New technologies are leading to an exponential increase in the volume and types of data available, creating unprecedented possibilities for informing and transforming society and protecting the environment. This report sets out the main opportunities and risks presented by the data revolution for sustainable development.
Independent Expert Advisory Group (IEAG) on a Data Revolution for Sustainable Development to the UN Secretary General (2014): A world that counts. Mobilising the data revolution for sustainable development. URL [Accessed: 05.05.2020]Library
The Water and Energy for Food (WE4F) Grand Challenge was established to expand the scale of innovations that impact the food and water sectors, food and energy sectors,or all three sectors of the nexus (food, water, energy) to increase the sustainability of agricultural food value chains and address climate change in developing countries and emerging markets – with a particular focus on the poor and women.
Water Energy for Food (2019): INNOVATOR GUIDEBOOK: Navigating Business Models for the Base of the Pyramid in Water and Energy for Food. URL [Accessed: 09.03.2020]This book is directly associated with the Handbook. It will help you to put into practice the knowledge you acquired with the Handbook, but above all, to make your project progress more practical.It will guide you through the business creation journey, from a business idea to a green business model. It is conceived from the perspective of a Green Entrepreneur that wants to take an initial business idea and turn it into a feasible green business, following a series of exercises.
FARRENY, R et al. switchmed (2015): Create your Green Business!: The Workbook for Green Entrepreneurs in the Mediterranean . Switchmed URL [Accessed: 09.03.2020]Humans generate millions of tons of waste every day. This waste is rich in water, nutrients, energy and organic compounds. Yet, waste is not being managed in a way that permits us to derive value from its reuse, while millions of farmers struggle with depleted soils and lack of water. This book shows how Resource Recovery and Reuse (RRR) could create livelihoods, enhance food security, support green economies, reduce waste and contribute to cost recovery in the sanitation chain.
While many RRR projects fully depend on subsidies and hardly survive their pilot phase, hopeful signs of viable approaches to RRR are emerging around the globe including low- and middle-income countries. These enterprises or projects are tapping into entrepreneurial initiatives and public-private partnerships, leveraging private capital to help realize commercial or social value, shifting the focus from treatment for waste disposal to treatment of waste as a valuable resource for safe reuse.
The book provides a compendium of business options for energy, nutrients and water recovery via 24 innovative business models based on an in-depth analysis of over 60 empirical cases, of which 47 from around the world are described and evaluated in a systematic way. The focus is on organic municipal, agro-industrial and food waste, including fecal sludge, supporting a diverse range of business models with potential for large-scale out- and up-scaling.
OTOO, M. DRECHSEL, P. (2018): Resource Recovery from Waste. Business Models for Energy, Nutrient and Water Reuse in Low- and Middle-income Countries. Oxon, UK: Routledge URL [Accessed: 21.02.2020] PDFFor thousands of years, bricks have been made from clay. The water treatment plant sludge is extremely close to brick clay in chemical composition, suggesting that it could be a potential substitute for brick clay.
HEGAZY, BADR EL-DIN E. ; FOUAD, H.A. ; HASSANAIN, A.M. (2012): Brick Manufacturing From Water Treatment Sludge And Rice Husk Ash. In: Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences: Volume 6 , 453-461. URL [Accessed: 24.07.2019]This presentation describes the NETSSAF participatory planning approach in a brief manner.
BARRETO DILLON, L. BUZIE FRU, C. (2008): Introduction to the NETSSAF Participatory Planning Approach, a tutorial and guideline for sustainable sanitation planning . (= Proceedings of the NETSSAF Final Conference “Pathways towards Sustainable Sanitation in Africa" ). Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso): Network for the development of Sustainable Approaches for large scale implementation of Sanitation in Africa (NETSSAF) URL [Accessed: 18.07.2019] PDFTargeted reforestation is likely to be a more cost-effective strategy to manage salinity rather than broad scale land use change.
HEANEY, A. ; BEARE, S. ; BELL, R. (2000): Targeting Reforestation for Salinity Management. In: Australian Commodities: Volume 7 , 511-518. URL [Accessed: 09.07.2019]The irrigated area of Pakistan mostly falls in the arid to semi-arid climatic region. Potential evapotranspiration is considerably higher, compared to rainfall received and hence, there is need to conserve soil moisture for better crop production/tree plantation. The broad objective of the study was to evaluate the efficiency of different mulching materials on moisture conservation, soil properties and plant growth. The tested options were: no mulching; placement of rice straw; placement of polythene sheet; mechanical loosening of soil.
CHAUDHRY, M.R. ; MALIK, A.A. ; SIDHU, M. (2004): Mulching Impact on Moisture Conservation - Soil Properties and Plant Growth. In: Pakistan Journal of Water Resources: Volume 8 URL [Accessed: 09.07.2019]Communities can protect water resources by instituting minimum requirements for organic matter in soil. Compost, much of which is generated locally, when incorporated into soil improves water holding capacity and soil quality. By incorporating compost into soil for establishment of lawns and landscape plantings, water used for irrigation is conserved and the potential for groundwater contamination is reduced. Read more about it in this paper.
AGRESOURCE (2012): Protecting Local Water Resources by Amending Soil with Compost. Amesbury: Agresource Inc URL [Accessed: 09.07.2019]Conservation agriculture is presented in this handbook of the World Food and Agriculture Organisation FAO and aims to produce high crop yields while reducing production costs, maintaining the soil fertility and conserving water. It is a way to achieve sustainable agriculture and improve livelihoods. Chapter 5 concentrates on soil cover.
FAO (2005): Conservation Agriculture - Chapter 5: Soil Cover. Rome: Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) URL [Accessed: 09.07.2019]This technical document describes the formation and control of gullies. The severity of gully development depends on a number of factors including soil type, vegetation, rainfall, concentrated flow, and human disturbances. Gullies can erode hillslopes and fill stream channels with sediment. Unchecked, they erode and deliver sediment through a variety of processes that cause loss in soil productivity, channel entrenchment, and headward expansion into the landscape. To best select a design alternative, the desired results of the landowner must be understood along with the character of the gully and its potential impacts.
USACE (2007): Gullies and their Control. New Concord: US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) URL [Accessed: 09.07.2019]Small-scale water providers continue to supply water to many parts of Metro Manila, the Philippines. The study found that a high proportion of the poor rely on water services supplied by small-scale water providers, but that these households pay a higher unit rate for the water than their more affluent neighbours. The study yields a number of recommendations, including rationalizing the price of water for poor customers, improving service efficiencies to reduce the costs of supplying water, and developing collaborative relationships among the government regulator, utility, and small-scale water providers.
WSP (2004): The Experience of Small-Scale Water Providers in Serving the Poor in Metro Manila. Washington, D.C.: The Water and Sanitation Programme of the World Bank Group URL [Accessed: 09.07.2019]