Understanding the socio-economic value of freshwater in Christchurch has emerged as long-term development plans for the city ensues with attempts being made to better understand this natural resource and the value it adds to business operations. However, understanding the socio-economic value of this resource can be quite complex due to the issues surrounding freshwater use and management in Christchurch. Nonetheless, this research investigates the water use ratios and importance of the Christchurch freshwater supply to the food and beverage industry. Telephone interviews with the use of a questionnaire were conducted with 80 companies, purposely selected from within the food and beverage sector. The results from the data collected indicate that water is very important to food and beverage business operations and that the quality of freshwater is one of the key reasons for these businesses choosing to establish and operate in Christchurch. Moreover, the research also finds that the analysis conducted was limited to some degree as most companies failed to provide the necessary data to investigate the water use ratios for the food and beverage industry.

Water management studies often overlook community diversity, different stakeholders’ values, and frames to claim water rights. Using a political-ecology approach, this article examines an irrigation system in Ecuador’s highlands via Fraser’s principles of justice (recognition, representation, redistribution). Large flower companies and indigenous smallholders frame their arguments differently to legitimize water allocation claims. Framing is effective when it resonates with other stakeholders’ values. Some unexpected findings are explained: most of the water is still used by large companies since communities took control; rules regarding water use differ greatly among sectors in the system; and small flower producers have been appearing recently.

The Coastal California basin aquifer system (CCB), USA.Understanding the controls on nonpoint source (NPS) nitrate (NO3−) contamination in groundwater is motivated by the widespread detection of NO3−, implications for human health and aquatic ecosystems, groundwater sustainability, and a growing realization that such understanding across spatial scales promotes management and policy choices that optimize the Water–Energy–Food (WEF) Nexus. In the CCB, the conflicts in the WEF Nexus are apparent because of intensive agricultural practices that have contributed to chronic NO3− loading to groundwater. We evaluate the scale-dependent relations among source, transport, and attenuation (STA) factors that control NPS NO3− contamination in recently recharged CCB groundwater. Logistic regression models are presented for sub-regional and regional model domains.Dissolved oxygen (DO) (attenuation) in groundwater is often the most significant STA factor in all model domains, indicating that DO is an important, scale-invariant factor controlling NPS NO3− contamination. Farm fertilizer (source) is also a significant scale-invariant factor, while many of the transport factors are scale-dependent factors. We present vulnerability maps that illustrate the spatial patterns of predicted probability of detected elevated NO3−. Findings here improve knowledge about the scale dependence of STA factors, which help decision makers develop best management strategies and policies that advances groundwater sustainability and optimizes the WEF Nexus.

Most of the poorest people live in rural areas worldwide, characterized by uncertainrainfall, low levels of input use, and low returns to land and labor. Farmers in theserisky production environments often face drought that interacts with many otheragronomic stresses to reduce yields and push them deeper into poverty and hunger.The primary objective of this paper is to estimate the effects that have resulted fromthe adoption of drought-tolerant rice. Food security and water shortage are twomajor challenges for China. Rice is a staple food for most Chinese people and hasplayed an important role in ensuring food security in China. This paper assesses theimpacts of Hanyou 3, one of the drought-tolerant rice varieties that have beenreleased to farmers’ fields already in China, on water use and rice production. Theresults indicated that the rice farmers gave less irrigation to DT variety as comparedto non-DT variety, saving about 30-40% of water over non-DT variety. It is also foundthat the DT rice variety in China yielded as much as existing high-yielding varietiesunder normal or high rainfall conditions.

Water management studies often overlook community diversity, different stakeholders’ values, and frames to claim water rights. Using a political-ecology approach, this article examines an irrigation system in Ecuador’s highlands via Fraser’s principles of justice (recognition, representation, redistribution). Large flower companies and indigenous smallholders frame their arguments differently to legitimize water allocation claims. Framing is effective when it resonates with other stakeholders’ values. Some unexpected findings are explained: most of the water is still used by large companies since communities took control; rules regarding water use differ greatly among sectors in the system; and small flower producers have been appearing recently.

The aim of this study is to use ComBase to determine the relative effects of temperature, pH, and water activity in the inactivation rates of Salmonella enterica in a range of foods. This is performed to determine whether any of the above factors have a dominant effect on survival. The inactivation rates of Salmonella were obtained from original raw data in the ComBase browser and from complete ComBase data for Salmonella. A total of 972 data of different types of food systems and data of individual types of food from ComBase were analysed. Over the range of 0–90°C, the z values calculated for the food data is 14°C. At 0–46°C relevant to intermediate moisture foods (IMF), the z values for the food data was 22°C, indicating a moderate effect of temperature. The z value for inactivation at 47–90°C was 11°C, indicating that temperature has an important effect on survival. This study shows that the effect of temperature is clearer at high temperatures than in the low temperature region. It suggests that the inactivation of Salmonella in food systems is slightly dominated by temperature and that the pH and aw levels appear to be less influential.

Trabajo presentado a la VII Conferencia Internacional sobre Microbiología Ambiental, Industrial y Aplicada (BioMicroWorld), celebrada en Madrid del 18 al 20 de octubre de 2017. | Peer reviewed

Objetivou-se avaliar o consumo de água ofertado por bebedouros e provenientes das dietas via cocho em ovinos alimentados com silagens de diferentes forrageiras tropicais do Semiárido. Foram utilizados 32 cordeiros sem padrão de racial definido, com idade média de seis meses e peso corporal inicial médio de 17,61±2,63 kg, distribuídos em um delineamento inteiramente casualizado recebendo silagens de 4 forrageiras (erva-sal, capim buffel, gliricídia e pornunça) e 8 repetições. O experimento teve duração de 59 dias. As dietas foram fornecidas, às 9h30 e 15h30, ajustando-se a quantidade oferecida de forma a permitir sobras de 10%, sendo estas coletadas diariamente para determinação de matéria seca (MS), matéria mineral (MM), proteína bruta (PB), extrato etéreo (EE), carboidratos totais (CT), fibra em detergente neutro corrigida para cinzas e proteína (FDNcp), fibra em detergente ácido (FDA), lignina (LIG), carboidratos não-fibrosos (CNF), celulose (CEL) e hemicelulose (HEM). O consumo de água foi determinado pela ingestão de água via bebedouro (IAVB), ingestão de água via alimentação (IAVA) e ingestão total de água (ITA). Verificou-se que os animais alimentados com dieta contendo silagem de erva-sal apresentaram maior consumo (P<0,05) de água ofertada no bebedouro (4,466 kg/dia) e maior consumo de água total (5,383 kg/dia), já os animais alimentados com dietas contendo silagem de gliricídia (1,267 kg/dia) e pornunça (1,143 kg/dia) ingeriram mais água proveniente da dieta (P<0,05). Cordeiros alimentados com silagem de erva-sal necessitam de maior ingestão de água para suprir seu requerimento hídrico

Increasing pressure affects water resources, especially in the agricultural sector, with cascading impacts on energy consumption. This is particularly relevant in the Mediterranean area, showing significant water scarcity problems, further exacerbated by the crucial economic role of agricultural production. Assessing the sustainability of water resource use is thus essential to preserving ecosystems and maintaining high levels of agricultural productivity. This paper proposes an integrated methodology based on the Water-Energy-Food Nexus to evaluate the multi-dimensional implications of irrigation practices. Three different indices are introduced, based on an analysis of the most influential factors. The methodology is then implemented in a catchment located in Puglia (Italy) and a comparative analysis of the three indices is presented. The results mainly highlight that economic land productivity is a key driver of irrigated agriculture, and that groundwater is highly affordable compared to surface water, thus being often dangerously perceived as freely available.

In a context of future population increase and intensification of water cycle by climate change, water demand for irrigation is projected to double. However, freshwater resources have been degraded the last decades especially in rivers via fragmentation, dam contraction and pollution. Flow alteration and degradation lead to 80% of freshwater ecosystem species loss. In this thesis, a robust and reliable Environmental Flow (EF) method was developed for global scale: the Variable Monthly Flow (VMF) method. This method allowed estimating EF deficit at global scale including its origin, timing, frequency and magnitude. By setting EFRs as priority user in a global vegetation and hydrological model (LPJmL), irrigation loss due to EFRs implementation were assessed at 30% leading to 5% global calorie loss. To maintain water allocation to humans and ecosystems under global change, food imports would require to increase by 15% especially from Latin America to South of Asia.