Colin J. Chartres, 'Water, investment and food security', 2014 | Water resources are already very scarce. With further demand from population growth, dietary changes, biofuel production, urbanisation and climate change, it will be extremely difficult to find enough supply to enable an increase in global food production by 70 per cent. There are, however, potential solutions that involve increasing water productivity, improved water storage, more irrigation and re-using waste water. But current investment levels in overseas development aid and spending at country level are unlikely to be sufficient to ensure food security in the relatively short- term, let alone by 2050, when the global population is forecast to be nine billion. This article describes some of the issues that have to be faced to deliver food security and overcome water scarcity, and how these improvements can be achieved through a combination of science, policy and investment

Water activity of multicomponent food mixture was analysed and measured. Samples of dry fermented sausages with two different starter cultures (Pediococcus pentosaceus + Staphylococcus carnosus and Staphylococcus carnosus + Staphylococcus xylosus + Lactobacillus farciminis) were tested during ripening (21 days) and storing (91 days). The basic raw materials were the same for all samples: lean beef meat, lean pork and pork fat in equal parts, nitrite salt mixture (2.5 %), and sugars (1.0 %). The method used for water activity tests was indirect manometric in a static environment. Moisture content of samples was measured using halogen dryer. The course of water activity and moisture content of sausages was variable during ripening and steady during storage. Diagrams showed gradual decrease of both parameters. Mathematical models of water activity and moisture content for storage of dry fermented sausages were developed and statistically verified. The influence of starter cultures was not significant.

Water is an essential recurring input for agriculture productivity and key to food security. Its availability in space and time has been a matter of great concern in many parts of the world. In India there is growing awareness about the scarcity of water under the increased water demand from agriculture and other sectors. Further, the projected reduction in water availability to the agriculture sector from the share of 89

The objective of this study was to determine the changes in water activity and moisture content in the dry fermented sausages Herkules, a typical multicomponent food, during ripening and storage. The sausages were made with lean beef, lean pork, pork fat, nitrite salt mixture, and sugars, and fermented with two starter cultures (Pediococcus pentosaceus + Staphylococcus carnosus and S. carnosus + S. xylosus + Lactobacillus farciminis). The samples were taken and tested during ripening (21 days) and storage (91 days). The water activity was measured by indirect manometric method in a static environment, the moisture content by halogen dryer. The water activity and moisture content decreased considerably, but very irregularily during the ripening, whereas they declined only slowly and linearly during the storage. The decrease during the storage was expressed by mathematical equations describing the changes of water activity and moisture content in function of the time. The use of different starter cultures had no influence on the two variables studied.

Sarfraz Munir, Waqas Ahmad, Asghar Hussain, 'Effect of transboundary water agreements on water and food security of downstream riparian communities: a case study of Indus Waters Treaty', 2014 | Transboundary water conflicts are awfully crucial in their nature as they not only endanger the food and water security of the riparian communities but also jeopardize the security and existence of the conflicting nations. Any inappropriate action done by upper riparians directly affects the existence of lower riparians. Therefore they need special care to be dealt with. There are 261 international rivers, covering almost one-half of the total land surface which are shared between two or more nations. The management of international waters has been poorly defined in the international arena. In 1947, after the independence of subcontinent, the Indus Basin was divided into two parts between India and Pakistan. Soon after independence India started to halt the river supplies to Pakistan and closed all supplies to the canals which were crossing the India-Pakistan border. India agreed to restore some of the supplies to Pakistan in May 1948, when quite a pro-Indian temporary agreement was signed. It was, however, generally realized that Pakistan could not live without restoration of the full supplies and on this question there could be no compromise. Direct negotiations between the parties failed to resolve the dispute. Negotiations under the World Bank commenced in May 1952. The World Bank planned to divide Indus Basin Rivers into two parts the eastern rivers, under completely Indian control and the western rivers for unrestricted use by Pakistan. Pakistan was not fully convinced and refused to sign until 1958 but ultimately the Treaty was formalized in 1960 after some necessary modifications. Pakistan, on one hand, was deprived a substantial amount of its waters in the Indus Waters Treaty, but on the other, it also got the right of unrestricted use of western rivers. Pakistan also received some assistance (grants and loans) from the World Bank for construction of replacement works for some water storage and diversions. It is evident that the closure or diversion of river flows in the upstream reaches not only affect the downstream river ecology but also puts the downstream irrigated agriculture at stake. This paper highlights the effects of the IWT on water availability and irrigated agriculture in Pakistan. Study finds that though there are some deprivations of surface waters availability to the Pakistan under the IWT but at the same time there are also some improvements in canal water diversions, which are mainly due to the construction of water storage reservoirs. An increase in the cropped area and crop production also has been observed which owes to many other social, economical and technical factors but all this was not possible without reliable irrigation water supplies

The food remains of Neomys fodiens (particularly trichopteran larvae, Gastropoda and Amphibia) found on the banks of ponds and small creeks in Lower Austria are described. Characteristic bite marks, the manner of opening the cases and shells, as well as data on feeding patterns are presented. Food caches mainly consisted of caddis fly larvae and snails, but also contained non-palatable items which shrews apparently had confused with real prey and retrieved. The composition of the caches varied seasonally, showing a marked mid-summer decline and a shift in the proportion of Trichoptera and Mollusca in late summer and autumn. Shrews employed particular methods when breaking snail shells and opening caddis fly cases, and in the consumption of vertebrate carcasses.