This Medium Term Plan (MTP) is written as the CPWF transitions from the first five years of operation to the second phase commencing in 2009. It describes the status of the CPWF as the newly established Board discusses and approves plans for the CPWF second five year term.<br/><br/><p>Key components of the vision and implementation plans include:-</p> <ul> <li> Focus on six river basins rather than nine.</li> <li> Added focus on the most successful content of Phase 1.</li> <li> Priority Development Challenges in each basin.</li> <li> Establishment of ‘Topic Working Groups’.</li> <li> Increased presence of CPWF within each basin.</li> <li> Enhanced and purposive network building in each basin.</li> <li> Streamlined governance.</li> <li> Simplified management and reporting structures.<br/> <br/> An introductory section provides an overview of these changes. Subsequent sections outline each of the seven MTP projects that are the basis of CPWF’s Second Phase. These are the six initial ‘Basin Development Challenges’ with a seventh describing the ‘Cross Basin Learning’ aspects of the program. <p><br/>River basins focused on during the next phase of CPWF are the Ganges, Mekong, Nile, Limpopo, Volta and Andes.</p> <p>Also attached is a Science Council Commentary on the MTP.</p>

The already complex interrelationships between water, food, energy and the environment are facing both challenges and opportunities. Rising fuel costs and increasing concerns over the effects of climate change are reinvigorating policymakers’ interest in renewable energy sources such as hydropower and bio-energy—both from biofuels as well as biomass. Development of any of these sources has the potential to generate positive economic and environmental benefits, yet, at the same time, they can cause negative food and equity impacts. This obviously entails major tradeoffs between the food, energy and environmental goals of water and energy development, allocation and management. Using both a brief global overview as well as a closer review of four case studies from India, Ethiopia, Jordon and the USA, this paper tries to (i) a present the nature of the tradeoffs under different hydrological, energy, agricultural and environmental contexts and (ii) provide some anecdotal evidence and illustrative cases for the available policy options for minimizing conflicts but maximizing synergies between water, energy, food and environment.

Major changes are occurring with far reaching implications for the existing equilibria or disequilibria in the water-energy-food-environment interface. The increased demand of energy worldwide will reflect directly and indirectly on water-dependent systems. Direct implications will come from higher energy prices, which make extraction and conveyance of water more costly. Indirect implications will be in the form of demand for alternative energy sources. It triggers demand for hydropower and remains a major driver—along with some environmental policies—for biofuel expansion. The key question is how these effects may alter water allocation and influence food security, rural poverty and environmental sustainability. This paper sets the background and context of this special issue by highlighting some of the major water-related policy issues related to the subject and provides an overview and synthesis of the papers in this special issue. Besides offering insight into how these papers address these questions in the practical context of few selected countries and basins, this paper also indicates some key areas for future research on the subject.

Peter G. McCornick, Seleshi B. Awulachew, Michael Abebe, 'Water?food?energy?environment synergies and tradeoffs: major issues and case studies', Water Policy, vol. 10(S1), pp.23-36, IWA Publishing, 2008

This review article gives a survey of the biosynthetic pathways that lead to water-soluble vitamins in microorganisms, plants and some animals. The biosynthetic pathways leading to some the B-group vitamins (biotin, folacin, cobalamins) and to vitamin C are described in detail using reaction schemes and mechanisms with enzymes involved and detailed explanations based on chemical principles and mechanisms.

This review article gives a survey of the generally accepted biosynthetic pathways that lead to water-soluble vitamins in microorganisms, plants and some animals. The biosynthetic pathways leading to the B-group vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, nicotinic acid and nicotinamide, pantothenic acid, vitamin B₆) are described in detail using the reaction schemes, sequences, and mechanisms with the enzymes involved and detailed explanations based on chemical principles and mechanisms. Keywords:

In this study, a predictive model for the estimation of water activity ([formula removed]) as a function of pH (1.00-8.00) and °Brix (0-82.00) values of simulated food solutions (SFS) was developed, through response surface methodology. Response fit analyses resulted in a highly significant (pH<0.0001) square root polynomial model that can predict [formula removed] of SFS in terms of pH and °Brix values within the defined variable ranges. The linear, quadratic and interactive influences of pH and °Brix on [formula removed] were all significant (pH<0.0001). Model validations in SFS and in a number of actual food systems showed that the model had acceptable predictive performance, as indicated by the calculated accuracy and bias indices.