This study evaluates the strategic importance of gray water, which is a component of virtual water, defined as “the water embedded in key water-intensive commodities such as wheat” or “the water required for the production of commodities.” Estimation of gray water plays a role in ensuring water and water-dependent food security for both importing and exporting countries. Methodologies towards reducing virtual water for strategic crops in the Tunisian semi-arid region include irrigation techniques and the control of runoff. Resources management practices that improve family income especially for women and children, all contribute to food security.

This paper combines Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Food Balance data with Water Footprint data to reveal how virtual water flows interact with food import tonnages to enhance or retard national decoupling based on food trade. Decoupling theorises breaking the links between economic and population growth and water demands for domestic food production. The detailed analysis applies a resource decoupling model in relation to the role and potential of food and virtual water trade in alleviating national and regional water limits in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The contrast between Egypt’s political denial of dependence, and Israel’s strategic adoption of food imports provides an example.

This paper combines Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Food Balance data with Water Footprint data to reveal how virtual water flows interact with food import tonnages to enhance or retard national decoupling based on food trade. Decoupling theorises breaking the links between economic and population growth and water demands for domestic food production. The detailed analysis applies a resource decoupling model in relation to the role and potential of food and virtual water trade in alleviating national and regional water limits in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The contrast between Egypt’s political denial of dependence, and Israel’s strategic adoption of food imports provides an example.

Materials, energy, and organisms from groundwater serve as resource subsidies to lotic systems. These subsidies influence food production and post-emergent fish growth and condition through nutrient inputs and water temperature changes. To test whether post-emergent fish grew faster in gaining sites, we grew hatchery post-emergent salmon in enclosures, sampled periphyton, benthic invertebrates and wild salmon, and modeled fish growth across a gradient of groundwater-surface water exchange. Fish grew almost twice as fast in gaining (2.7 % g d | The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author.

Materials, energy, and organisms from groundwater serve as resource subsidies to lotic systems. These subsidies influence food production and post-emergent fish growth and condition through nutrient inputs and water temperature changes. To test whether post-emergent fish grew faster in gaining sites, we grew hatchery post-emergent salmon in enclosures, sampled periphyton, benthic invertebrates and wild salmon, and modeled fish growth across a gradient of groundwater-surface water exchange. Fish grew almost twice as fast in gaining (2.7 % g d | The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the pdf file of the accepted manuscript may differ slightly from what is displayed on the item page. The information in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript reflects the original submission by the author.

The symposium (2014) focused on the challenges of crop production faced by farmers in the Sahel region. The presentation covers a three-year fertilizer micro dosing (MD) project that was combined with rainwater harvesting (RWH). The techniques are assessed in terms of effects on crop production and family income. It also explores the “warrantage” or inventory credit system where harvested crops are stored and used as collateral to access loans and credit. With improving crop varieties, MD and RWH can increase yields up to 200%. There is no evidence that the process caused land degradation or yield decline, suggesting long term sustainability.

The water-energy-food (WEF) nexus is quickly becoming one of the most critical global environmental challenges of the twenty first century. However, WEF systems are inherently complex; they typically are dynamic and span multiple land or agro-ecosystems at a regional or global scale. Addressing this challenge requires a systems approach to optimal and sustainable resource management across multiple dimensions. To that end, using Pajaro Valley (California) as a case study, our research aims to (1) highlight synergies and tradeoffs in food and water production, (2) build a dynamic framework capable of examining intertemporal resource relationships, and (3) detail the steps required to develop incentive-compatible financing of the resulting management plans when benefits are not distributed uniformly across users. Using a stylized model, we find that in the long run, inland growers benefit from the halting of seawater intrusion (SWI) due to overpumping of groundwater. We also calculate that the water provided by the proposed College Lake Multi-Objective Management Program-a plan designed to halt SWI and support sustainable water and agricultural development in the region-will generate net revenue of $40-58 million per year, compared to an annualized cost of less than $3 million. An equal cost-sharing plan would be desirable if the benefit of the project exceeded $1,268 per year for each well owner. Since this may not necessarily be the case for smaller well owners, one possible alternative is to allocate costs in proportion to expected benefits for each user.

Paper for presentation at the 27th SSEA/6th ASSS Conference held on October 20-25, 2013 in Nakuru, Kenya | To evaluate the performance of drought tolerant maize varieties under different water harvesting technologies (zai pits, tied ridges and conventional), the treatments were laid out in a split plot design with water harvesting methods as the main plots, and maize varieties as the sub-plots. Four maize varieties were evaluated under the three water harvesting technologies. Maize yields in zai pits and tied ridges treatments were significantly higher than for conventional treatment. Maize constitutes a major component of the diet in the region, with more than 70% of maize cultivated by farmers in small holder units of less than 20 hectares of land.

The food-energy-water (FEW) nexus is an emerging field that studies the connections between systems involving agriculture and food, energy and electricity, and water as well as the vulnerabilities of access to and availability of these resources. Understanding the interdependencies between these systems is crucial for decision making to ensure the long-term sustainability of resources considering the impacts of climate change. This study analyzes a data set of documented climate change adaptations that are relevant to the social and environmental vulnerabilities of the FEW nexus. One of our outcomes found that adaptations targeting food security are more robustly documented than adaptations relevant to water and energy security. Additionally, these adaptations share common characteristics such as their associations to cities and infrastructure, sea level rise, and deserts. Several of these relationships show potential for mutually beneficial adaptations, while others may negatively impact another system with tradeoffs in their implementation.