation of Maize Production under Deficit and Supplemental Irrigation for Smallholder Farmers in Northern Togo, West Africa

Resources ◽

10.3390/resources8040175 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 175

Author(s):

Agossou Gadedjisso-Tossou ◽

Tamara Avellán ◽

Niels Schütze

Keyword(s):

West Africa ◽

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Irrigation Management ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Irrigation Scheduling ◽

Yield Response ◽

Exceedance Probability ◽

World Population ◽

Supplemental Irrigation ◽

Aquacrop Model

While the world population is expected to reach 9 billion in 2050, in West Africa, it will more than double. This situation will lead to a high demand for cereals in the region. At the same time, farmers are experiencing yield losses due to erratic rainfall. To come up with a sound and effective solution, the available but limited water should be used to achieve high yields through irrigation. Therefore, full and deficit irrigation management strategies were evaluated. The expected profit that can be obtained by a smallholder farmer under a conventional irrigation system in the short-term of investment was also assessed considering rope and bucket, treadle pump, and motorized pump water-lifting methods. The study focused on maize in northern Togo. The framework used in this study consisted of (i) a weather generator for simulating long-term climate time series; (ii) the AquaCrop model, which was used to simulate crop yield response to water; and (iii) a problem-specific algorithm for optimal irrigation scheduling with limited water supply. Results showed high variability in rainfall during the wet season leading to significant variability in the expected yield under rainfed conditions. This variability was substantially reduced when supplemental irrigation was applied. This holds for the irrigation management strategies evaluated in the dry season. Farmers’expected net incomes were US$ 133.35 and 78.11 per hectare for treadle pump and rope and bucket methods, respectively, under 10% exceedance probability. The motorized pump method is not appropriate for smallholder farmers in the short run.

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Expanding the definition of noncommunicable disease

Journal of Social Health and Diabetes ◽

10.4103/2321-0656.187990 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 04 (02) ◽

pp. 067-070 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ranabir Salam

Keyword(s):

Liver Disease ◽

Road Traffic ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

The United States ◽

Noncommunicable Disease ◽

World Health ◽

Noncommunicable Diseases ◽

World Population ◽

The World ◽

Definition Of

AbstractNoncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are responsible for 68% of all deaths in 2012. Eighty-two percent of these “premature” deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries. Most of the NCD deaths are caused by cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, mental health, road traffic accidents, and violence. The World Health Organization, several governments, and nongovernmental organizations have taken up numerous programs to curb the menace of NCDs. However, the present programs do not include some common chronic medical conditions which also lead to considerable morbidity and mortality. The present review highlights three important chronic disorders: chronic kidney disease (CKD), liver disease (cirrhosis and nonalcoholic fatty liver), and thyroid diseases. CKD is an internationally recognized public health problem affecting 5–10% of the world population. CKD resulted in 956,000 deaths in 2013 and proposes them to be included in the world wide accepted definition of NCD. Cirrhosis and chronic liver disease were the tenth leading cause of death for men and the twelfth for women in the United States in 2001. Moreover, 4–10% of the global population have thyroid dysfunction. This mini-review proposes to expand the definition of NCD to include these three major illnesses.

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Fighting Strategies Against the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic: Impact on Global Economy

Frontiers in Public Health ◽

10.3389/fpubh.2020.606129 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Bapi Gorain ◽

Hira Choudhury ◽

Nagashekhara Molugulu ◽

Rajani B. Athawale ◽

Prashant Kesharwani

Keyword(s):

Disease Transmission ◽

Global Economy ◽

World Health ◽

World Population ◽

Mortality And Morbidity ◽

Short Period ◽

The World ◽

Treatment Measures ◽

Novel Coronavirus ◽

Health Organization

Sudden outbreak of a new pathogen in numbers of pneumonic patients in Wuhan province during December 2019 has threatened the world population within a short period of its occurrence. This respiratory tract–isolated pathogen was initially named as novel coronavirus 2019 (nCoV-2019), but later termed as SARS-CoV-2. The rapid spreading of this infectious disease received the label of pandemic by the World Health Organization within 4 months of its occurrence, which still seeks continuous attention of the researchers to prevent the spread and for cure of the infected patients. The propagation of the disease has been recorded in 215 countries, with more than 25.5 million cases and a death toll of more than 0.85 million. Several measures are taken to control the disease transmission, and researchers are actively engaged in finding suitable therapeutics to effectively control the disease to minimize the mortality and morbidity rates. Several existing potential candidates were explored in the prevention and treatment of worsening condition of COVID-19 patients; however, none of the formulation has been approved for the treatment but used under medical supervision. In this article, a focus has been made to highlight on current epidemiology on the COVID-19 infection, clinical features, diagnosis, and transmission, with special emphasis on treatment measures of the disease at different stages of clinical research and the global economic influence due to this pandemic situation. Progress in the development on vaccine against COVID-19 has also been explored as important measures to immunize people. Moreover, this article is expected to provide information to the researchers, who are constantly combating in the management against this outbreak.

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Michael Elliott CBE. 30 September 1924 — 17 October 2007

Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society ◽

10.1098/rsbm.2016.0018 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 62 ◽

pp. 109-123 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

John Pickett

Keyword(s):

Food Production ◽

Insect Pests ◽

World Health ◽

Individual Contribution ◽

Pyrethroid Insecticides ◽

New Class ◽

Structure Activity ◽

The World ◽

Health Organization ◽

Global Food

Michael Elliott was the leader of work at Rothamsted that invented and subsequently commercially developed the pyrethroids, a new class of insecticides. Michael made probably the greatest individual contribution to the control of insect pests that not only constrain global food production but also affect the health of ourselves and our livestock. In one of the first pioneering structure–activity relationship studies, Michael led the multidisciplinary team that invented the major pyrethroid insecticides bioresmethrin, permethrin, cypermethrin and deltamethrin. In the 1980s these represented two-thirds of the global pyrethroid market; at that time pyrethroids captured more than 25% of the total insecticide market and were used on 33 million hectares of crops (Wirtz et al . 2009). In 2002 deltamethrin was the world's largest-selling pyrethroid, with annual sales worth $208 million (information from Cropnosis Ltd). In terms of human health, in 2009 it was estimated that pyrethroid-treated bednets significantly decreased the number of deaths due to malaria among children under five years of age by about one-fifth as well as reducing all incidents of malaria, and in 2011 the World Health Organization recommended its vastly expanded use. Reference Wirtz, K., Bala, S., Amann, A. & Elbert, A. 2009 A promise extended—future roles of pyrethroids in agriculture. Bayer CropSci. J. 62 , 145–158.

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