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New Articles: Special Issue "Remote Sensing of Drought Monitoring" published

Library highlights
16-10-2019

Drought is a complex and recurring natural disaster that occurs throughout the world and often has negative impacts on many sectors of society. Drought monitoring is challenging given the complex spatio-temporal dimensions of drought and its severity. Traditionally, drought monitoring has relied…

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Abubakar Bobboi Jauro

Roster of Experts
Name of Organisation
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
Nominating Country
Nigeria
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Drought proof drought prone villages (India)

Rain water use and storage. Eco friendly sustainable agriculture. Develop waste land, sloppy land and forest land (control of erosion loss Kitchen gardens for nutritional security testing of SRI and mixed cropping). Soil conservation, land shaping, pasture development, vegetative bunding

Advantages / Benefits
Any region with such traditional knowledge and techniques can replicate this approach with small local technological and social additions/adaptability approaches
These villages have been champions of forest protection traditionally, therefore, when the project talked about forest protection and management as one of the important components to arrest desertification, the people easily agreed to it and got organized
Who involved
Local water councils
Farmers
Non-governmental organization (NGOs)s
Farmers
Information sources
https://qcat.wocat.net/en/unccd/view/unccd_236/
Feasibility
The continuous drought condition in an area where drought was not seen before had already made people so much vulnerable that they were looking for some direction to fight this situation.  This became the first condition for achieving success in this model. 

Environmental Fate Technical Expert - Ground Water Studies

Professional
Consultant
Job vacancies
Country
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Language

English

Organization
Syngenta

Syngenta is currently looking for a Technical Expert to provide environmental fate and exposure expertise to support the development and registration of new and existing active ingredients and products. An ideal candidate for this role has a strong understanding of environmental fate studies and will provide specialist technical expertise and advice to design, manage and interpret programmes of environmental field studies, in particular…

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Navigating Troubled Waters: Multilateralism As A Response To Crises In The Mediterranean

Events
Language

English

Organization
International Crisis Group
Dates
-

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the MENA region especially hard, exacerbating the political and institutional weaknesses of fragile States and disproportionately affecting the lives and livelihoods of those already vulnerable due to protracted conflicts, deepening humanitarian crises as well as deeply entrenched economic and social difficulties. The United Nations system was quick to recognize the need for a comprehensive response to these…

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Call for presentations: Water-Energy-Food AGU session

Events
Country
United States of America
Start date
End date
Organization
The American Geophysical Union (AGU)

This session is intended to bring together scientists, engineers and other experts who have worked on at least two of the three interfaces in the W-E-F Nexus to show the relative importance of contributions from scientific understanding, data, models and analysis tools.

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Kanapoj Wandee

Roster of Experts
Nominating Country
Thailand
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Mohamed Bazza

Roster of Experts
Name of Organisation
Hassan II Agronomic and Veterinary Medicine Institute
Nominating Country
Morocco
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Thavone Inthavong

Roster of Experts
Name of Organisation
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Nominating Country
Lao People's Democratic Republic
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Sand dams

Sand dams are a simple, low-cost and low-maintenance, replicable rainwater harvesting technology. They provide a clean, local water supply for domestic and farming use and are suited to semi-arid areas of the world

Advantages / Benefits
Combat desertification by recharging groundwater and creating opportunity for sustainable land management
Mitigate climate change by creating water security and the time to practice climate-smart agriculture
Reduce conflict by increasing access to water for people and livestock Support disaster resilience by creating a buffer against drought and enabling vulnerable people to improve food production
Enable the installation of shallow wells producing safe drinking water
Disadvantages
When sand dams were relatively unknown and under-utilized, villagers used to spend hours fetching water, hence not getting enough time to grow food
Predictable rain had also made it difficult for farmers to plan sowing and harvesting of crops
Who involved
Local communities
NGOs
Evidence of success
WASTEREUSE project implemented in Spain and Italy measures can be replicated in other Mediterranean countries) developed and demonstrated best practices for the use of agricultural wastes for irrigation and fertilisation of crops (http://www.wastereuse.eu) Converting farm waste into biogas fuel: green energy plant provides manure management solution for Czech piggeries (http://www.fao.org/family-farming/detail/en/c/292263/)
Feasibility
In all areas where there is a need to provide a clean, local water supply for domestic and farming

Fog harvesting

Fog harvesting refers to the collection of water from fog using large pieces of vertical canvas to make the fog droplets flow down towards a trough under the canvas, known as a fog fence

Advantages / Benefits
Collection systems are easy to build, no energy is needed to collect or transport water, maintenance and repair are minimal and the cost is relatively low
Disadvantages
Community participation is required for success,collection sites can be a considerable distance from the community, water may not meet quality requirements for drinking water quality, building the site could change the landscape
Who involved
Governments
NGOs
Local communities
Farmers
Costs
A collection site in northern Chile that is 48 meters squared (517 feet squared) had a set-up cost of about $378. A site in Peru had a set-up cost of about $90 per meter squared. A 48 meter squared site in Peru would cost about $4,320.
Information sources
https://watersustainabilityandfogwater.wordpress.com/fog-catchers-and-how-to-ma…
Evidence of success
Remote village of Gidewari in Tanzania finds a solar power solution to its water problem: http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2017/06/06/for-this-remote-village-of-gidewari-a-solar-power-solution-to-its-water-problem
Feasibility
In places with: frequent fog occurrence; High fog water content; Altitude between 400 m to 1200 m Limited distance from coast (coastal areas)

Desalination technology

Desalination is a process of removing dissolved salts from seawater to produce fresh water for consumption. There are two major types of desalination technologies around the world, namely membrane desalination and thermal desalination

Advantages / Benefits
Desalination plants can provide drinking water in areas where no natural supply of potable water exists
Disadvantages
High Costs to Build and Operate
Environmental Impact
Who involved
Private water companies
Government water companies
Costs
The installed cost of desalination plants is approximately $1m for every 1,000 cubic meters per day of installed capacity. Therefore, a large scale desalination plant serving 300,000 people typically costs in the region of $100 million. The costs of infrastructure to distribute water must be factored in
Information sources
https://www.lenntech.com/desalination-installations.htm
Evidence of success
In the Philippines, a Comprehensive Land Use Plans (CLUPs) and Comprehensive Development Plans (CDPs) are helping to enhance the knowledge and competencies of farmers through training modules on SLM, primarily through the Farmers Field Schools (https://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/project-launch-implementation-sustainable-land-management-practices-address-land)
Feasibility
The technology is mainly implemented in areas near the coast with high water shortages which impacts agriculture. In particular, desalination technology provides a sustainable source of clean water for the municipal and agricultural needs of the growing population

Huanjie Cai

Roster of Experts
Name of Organisation
Chinese Academy of Forestry
Nominating Country
China
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Innovative indigenous and gender-balanced knowledge for agriculture

Women are often responsible for food processing and storage, collecting of water and firewood and for generating incomes for subsistence, managing available resources by using indigenous knowledge to secure food supplies for their households.

Advantages / Benefits
Rural women as local level experts manage to achieve sustainable food security at household levels, with practical, efficient and economic solutions based on indigenous knowledge
Disadvantages
Lack of policies that promote the role of women as holders of traditional knowledge that can help achieve food security
Who involved
Rural women, policymakers
Information sources
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282705113_Women%27s_Role_in_Household_…
Evidence of success
In Madagascar, innovative solutions such as digital microfinance and agricultural micro-insurance are being developed to support farmers. They include digital microfinance or agricultural micro-insurance based on meteorological data (https://ideas4development.org/en/madagascar-agricultural-microcredit-digital-microfinance)
Feasibility
In rural areas where women represent the majority of the rural population (especially where migration has left them as head of households) and are extensively involved in agricultural activities as are the dominant livelihood feature, the indigenous and gender-balanced knowledge is particularly important during seasonal food shortage or major stress periods such as droughts

Solar powered groundwater pumps

A solar-powered pump runs on electricity generated by photovoltaic panels or the radiated thermal energy available from collected sunlight as opposed to grid electricity or diesel run water pumps

Advantages / Benefits
Low maintenance
No fuel costs or spills
Easy to install
Simple and reliable
Unattended operation
System can be made to be mobile
Disadvantages
Potentially high initial costs
Lower output in cloudy weather
Must have sufficient sun exposure between 9 AM and 3 PM
Who involved
Solar companies
Water companies
Energy companies
Government and NGOs
Information sources
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIeLeJ6cc-A
Feasibility
The technology is feasible in areas with low energy infrastructures where water is present in underground aquifers

Promotion of farm waste recycling and re-use

Increases the recycling of water and nutrients, through the sustainable use of agricultural waste. Agricultural waste can also come from harvest and therefore transformed into biogas.

Advantages / Benefits
Significant reduction of harmful wastes disposed in the environment
Recycling of elements and water in agriculture which in turn, will reduce production cost and contribute to the increase in products competiveness and profits
Protection of renewable and non-renewable resources (soil, aquatic bodies, phosphoric minerals) through elements recycling
Disadvantages
Lack of interest from stakeholders
lack of detailed regulations on agricultural waste management for human health and environmental protection
lack of incentives for investing into agricultural waste management
Who involved
MoFA, NGOs, rural communities, food retailers, waste management companies, water companies, farmers, agricultural manufacturers, distributors and merchants
Costs
Vary
Information sources
https://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/recycling-on-semisubsistence-farms-hous…
http://www.wseas.us/e-library/conferences/2012/Zlin/ENAGROBIO/ENAGROBIO-36.pdf
Evidence of success
A study on the value of women's indigenous knowledge in food processing and preservation for achieving household food security in rural Sudan (http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/jfr/article/view/14714)
Feasibility
Where cultivated land suffers from desertification, mainly due to intensive agriculture, climatic conditions, wildfires, increased soil salinity, and water shortages. Drought damaged crops are the main sorce of farm waste.

Alon Ben-Gal

Roster of Experts
Name of Organisation
Gilat Research Center
Nominating Country
Israel
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Groundwater recharge

Pump water back into depleted groundwater reserves or use natural recharge processes. Can be done using treated wastewater

Advantages / Benefits
Provides additional water sources during drought
Provides an additional way of storing water when water availability is high
Aquifers also offer a sustainable water treatment option
Disadvantages
Potentially high infrastructure costs
Who involved
Private companies
Governments
Costs
High
Evidence of success
Mapping drought vulnerability in East Azerbaijan Province. University of Theran: data from sixteen hydrological stations have been collected to create a drought vulnerability map. Such map has been developed by following six precipitation parameters provided by the hydrological stations (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/287358352_MAPPING_REGIONAL_DROUGHT_VULNERABILITY_A_CASE_STUDY)
Feasibility
Feasible where geological and technical capacity is available

RECARE have collated novels, movies, maps, children's books and more - all with a 'soily' theme

Library highlights
23-03-2018

Preventing and Remediating degradation of soils in Europe through Land Care (RECARE) have collated novels, movies, maps, children's books and more - all with a 'soily' theme

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Partners

The Drought Toolbox is currently being developed as part of the Drought Initiative by the close partnership collaboration of:

 

Francisco Nunes Correia

Roster of Experts
Name of Organisation
Instituto Superior Técnico
Nominating Country
Portugal
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Proper fertilisation

Applying appropriate rates of fertiliser given available soil water, rainfall and crop nutrient requirements

Advantages / Benefits
Proper fertilization will promote healthy plant growth and efficient moisture utilization, essential for high yields in normal and dry years
Disadvantages
None
Who involved
Farmers
Costs
Low
Information sources
http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/y5146e/y5146e09.htm
http://nasdonline.org/static_content/documents/1987/d001465.pdf
Feasibility
In any cropping system

India-WRIS

Knowledge Sharing System
Link
http://www.india-wris.nrsc.gov.in
Reporting entity
India
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Soil mulching

Leaving crop residues in situ to cover the soil and reduce water loss from evaporation

Advantages / Benefits
Reduces soil erosion and soil water evaporation
Disadvantages
Requires relatively high residue cover to be effective
Who involved
Farmers
Costs
Low
Information sources
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13593-015-0283-4#Sec12
Evidence of success
EC-JRC provides publicly available daily soil moisture maps of Europe; daily soil moisture anomaly maps of Europe; and daily maps of the forecasted topsoil moisture development in Europe (https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/data/external/daily-soil-moisture-of-europe)
Feasibility
In any cropping system