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] PDF

EUROPEAN COMMISSION (2009): Guide to Financial Issues relating to FP7 Indirect Actions. Seventh Framework Programme. URL [Accessed: 21.09.2019]

Tumuluru et al. (2010): A Review on Biomass Densification Technologies for Energy Application. URL [Accessed: 20.08.2019] PDF

For 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] PDF

This paper analyses why a certain reforestation project was successful in some villages in Malawi, while not in others.

BRATEN, R.H. (n.y): Collective Action Reforestation. A Case Study from Malawi. Oslo: University of Oslo URL [Accessed: 09.07.2019]

Fertilisers and soil amendments are a wide array of materials added to soils to improve plant growth. They can be organic, such as bone meal, or inorganic, such as 10-10-10 fertiliser. Some must be purchased, while others are free for the taking from your landscape. Many are dual purpose—they serve as both fertilisers and soil amendments.

TRAUNFELD, J. NIBALI, E. (2009): Soil Amendments and Fertilizers. Fertilizing Guidelines Included by Plant Group. ELLICOT CITY: Home and Garden Information Center URL [Accessed: 09.07.2019]

This guide on integrated plant nutrient management, dealing with various aspects of plant nutrition, is an attempt to provide support to the ongoing efforts directed at enhanced and sustainable agricultural production. It seeks to bridge the scientific knowledge gap, and it presents updated information on plant nutrition with emphasis on INM. In helping stakeholders to improve their ability to identify and resolve constraints relating to plant nutrition – be they of a technical, economic, social or policy nature – and to demonstrate on the field practical ways of increasing production through efficient plant nutrition, the guide should assist in achieving the goal of food security.

ROY, R.N. FINCK, A. BLAIR, G.J. TANDON, H.L.S. (2006): Plant Nutrition for Food Security: A Guide for Integrated Nutrient Management. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) URL [Accessed: 09.07.2019]

A well-illustrated paper about cover crops which answers all important questions.

MUTCH, D.R. MARTIN, T.E. (n.y): Cover Crops. Washington, D.C.: Sustainable Agriculture Publications – USDA URL [Accessed: 09.07.2019]

Targeted 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]

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]

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]

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]

This is a short manual about mulch. It explains the benefits of proper mulching, types of mulch and the problems if they are used improperly.

ISA (2005): Proper Mulching Techniques. Champaign: International Society of Arboriculture URL [Accessed: 09.07.2019]

This report is the concluding document of the study, Agricultural Drainage: Toward an Interdisciplinary and Integrated Approach, under the Bank-Netherlands Partnership Program-Environment/Water Resources Management Window. The study spanned more than two years of literature reviews, field investigations, and analysis. Work included case studies in six countries representing a cross-section of drainage situations in different climatic zones.

SAFWAT, A.D. HOEVENAARS, J. MOLLINGA, P.P. SCHEUMANN, W. SLOOTWEG, R. STEENBERGEN, F. van (2004): Reclaiming Drainage. Toward an Integrated Approach. Washington D.C.: The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development URL [Accessed: 09.07.2019]

A project report showing the potential of controlled drainage in around the world with a focus chapter on the Egypt and India. The paper includes influencing factors such as social or water risks as well as crop-related hazards.

ABBOT, C.L., LAWRENCE, P., PEARCE, G.R. and ABDEL-GAWAD, S. (2002): Review of the Potential for Controlled Drainage Around the World. (KAR Project R7133). Oxon: HR Wallingford and Department for International Development (DFID) URL [Accessed: 09.07.2019]