Integrated rice–fish culture is a competitive alternative to rice monoculture for environmental sustainability and food productivity. Compared to rice monoculture, rearing fish in rice field ecosystems could increase food (rice and fish) production from this coculture. Moreover, the water productivity of rice–fish coculture is considerably higher than that of rice monoculture, because of double cropping. Despite these benefits, rice–fish coculture has not yet been broadly practiced. One of the potential challenges for the wider adoption of rice–fish coculture is water management. There are two forms of water involved in rice–fish cultivation: (1) blue water–surface and groundwater, and (2) green water–soil water from rainfall. The aim of this article is to focus on key factors determining the adoption of rice–fish cultivation through the effective utilization of blue–green water. We suggest that the efficient application of blue and green water in rice–fish coculture could help confronting water scarcity, reducing water footprint, and increasing water productivity.

Conventional fertilizers and pesticides are not sustainable for multiple reasons, including high delivery and usage inefficiency, considerable energy, and water inputs with adverse impact on the agroecosystem. Achieving and maintaining optimal food security is a global task that initiates agricultural approaches to be revolutionized effectively on time, as adversities in climate change, population growth, and loss of arable land may increase. Recent approaches based on nanotechnology may improve in vivo nutrient delivery to ensure the distribution of nutrients precisely, as nanoengineered particles may improve crop growth and productivity. The underlying mechanistic processes are yet to be unlayered because in coming years, the major task may be to develop novel and efficient nutrient uses in agriculture with nutrient use efficiency (NUE) to acquire optimal crop yield with ecological biodiversity, sustainable agricultural production, and agricultural socio-economy. This study highlights the potential of nanofertilizers in agricultural crops for improved plant performance productivity in case subjected to abiotic stress conditions.

The purpose of this work package is to analyze current policies and co-identify ways policy goals and objectives that hold potential to support transformative change and address policy incoherence across sectors to drive food, land and water systems transformation. In this regard, a flagship report on Central policies & schemes in Food, land & water sector of India, is currently being prepared. As a part of the report,the initial step is to create a database of relevant policies within FLW sectors, with information on budget allocation, main objectives & specific activities, impact areas etc.

Analyzing the efficiency of the water, energy, and food (WEF) nexus is critical for effective governance strategies. Therefore, three-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) was used to measure the efficiency level of WEF in the 36 districts of Punjab, Pakistan, for the period from 2015 to 2021. Furthermore, the stochastic frontier was used to analyze the effect of external environmental factors on these efficiency scores of the WEF nexus. The results of the DEA showed that the number of frontier efficiency districts decreased, and most districts experienced rank change over time. Overall, the performance of 50% of the districts declined over time. The relative decline in efficiency was found to be higher in districts Bahwalnaghar and Rahim Yar Khan. The performance of districts Multan and Sheikhupura increased over time, while districts Vehari and Sargodha were the most complete and efficient in actual performance. According to the SFA&rsquo:s findings, the WEF nexus efficiency of South Punjab districts was negatively impacted by external environmental factors (urbanization rate, manufactured industry output, population), leading to severe stress across WEF sectors. Districts in central and southern Punjab, however, were more likely to have lower rankings because of the positive impact of external environmental factors on the efficiency of the WEF nexus. The substantial rise of external environmental variables focused on scale expansion rather than quality improvement, which created a wide gap in WEF inputs and, hence, reduced the efficiency of the WEF nexus in the districts. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for developing governance strategies based on external environmental factors and WEF resource endowment, and they complement the efficiency calculation of WEF nexus research. Future research should focus on the Baluchistan region, the most deprived area in terms of water, energy, and food.

In Central Asia, more than 90 % of annually renewable water resources are consumptively utilized in irrigation, and allocation conflicts between large-scale hydropower in the upstream and irrigation in the downstream occur regularly and mostly across complex international borders, especially during water scarce years and low storage conditions. With increasing attention on climate-neutral hydropower solutions, including on small-scale hydropower. An abstract submitted to the EGU General Assembly 2022.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg. | Urban farming, in its small scale comprises of various production systems and practices that can lead to poor soil conditions, water pollution and the extension of climate change impacts. Moreover, smallholder farmers are in turn challenged by climate change impacts including heavy rainfall, high temperatures, hailstorms and pests exacerbated by the lack of knowledge, institutional support, governance framework, limited financial resources and technology. As a result, farmers are vulnerable to urban farming and environmental risks that affect the farmers’ food and nutrition security. On the other hand, if done well, urban farming (UF) can benefit the urban environment through flood water mitigation, water infiltration and greening of the environment, while improving food security. The study was conducted in the communities of Sobantu, Sweetwaters and Mpophomeni, in KwaZulu-Natal. This study employed a mixedmethods research approach, which combines quantitative and qualitative analysis. The quantitative approach used a survey questionnaire to elicit responses from 78 urban and periurban smallholder farmers who were purposefully selected to participate in the study. Focus group discussions and field observations were used to collect in-depth qualitative data about the challenges urban farmers faced in urban farming. Additionally, the logit regression model was used to identify factors that influence the farmers adoption of urban farming management practices. The study revealed that the majority of the farmers were faced with environmental problems including poor soil conditions, water quality and access problems and climate change impacts, of which had an impact on crop yield and farm profit. Furthermore, results showed that 69.2% of farmers were aware of the environmental implications of urban farming. However, it was found that due to the farmers limited financial resources, farmers identified urban farming mainly as a source of income and a strategy to obtain extra food and less for the benefit of the environment. The study found that market availability (p=0.003), training on soil management (p=0.0011) and access to credit (p=0.097) were significant factors in the adoption of urban farming practices. The study further revealed that the farmers adoption of urban farming and water quality management practices were challenged by socio-economic and institutional factors such as the lack of knowledge, farmer training, access to markets, access to credit and poor extension support. An environmental management framework was provided to address the challenges that hinder the smallholder farmers adoption of urban farming and water quality management practices. | Authour's Keywords: urban farming, environmental management, food security, climate change impacts.

Exploring the environmental impact of dietary consumption has become increasingly important to understand the carbon-water-food nexus, vital to achieving UN sustainable development goals. However, the research on diet-based nexus assessment is still lacking. Here, we developed an Environmentally Extended Multi-Regional Input-Output (EE-MRIO) model with compiling a global MRIO table based on the latest Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) 10 database, where we specifically constructed a water withdrawal account and matched it to each economy at the sectoral level. The regional heterogeneity and synergy of carbon-water nexus affected by dietary patterns in nine countries was explored. The results show that: (1) Dietary consumption is the main use of water withdrawal for each country; Japan, the US, South Korea, and India have a high per capita dietary water footprint. Mainly due to consumption of processed rice, Japan has the highest per capita value of 488 M³/year, accounting for 63.4% of the total water footprint. (2) The total dietary carbon footprints in China, India, and the US are high, which is mainly caused by the high consumption of animal products (including dairy) either due to the large population (China, India) or animal-based diet (the US). Americans have the highest per capita dietary carbon footprint, reaching 755.4 kg/year, 2.76 times that of the global average. (3) Generally, imported/foreign footprints account for a greater share in dietary water and carbon footprints of developed countries with an animal-based diet. (4) In the nexus analysis, the US, Japan, and South Korea are key-nexus countries, vegetables, fruit and nuts, tobacco and beverages, and other food products are selected as key-nexus sectors with relatively high dietary water and carbon footprint. Furthermore, dietary consumption choices lead to different environmental impacts. It is particularly important to find a sustainable dietary route adapted to each country considering that heterogeneity and synergism exist in key-nexus sectors to achieve the relevant Sustainable Development Goals.

Use of non-degradable plastics in food packaging is alarming for the environment as they are often thrown away after short consumption. Though papers are replacing plastics in different sectors, their low water resistance limits their use in food packaging. in the past, water-resistant papers have been fabricated, but the natural degradability of the paper has been compensated. This study proposes water-resistant yet biodegradable papers from naturally abundant wastes, such as banana plant (BP) and water hyacinth (WH) and validates their properties for practical packaging uses. The resources were completely used, avoiding generation of any in-process biomass residue. This study for the first time reports the impact of ethyl cellulose (EC) coating (∼10 μm) on paper surfaces. The morphology and chemical analysis of the coated papers confirmed the consistent formation of EC layer on paper surfaces. The presence of EC significantly reduced the vapour transmission (22–30%) and moisture content (6–11%) of the papers. Water drops were stable on the coated surfaces at least for 20 min and then were wiped off leaving a dry surface. EC coating considerably increased the tensile index, i.e., 13–17% for BP and 20–35% for WH, though elongation and modulus properties remained almost unchanged. All the papers showed ultraviolet (UV)-resistance, while the coated papers were more transparent in the visible light region. Overall results confirmed the potential of the proposed EC-coated papers as a promising alternative to single-use plastics in food packaging.