24 - Water

• Advantages of the Almería scheme

  • Large amounts of cheap, temporary labour from North Africa, Eastern Europe, and Central and South America
  • The advance of hydroponic growing techniques
  • Less water used due to drip irrigation and hydroponics
  • A new desalination plant supplying fresh water from sea water to the region
  • Low energy costs due to the all-year-round warmer temperatures
  • Additional jobs created in packing plants
  • Factories producing and recycling the plastic for the greenhouses also provide jobs
  • Relatively cheap fresh fruit and vegetables provided all year
  • New scientific agribusiness companies have located in the area, providing high-skilled jobs in research and development
  • Strict UK regulations on quality have reduced levels of chemicals used and raised production standards
• Disadvantages of the Almería scheme

  • The immigrant labour is paid very low wages and often live and work in poor conditions
  • There are often clashes between immigrants from different countries
  • Many immigrants are working illegally and so have little control over their working conditions
  • The local environment has been badly affected – large areas of land have been covered with plastic, destroying the natural ecosystems
  • Large amounts of litter are left around, including chemical containers and plastic sheeting
  • Plastic is dumped into the sea and is affecting marine ecosystems
  • The increased use of pesticides in the area has led to increased health risks for those who work or live near the greenhouses
  • The natural water sources (aquifers) in the area are drying up
  • The greenhouses reflect sunlight back into the atmosphere and have contributed to the cooling of the area. Average temperatures have increased in the rest of Spain since 1983, but in Almería they have dropped by 0.3 °C in ten years.
• Sustainable food production


  • Protects land, energy and water resources, in order to maintain food supplies for future generations
  • Increases food supply and income to poor farmers
• Characteristics of sustainable food production

  • Contributes to thriving local economies and sustainable livelihoods at home and abroad
  • Protects the diversity of plants and animals, and avoids damaging natural resources and contributing to climate change
  • Provides social benefits, such as good quality food, safe and healthy products, and educational opportunities
• Permaculture


  Creating food production systems that co-operate with nature to care for the Earth
• Permaculture practices


  • Using natural predators, such as ladybirds, to control aphids, instead of chemicals pesticides
  • Organic farming
  • Growing and buying local food
  • Eating local, seasonal food
• Organic farming


  Farming without the use of artificial chemicals
• Local food


  Food produced and consumed locally, reducing food miles
• Seasonal food


  Food that is in season locally, reducing the energy used in producing out-of-season food
• Urban farming initiatives


  • Creating gardens on unused land in towns and cities to increase the connection people have with food production

  
• Sustainable meat production


  • Grazing livestock outdoors on grass (pasture-fed)
  • Free-range methods where animals are able to go outside for at least part of their lives and exhibit more natural behaviours
• Sustainable fish and seafood production

  • Farming or fishing in a place where the species can maintain its population indefinitely, and without impacting on other species in the ecosystem
  • Using fishing methods that minimise bycatch and damage to the seafloor ecosystem
• Jamalpur district, Bangladesh: rice-fish culture


  • Introducing small local fish to paddy fields, providing natural fertiliser and pest control for the rice, and a source of protein for the local people
  • Increasing rice yields by 10% and providing a surplus for the farmers to sell at market, increasing their incomes
• Rice-fish culture implementation


  1. Identifying a suitable site

  2. Building a dyke around the field

  3. Digging a ditch for the fish

  4. Planting the rice in rows

  5. Filling the ditch with water and stocking it with fish
• Increased rice yield not only helps to feed the farmers' families, but also provides a surplus to sell at market, so increasing their incomes
• This sustainable method of farming increases food production without the use of increased artificial chemicals or impacting on the local environment
• Construction


  1. Identify a suitable site

  2. Build a dyke around the outskirts of the field

  3. Dig a ditch for the fish to live in during the dry season
• Planting and stocking


  1. Plant rice in rows 35 cm apart

  2. Fill 50% of the ditch with water purified with lime and organic fertiliser

  3. Increase water level to 12-15 cm and release small fish or 'fingerlings' into the ditch

  4. Release fish into the field as the rice and fish grow
• Harvesting


  1. Harvest the rice first

  2. Drain the rice field to collect the fish into the ditch
• Before using the rice-fish culture method, Kamrul Barik could only produce enough food to last two-thirds of the year
• Since adopting the method, Kamrul Barik has been able to grow enough food for his family to eat for the whole year and extra to sell at the local market
• The increased income from the produce can help the family to improve their quality of life through increased income and the increased access to protein, such as fish which improves their health
• Rice-fish culture


  • It is sustainable
  • It is run by the local people to increase food production
  • They teach each other and pass on their knowledge once trained
  • They use crops and livestock suitable for the local conditions and do not use large amounts of chemicals or large scale irrigation, so do not need vast amounts of financial investment
  • The impact on the local environment is minimal, but the impact on local food supply is great
• Food loss is when food is thrown out due to deteriorating quality before it reaches the point of sale
• Food waste tends to refer to food thrown away after it has reached the consumer and is mainly a problem in HICs
• Currently, approximately one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally
• If food waste is reduced, we potentially could have nearly twice as much food as we have today, which would comfortably feed the world
• Food waste is not only contributing to food insecurity, but also to the landfill sites where this food ends up
• The decomposition of the food in landfill sites also contributes to the increase in greenhouse gases
• The average family of four in the UK wastes £800 of food each year
• Food losses in LICs can severely impact on farmers' incomes and their ability to feed their own families nutritious food
• Water surplus


  Areas where the water supply exceeds the water demand
• Water deficit


  Areas where water demand exceeds water supply
• Only 2.5 per cent of all the water on Earth is freshwater; the rest is saltwater in seas and oceans
• 69 per cent of the world's freshwater is unusable because it is locked up in ice sheets and glaciers
• Freshwater is a scarce resource - yet it is essential to all life
• Uses of freshwater


  • Domestic use
  • Agricultural use
  • Industrial use
  • Energy use
  • Leisure use
• Areas with a water surplus, such as North America, Europe and Asia, have a plentiful supply of water due to either high rainfall or low population densities
• Areas with a water deficit, such as North Africa, the Middle East or Australia, do not have sufficient water which may be due to either low rainfall or high population densities
• Water security


  When there is a reliable (quantity) supply of clean (quality) water for the social and economic well-being of the people in the area