The Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) contracted the Center for Agriculture Research and Development (CARD) to undertake the economic analysis of the benefits and costs of the MUS Project with the principal aim of drawing lessons from the project’s experience with regard to achieving developmental impacts through research as well as providing basis for addressing “efficiency and effectiveness” questions of multiple-use approaches over single-use approaches. The analysis was conducted at the request of the Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF) “CPWF Adoption and Cost-Benefit Analysis Project” against the background that the MUS Project, implemented in eight countries since 2004, had identified considerable change/impact at local, national and even global levels in terms of adoption of the concept of supplying water to meet multiple needs. The analysis of benefits and costs in this report was meant to build on the Winrock study whose analysis centered on the incremental benefits, poverty impacts and costs of multiple use approaches relative to single use approaches. While the Winrock study provided useful and important information and guided the identification of benefits and costs of the MUS Project, the analysis in this report also uses the technical approach for evaluating research and advocay projects. The use of the latter approach is due to data limitations as a result of the research nature of the MUS Project. The analysis focuses on the extent of influence the MUS Project appeared to have had on the changes/impacts observed in the basins/countries rather than whether the MUS Project directly produced the observed results. The analysis merely relates the MUS Project activities with the results reported in the five basins by examining the benefits that have accrued or are likely to accrue in the future that would not have happened without the CPWF project investment support.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o comportamento alimentar e a qualidade da água em tanques de criação de girinos de rã-touro Lithobates catesbeianus durante 56 dias, a partir do estágio 25 da Tabela de Gosner (1960), criados em tanques de alvenaria comcapacidade de 1000 L. Os girinos que receberam ração (R) e alga + plâncton + ração (APR) apresentaram o melhor peso e sobrevivência, diferindo significativamente (p < 0,05) dos outros tratamentos (somente alga e alga + plâncton). As variáveis físico-químicas da águadiferiram significativamente (p < 0,05) durante o período experimental e entre os tratamentos. Foi observada uma relação entre alimento fornecido e aqueles contidos no trato digestório dos girinos (rs = 0,39; p < 0,05). A partir de 14 dias, houve mudança nohábito alimentar dos girinos procurando outros itens alimentares além do plâncton. A utilização de dietas naturais quando combinadas com dieta artificial (ração) proporcionou desenvolvimento satisfatório aos girinos.<br><br>The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of food treatments and water quality on the development of bullfrog tadpoles. The analysis, carried out in 1000 L tanks, was undertaken by weight and survival rates, during 56 days, as from stage 25 (Gosner, 1960). Treatments with ration (R) and algae + plankton + ration (APR) had the best results in weight and survival rates, which were significantly different (p < 0.05) from the other treatments, comprised of algae only or algae + plankton. Physical and chemical variables of water differed significantly (p < 0.05) during the experimental period and among treatments. There was a correlation between the concentration of species present in the food and in the tadpole digestive tract (rs = 0.39; p < 0.05). From the 14th dayof age, bullfrog tadpoles changed their feeding behavior, or rather, a search for food items other than plankton occurred. The utilization of combined natural and artificial (ration) diets to feed bullfrog tadpoles was feasible and yielded a satisfactory development in theanimals.

Agriculture is the largest human use of water. Clearly, agricultural practices need to be targeted to reduce wastage of water. This has been the centre of attention for water saving practices for some years. But there are additional ways to save water. Food consumers and businesses have a key role. This paper discusses the current problems of food demand and water scarcity and outlines some possible solutions to these issues. <br /><br />The amount of food produced on farmers&rsquo; fields is much more than is necessary for a healthy, productive and active life for the global population. Losses and wastage may be in the order of 50 percent between field and fork. Inefficient harvesting, transport, storage and packaging make a considerable dent in the potential availability of food. The situation now is characterised by rapidly increasing prices on food with dramatic repercussions for the poor, rates of inflation and, generally, for the stability of society.<br /><br />The authors recommend a range of actions. These include: <br /> support to farmers - actions are needed to support farmers, especially small farmers, to curb losses of water and food and to facilitate that their produce meets the growing demands for food through: improved seeds, harvesting technologies and storage and innovative ways to capture and beneficially use the rain water to lessen stresses on rivers and groundwater<br /> improve food processing and supply - the business community should take action to minimize water wastage through reducing food wastage in their processing and transport by: benchmarking standards to indicate water use; taking action to minimize wastage in their processing and transport systems; and raising publicity about their water use<br /> sensitise consumers - raise awareness amongst consumers about the water implications of their diets, overeating and food wastage through incentives, practical guidance and well designed campaigns<br /> disseminate basic data and information &ndash; there is a lack factual information about different types, size and implications of losses and wastage of food. An important step is therefore to improve knowledge.

Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008. | In this study, geophysical measurements (Electrical Resistivity Tomography-ERT) and remote sensing techniques were applied in the Thukela river basin at various scales to complement the classical hydrometeorological networks. Detailed process hydrological studies were carried out at the Potshini catchment in the Thukela river basin to provide an in-depth understanding of the influence of different land use management practices, notably the impact of conservation tiJlage practices, on runoff generation and soil moisture retention characteristics at field scale. The general trend that was observed in the field studies is that conservation tillage systems influenced the partitioning of rainfall, by significantly reducing surface runoff over agricultural lands under conservation tillage practices, with a reduction ranging from 46 to 67%. The field soil-water balance studies also indicated that more soil moisture was retained in plots under conservation tillage practices compared to plots under conventional tillage and hence the wider adoption of such a practice could influence the partitioning of rainfall across scales. The field based study was integrated into catchment process studies where a classical hydrometrical network was complemented with geophysical measurements (ERT) along catchment transects to determine the interaction of the surface and sub-surface water and the relative contribution of the subsurface water to catchment response. The study revealed that the shallow ground water contributes significantly, close to 75%, of the stream flows in the Potshini catchment, especially during the dry seasons, with the response of the shallow ground water being a function of both the rainfall intensity and daily total amount. The potential of integrating the catchment process studies with the larger river basin scale was explored through the evaporative term of the water balance by applying the Surface Energy Balance Algorithm for Land (SEBAL), a remote sensing methodology, to estimate total evaporation (ET) from the Moderate Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite images. This was validated with ground measurements from a Large Aperture Scintilometer (LAS) installed in the Potshini catchment. Good comparison was established between the remotely sensed estimates and LAS measurements with a deviation range of between -14 to 26% on discrete days, where the deviation was defined as the departure of the remotely sensed estimates of ET from the respective LAS measurements. The results from this study compare well with results from similar studies in other countries with different climatic conditions. Subsequently, the evaporative water use of various land uses in the upper Thukela river basin was assessed using MODIS images. Commercial forestry was identified to be the land use with a consistent and relatively high evaporative water use In the study area. High evaporation rates over water bodies were observed during the wet summer season when both the natural and man made water bodies were at full capacity. Nevertheless, it is recognized that the inherent low resolution ofthe MODIS images could have impacted on the SEBAL results. Finally, a conceptual framework, drawing the strengths of classical hydrometeorological networks, geophysical measurements, isotope tracers and remote sensing is suggested with the potential of enhancing our understanding and conceptualization of hydrological determinants across scales. The relevance of the framework to water resources management is highlighted through its application to the Potshini catchment and the Thukela river basin using results and findings from this study.

Droplet Size Distribution (DSD) and linear viscoelastic properties of concentrated o/w emulsions stabilized by different proteins (crayfish, gluten and soybean) have been studied. A typical behaviour of highly concentrated emulsions with a high degree of flocculation has been found. An increase in energy input for the emulsification process or in emulsifier concentration leads to an increase in both viscoelastic moduli (G’, G’’) as well as to a decrease in droplet size. Thus, an enhancement of the entanglement network produced by association of protein molecules that are surrounding oil droplets or are present in the continuous phase takes place, leading to a significant improvement of emulsion stability.