Improving Household Agriculture with Roof-Harvested Rainwater: A Case Study in Sydney and Nairobi
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School of Engineering, Design and Built Environment Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia
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Soil, Water and Environmental Engineering Department, School of Biosystems and Environmental Engineering, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology, Nairobi 00200, Kenya
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Fernando António Leal Pacheco
Water 2021, 13(20), 2920; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13202920
Received: 31 August 2021
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Revised: 4 October 2021
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Accepted: 14 October 2021
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Published: 17 October 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Rainwater and Stormwater Harvesting for Sustainable Water Cycle Management)
The production and distribution of a sufficient quantity of food and water of satisfactory quality is at the heart of sustainable development. At the small domestic scale, roof-harvested rainwater can make a significant contribution to food supply and distribution systems (production, handling, storage, and transportation). In this paper, we compare the potential crop production of a small garden plot using three methods of watering: (1) rainfed only with no irrigation; (2) irrigated with the ideal amount of water; and (3) rainwater tanks of various sizes installed and used to irrigate the plot. Yield was determined on the basis of the yield calculation method presented in FAO 33. It was found that yields can be increased considerably by installing a correctly managed rainwater storage system (RSS). A 3 kL RSS connected to a 120 m2 roof can increase yields in Nairobi from 40 kg to 96 kg. In Sydney, a larger roof of 200 m2 can increase yields from 66 kg to 143 kg. This study makes an important contribution to water and food security-related sustainable development goals.
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Keywords:
household agriculture; urban agriculture; rainwater harvesting; rainwater storage systems; sustainable housing; nutrition; SDG
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MDPI and ACS Style
Amos, C.C.; Rahman, A.; Jahan, S.; Gathenya, J.M.; Alim, M.A. Improving Household Agriculture with Roof-Harvested Rainwater: A Case Study in Sydney and Nairobi. Water 2021, 13, 2920. https://doi.org/10.3390/w13202920
AMA Style
Amos CC, Rahman A, Jahan S, Gathenya JM, Alim MA. Improving Household Agriculture with Roof-Harvested Rainwater: A Case Study in Sydney and Nairobi. Water. 2021; 13(20):2920. https://doi.org/10.3390/w13202920
Chicago/Turabian StyleAmos, Caleb C., Ataur Rahman, Sayka Jahan, John M. Gathenya, and Mohammad A. Alim 2021. "Improving Household Agriculture with Roof-Harvested Rainwater: A Case Study in Sydney and Nairobi" Water 13, no. 20: 2920. https://doi.org/10.3390/w13202920
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