<p>The second special issue of the experiences of the basin focal project has been published in the Water International Journal. This issue focuses on some of the cross basin analysis. Articles include:</p> <ol> <li>Water, food and poverty: global- and basin-scale analysis by Simon Cook; Myles Fisher; Tassilo Tiemann; Alain Vidal</li> <li>Water availability and use across the Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF) basins by Mark Mulligan; L.L. Saenz Cruz; J. Pena-Arancibia; B. Pandey; Gil Mahé; Myles Fisher</li> <li>Producing more food with less water in a changing world: assessment of water productivity in 10 major river basins by Xueliang Cai; David Molden; Mohammed Mainuddin; Bharat Sharma; Mobin-ud-Din Ahmad; Poolad Karimi</li> <li>The resilience of big river basins by Graeme S. Cumming</li> <li>The nature and impact of climate change in the Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF) basins by Mark Mulligan; Myles Fisher; Bharat Sharma; Z. X. Xu; Claudia Ringler; Gil Mahé; Andy Jarvis; Julian Ramírez; Jean-Charles Clanet; Andrew Ogilvie; Mobin-ud-Din Ahmad</li> <li>Connections between poverty, water and agriculture: evidence from 10 river basins by Eric Kemp-Benedict; Simon Cook; Summer L. Allen; Steve Vosti; Jacques Lemoalle; Mark Giordano; John Ward; David Kaczan</li></ol>

Sixty–six (66) food and ten (10) water samples from Nsukka metropolis were screened for the presence of coliforms using the Most probable number (MPN) technique and direct plate count on MacConkey agar/broth and Eosin Methylene Blue (EMB) agar for isolating those from both faecal and human origin. The isolates were characterized biochemically analysed using standard conventional methods. The geometric mean counts (GMC) using MPN ranged from 1-180 faecal coliforms per 100 ml for both food and water samples. However, food samples (66.7%) served in plates and water sources (83.3%) showed apparent signs of contamination probably from the human and water sources, handling and storage unlike foods from the pots that had no trace of contamination. Faecal coliforms were E. coli (42.4%) and Klebsiella pneumonia (37.4%) and others(20.20%)of non-human origin. The E. coli count ranged between 22.2% (“abacha”) and 83.3% (beans ,rice, yam) as well as water(50.0% ).Thus, there was no significant difference (p>0.05) between the indicator organisms (E. coli) in the food, storage vats and water sources. The faecal and human coliforms in foods and water were indications of foodborne diseasesKeywords: Food, Water, Coliforms, Vending, Contamination

This work describes the electroanalytical determination of pendimethalin herbicide levels in natural waters, river sediment and baby food samples, based on the electro-reduction of herbicide on the hanging mercury drop electrode using square wave voltammetry (SWV). A number of experimental and voltammetric conditions were evaluated and the best responses were achieved in Britton–Robinson buffer solutions at pH 8.0, using a frequency of 500s⁻¹, a scan increment of 10mV and a square wave amplitude of 50mV. Under these conditions, the pendimethalin is reduced in an irreversible process, with two reduction peaks at −0.60V and −0.71V, using a Ag/AgCl reference system. Analytical curves were constructed and the detection limit values were calculated to be 7.79μgL⁻¹ and 4.88μgL⁻¹, for peak 1 and peak 2, respectively. The precision and accuracy were determinate as a function of experimental repeatability and reproducibility, which showed standard relative deviation values that were lower than 2% for both voltammetric peaks. The applicability of the proposed methodology was evaluated in natural water, river sediments and baby food samples. The calculated recovery efficiencies demonstrate that the proposed methodology is suitable for determining any contamination by pendimethalin in these samples. Additionally, adsorption isotherms were used to evaluate information about the behavior of pendimethalin in river sediment samples.

Large seasonal water-level fluctuations may influence isotopic signatures of primary producers and the types and amounts of these potential food sources accessible to aquatic fauna of Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China. In this study, the isotopic signatures of primary producers and consumers were determined, stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis and mixing models were combined to investigate the influence of water levels on the diet and isotopic composition of Poyang Lake fish and invertebrates. Five potential food sources (seston, benthic organic matter, aquatic macrophytes, attached algae, and terrestrial plants), 4 species of invertebrates, and 10 species of fish were collected from the lake area during dry and wet seasons between January 2009 and April 2010. The δ 13C values of invertebrates and most fish were within the range of δ 13C values of the potential food sources for both seasons. The δ 13C values of invertebrates and most fish were lower in the dry season than in the wet season, whereas the δ 15N values exhibited different patterns for different species. Mixing models indicated that the most important food sources for common lake fauna were seston in the dry season and aquatic macrophytes and terrestrial plants in the wet season. The fauna were more omnivorous in the wet season than in the dry season. The food web dynamics of Poyang Lake are strongly influenced by changes in the abundance and accessibility of different basal food sources that occur because of seasonal flood pulses. The trophic links within the aquatic communities of Poyang Lake are modified by water-level fluctuations.

In this knowledge compendium a series of contributions illustrates how Wageningen UR cooperates with African organizations in finding innovations to combat water scarcity and to deliver the scientific knowledge necessary for future actions. In most of these activities, the integration of the formal knowledge of WUR with the tacit knowledge of the local stakeholders plays an important role. The Dutch Ministery of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation (EL&I) has stimulated the preparation of this compendium to disseminate the knowledge on these innovations among stakeholders throughout the African continent. This knowledge compendium presents a selection of recently finished research projects or on-going projects on water challenges in African food security. They are clustered under four themes: (1) challenges; (2) advances in research; (3) adaptation and implementation; (4) knowledge transfer. The contributions aim to stimulate further research and cooperation as a basis for the development of further management measures.

The total phenol content, antioxidant and pro-oxidant activities of deodourised, water-soluble aniseed, basil, caraway, cardamon, fennel, ginger, juniper, laurel and parsley extracts were estimated using a number of in vitro assays. The laurel and basil extracts contained the highest phenol content of 107.3±1.3 GAE [mg gallic acid equivalents/g (dry wt.) extract] and 98.5±1.4 GAE, respectively, whilst the ginger extract contained the lowest content at 14.9±0.9 GAE. Juniper, laurel and basil extracts were consistently better than the other extracts in terms of iron(III) reducing activity, inhibition of β-carotene-linoleate thermal co-oxidation and N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine and hydroxyl radical scavenging assays. Potential pro-oxidant activities of the extracts were assessed using both DNA and bovine serum albumin (BSA) as substrates. None of the extracts were capable of stimulating hydroxyl-mediated DNA fragmentation; however, the extracts could be categorised in the protein oxidation assay as extracts with (i) no significant (p>0.05) effect, (ii) a significant (p<0.05) protective effect or (iii) a significant (p<0.05) pro-oxidant effect. The extracts from juniper, laurel and basil had a pro-oxidative effect upon BSA at a dose of 2mg/ml, as estimated from the degree of carbonylation measured.

In this knowledge compendium a series of contributions illustrates how Wageningen UR cooperates with African organizations in finding innovations to combat water scarcity and to deliver the scientific knowledge necessary for future actions. In most of these activities, the integration of the formal knowledge of WUR with the tacit knowledge of the local stakeholders plays an important role. The Dutch Ministery of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation (EL&I) has stimulated the preparation of this compendium to disseminate the knowledge on these innovations among stakeholders throughout the African continent. This knowledge compendium presents a selection of recently finished research projects or on-going projects on water challenges in African food security. They are clustered under four themes: (1) challenges; (2) advances in research; (3) adaptation and implementation; (4) knowledge transfer. The contributions aim to stimulate further research and cooperation as a basis for the development of further management measures.