Food Waste to Livestock Feed: Prospects and Challenges for Swine Farming in Peri-urban Sri Lanka.

Using farm animals for their natural capability of "recycling" food waste (FW) that is unfit for direct human consumption can support a circular economy as shown in the case of Sri Lanka's Western Province. The reuse of organic residues including FW as animal feed is a traditional agricultural practice in Sri Lanka but is less studied within an urban FW context. A survey of piggeries using FW in and around the rapidly urbanizing city of Colombo showed that FW is a major feed source in the farms accounting for on average 82% of total feed.

Urbanisation and emerging economies: Issues and potential solutions for water and food security.

Urbanisation will be one of the 21st century's most transformative trends. By 2050, it will increase from 55% to 68%, more than doubling the urban population in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Urbanisation has multifarious (positive as well as negative) impacts on the wellbeing of humans and the environment.

A livelihood in a risky environment: Farmers' preferences for irrigation with wastewater in Hyderabad, India.

Most cities in developing countries fail to treat their wastewater comprehensively. Consequently, farmers downstream use poor-quality water for irrigation. This practice implies risks for farmers, consumers and the environment.

Total Value of Phosphorus Recovery.

Phosphorus (P) is a critical, geographically concentrated, nonrenewable resource necessary to support global food production. In excess (e.g.

Effects of biochar and alkaline amendments on cadmium immobilization, selected nutrient and cadmium concentrations of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) in two contrasting soils.

To assess the efficiency of seven treatments including biochars produced from dried faecal matter and manures as stabilizing agents of cadmium (Cd)-spiked soils, lettuce was grown in glasshouse on two contrasting soils. The soils used were moderately fertile silty loam and less fertile sandy loam and the applied treatments were 7 % w/w. The reduction of bioavailable Cd (ammonium nitrate extractable) and its phytoavailability for lettuce were used as assessment criteria in the evaluation of stabilization performance of each treatment.

A probabilistic model of gastroenteritis risks associated with consumption of street food salads in Kumasi, Ghana: evaluation of methods to estimate pathogen dose from water, produce or food quality.

With a rapidly growing urban population in Kumasi, Ghana, the consumption of street food is increasing. Raw salads, which often accompany street food dishes, are typically composed of perishable vegetables that are grown in close proximity to the city using poor quality water for irrigation. This study assessed the risk of gastroenteritis illness (caused by rotavirus, norovirus and Ascaris lumbricoides) associated with the consumption of street food salads using Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA).

Quantification of human norovirus GII, human adenovirus, and fecal indicator organisms in wastewater used for irrigation in Accra, Ghana.

Quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) is frequently used to estimate health risks associated with wastewater irrigation and requires pathogen concentration estimates as inputs. However, human pathogens, such as viruses, are rarely quantified in water samples, and simple relationships between fecal indicator bacteria and pathogen concentrations are used instead. To provide data that can be used to refine QMRA models of wastewater-fed agriculture in Accra, stream, drain, and waste stabilization pond waters used for irrigation were sampled and analyzed for concentrations of fecal indicator microorganisms (human-specific Bacteroidales, Escherichia coli, enterococci, thermotolerant coliform, and somatic and F+ coliphages) and two human viruses (adenovirus and norovirus genogroup II).

Quantitative Microbial Risk Analysis to evaluate health effects of interventions in the urban water system of Accra, Ghana.

A quantitative microbial risk assessment was applied to evaluate the microbial risks of the Accra Urban Water System (AUWS). The exposure assessment was based on the count of indicator organisms in waste water from open roadside drains and in water and sand samples from the beach. The predicted total disease burden generated in a representative catchment of the AUWS (Odaw Catchment) was 36,329 Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) per year, of which 12 and 88% are caused by, respectively, shortcomings in the water supply system and inappropriate sanitation.

Occupational exposure to pesticides: blood cholinesterase activity in a farming community in Ghana.

A survey was undertaken to establish the extent of pesticide exposure in a farming community. Cholinesterase (ChE) activity in whole blood was used as a marker for assessing exposure to pesticides. Complete data were gathered for 63 farmers at Akumadan (exposed) and 58 control subjects at Tono, both prominent vegetable-farming communities in Ghana, by means of a questionnaire and blood cholinesterase analyses (acetylcholine assay).

Potential of simple filters to improve microbial quality of irrigation water used in urban vegetable farming in Ghana.

Irrigation water used for growing vegetables in urban areas in many low-income countries is contaminated with untreated wastewater. Many wastewater treatment methods are economically prohibitive and continued use of such irrigation water pose health risks for vegetable consumers and farmers. As part of a larger study on possible interventions for health risk reduction, the potential of simple interventions was explored.

Quantification of the health risk associated with wastewater reuse in Accra, Ghana: a contribution toward local guidelines.

Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) models with 10,000 Monte Carlo simulations were applied to ascertain the risks of rotavirus and Ascaris infections for farmers using different irrigation water qualities and consumers of lettuce irrigated with the different water qualities after allowing post-harvest handling. A tolerable risk (TR) of infection of 7.7 x 10(-4) and 1 x 10(-2) per person per year were used for rotavirus and Ascaris respectively.

The impact of agricultural runoff on the quality of two streams in vegetable farm areas in Ghana.

A study of two small streams at Akumadan and Tono, Ghana, was undertaken during the rain and dry season periods between February 2005 and January 2006 to investigate the impact of vegetable field runoff on their quality. In each stream we compared the concentration of current-use pesticides in one site immediately upstream of a vegetable field with a second site immediately downstream. Only trace concentrations of endosulfan and chlorpyrifos were detected at both sites in both streams in the dry season.

Dissipation of endosulfan in field-grown tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) and cropped soil at Akumadan, Ghana.

The dissipation and persistence of endosulfan (6,7,8,9,10,10-hexachloro-1,5,5a,6,9,9a-hexahydro-6,9-methano-2,4,3-benzodioxathiepin 3-oxide) applied to field-grown tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) were studied at a vegetable-growing location in Ghana. Plant tissue samples and cropped soil collected at 2 h-14 days and 8 h-112 days, respectively, after application, were analyzed by gas chromatography-electron capture detection (63Ni) to determine the content and dissipation rate of endosulfan isomers (alpha- and beta-endosulfan) and the major metabolite, endosulfan sulfate. After two foliar applications of commercial endosulfan at 500 g of active ingredient/hectare, the first-order reaction kinetic was confirmed to describe the dissipation of endosulfan residues in tomato foliage and cropped soil.

Effect of low-cost irrigation methods on microbial contamination of lettuce irrigated with untreated wastewater.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of simple irrigation methods such as drip irrigation kits, furrow irrigation and use of watering cans in reducing contamination of lettuce irrigated with polluted water in urban farming in Ghana.

Methods: Trials on drip kits, furrow irrigation and watering cans were conducted with urban vegetable farmers. Trials were arranged in a completely randomised block design with each plot having all three irrigation methods tested.

Reducing microbial contamination on wastewater-irrigated lettuce by cessation of irrigation before harvesting.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of cessation of irrigation before harvesting in reducing microbial contamination of lettuce irrigated with wastewater in urban vegetable farming in Ghana.

Methods: Assessment was done under actual field conditions with urban vegetable farmers in Ghana. Trials were arranged in completely randomized block design and done both in the dry and wet seasons.

Accumulation of persistent organochlorine contaminants in milk and serum of farmers from Ghana.

In the present study, the concentrations of persistent organochlorine (OC) pesticides such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its metabolites (DDTs), hexachlorocyclohexane isomers (HCHs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and dieldrin in pooled samples of human breast milk (n=109), and serum (n=115) from vegetable farmers in Ghana, during 2005, were determined. Gas chromatography with mass spectrometry was used to quantify residue levels on a lipid basis of the OCs. The pattern of OCs in human fluid showed that DDTs was consistently the prevalent OC in milk and blood.

Farmer perceptions and pesticide use practices in vegetable production in Ghana.

As an initial part of a programme aimed at promoting safe and sound agricultural practices in Ghana, a study was made of farmers' perceptions of pesticides for use and application in vegetable production, using a small survey of 137 farmers who applied pesticides. Field surveys, interviews, questionnaires and analytical games were used to obtain information on the type, scope and extent of use of pesticides, farmers' knowledge of pesticides, and their perceptions about the chemicals' potential for harm. Data from this sample of farmers were used to describe the status of use of pesticides in vegetable cultivation in Ghana.

Does irrigated urban agriculture influence the transmission of malaria in the city of Kumasi, Ghana?

To verify the possible impact of irrigated urban agriculture on malaria transmission in cities, we studied entomological parameters, self-reported malaria episodes, and household-level data in the city of Kumasi, Ghana. A comparison was made between city locations without irrigated agriculture, city locations with irrigated urban vegetable production, and peri-urban (PU) locations with rain-fed agriculture. In the rainy as well as dry seasons, larvae of Anopheles spp.