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NEWS in brief
of irrigating one million acres of land, ii) 25% towards the
goal of increasing water storage by 2.4 billion cubic metres,
iii) potable water for 674,700 rural people in a region with
the lowest per capita water storage, iv) and up to 20 MW of
new hydropower capacity in support of Kenya’s Least Cost
Rural Electrification Program.

Global Highlights

Water, food and energy nexus

Source: African Development Bank
Tropical plant Moringa provides alternative to soap
for handwashing
SHARE-funded research (1) has found that Moringa oleifera,
a common plant in many tropical and subtropical countries,
can be an effective handwashing product if used in the
correct concentration. Laboratory tests show that the plant
has antibacterial activity against different pathogen, but its
potential effect as a hand washing product had not been
studied before.
By testing the effect of Moringa oleifera leaf powder on hands
artificially contaminated with E. coli and comparing this to
the effect of non-medicated liquid soap, the researchers
from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
and SBI Consulting Ltd in Mozambique found that four
grams of Moringa oleifera powder had the same effect as nonmedicated soap when used for hand washing.
The next step will be to try this product in real conditions
and study its acceptability and convenience for potential
users.
SHARE stands for Sanitation and Hygiene Applied Research
for Equity, and is a five year initiative (2010-2015) funded by

Water, energy and food are inextricably linked. Water is
an input for producing agricultural goods in the fields and
along the entire agro-food supply chain. Energy is required
to produce and distribute water and food: to pump water
from groundwater or surface water sources, to power
tractors and irrigation machinery, and to process and
transport agricultural goods.
Agriculture is currently the largest user of water at the
global level, accounting for 70% of total withdrawal. The
food production and supply chain accounts for about 30%
of total global energy consumption.
There are many synergies and trade-offs between water
and energy use and food production. Using water to
irrigate crops might promote food production but it
can also reduce river flows and hydropower potential.
Growing bioenergy crops under irrigated agriculture can
increase overall water withdrawals and jeopardize food
security. Converting surface irrigation into high efficiency
pressurized irrigation may save water but may also result
in higher energy use. Recognizing these synergies and
balancing these trade-offs is central to jointly ensuring
water, energy and food security.

The global community is well aware of food, energy
and water challenges, but has so far addressed them in
isolation, within sectoral boundaries. At the country level,
fragmented sectoral responsibilities, lack of coordination,
and inconsistencies between laws and regulatory
frameworks may lead to misaligned incentives. If water,
Moringa oleofera leaves and powder. energy and food security are to be simultaneously achieved,
decision-makers, including those responsible for only a
single sector, need to consider broader influences and
the UK Department for International Development
cross-sectoral impacts. A nexus approach to sectoral
(1) Torondel, B., Opare, D., Brandberg, B., Cobb, E. and Cairncross, management, through enhanced dialogue, collaboration
S., 2014. Efficacy of Moringa oleifera leaf powder as a hand- washing and coordination, is needed to ensure that co-benefits and
product : a crossover controlled study among healthy volunteers. BMC trade-offs are considered and that appropriate safeguards
complementary and alternative medicine, 14 (57), pp. 1-7.
are put in place.
Source: World Water Development Report 2014
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Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene • March - April 2014