Metallic iron (Fe⁰)-based filtration systems have the potential to significantly contribute to the achievement of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of substantially improving the human condition by 2030 through the provision of clean water. Recent knowledge on Fe⁰-based safe drinking water filters is addressed herein. They are categorized into two types: Household and community filters. Design criteria are recalled and operational details are given. Scientists are invited to co-develop knowledge enabling the exploitation of the great potential of Fe⁰ filters for sustainable safe drinking water provision (and sanitation).

Rice bacterial blight (BB) is caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae and is responsible for substantial yield loss worldwide. Host resistance remains the most feasible control measure. However, pathogen variability leads to the failure of certain resistance genes to control the disease, and climate change with high amplitudes of heat predisposes the host plant to pathogen invasion. Due to pressure in natural selection, landrace species often carry a wide range of unique traits conferring tolerance of stress. Therefore, exploring their genetic background for host resistance could enable the identification of broad-spectrum resistance to combined abiotic and biotic stresses. Nineteen Oryza glaberrima accessions and O. sativa rice variety SUPA were evaluated for BB resistance under high temperature (35 and 31°C day and night, respectively) using 14 X. oryzae pv. oryzae strains originated from the Philippines. Under normal temperature, most of the accessions showed resistance to 9 strains (64.3%) and accession TOG6007 showed broad-spectrum resistance to 12 strains (85.7%). Under high temperature, most accessions showed a reduction in BB disease, whereas, accession TOG5620 showed disease reduction from all the X. oryzae pv. oryzae strains under high temperature. Molecular characterization using gene-based and linked markers for BB resistance genes Xa4, xa5, Xa7, xa13, and Xa21 revealed the susceptible alleles of Xa4, xa5, xa13, and Xa21 in O. glaberrima. However, no allele of Xa7 was detected among O. glaberrima accessions. Our results suggest that O. glaberrima accessions contain a BB resistance different from the Xa gene type. Genome-wide association mapping could be used to identify quantitative trait loci that are associated with BB resistance or combined BB resistance and high-temperature tolerance.

Climate change and land use conflicts represent two of the greatest challenges worldwide. One possible solution are agrivoltaic (APV) systems, in which agricultural production is combined with a photovoltaic (PV) system in the same area. However, there is insufficient information on the environmental impacts of this technology. Therefore, the goal of this study was to evaluate the environmental impacts of an agrivoltaic system with conventional potato production using life cycle assessment (LCA). For this purpose, three scenarios were developed and compared in terms of their environmental impact: An APV system with combined potato and electricity production (scenario 1), a system with spatially separated potato and photovoltaic (PV) electricity production (scenario 2), and a potato scenario in which the electricity purchase was covered by the German electricity mix (scenario 3). The APV system (scenario 1) and the system with ground-mounted PV modules (scenario 2) performed better than scenario 3. In the Land Use category, scenario 1 caused the lowest environmental impact. Comparing the PV scenarios, scenario 2 had lower impacts in 12 of the 17 impact categories due to lower steel consumption. Also, comparing scenario 1 with scenario 3, lower impacts of the APV system were observed in 13 categories. The impacts of APV systems are generally similar to those of ground mounted PV systems, and impacts of both PV systems are lower than the existing, conventional systems of separate energy and crop production. However, due to ongoing advances in system design, materials used for the mounting structures and in the development of solar modules, it can be expected that the impact of APV will be significantly reduced in the future.

Climate change and land use conflicts represent two of the greatest challenges worldwide. Climate change affects agricultural production by more frequent and more intense extreme weather events besides the continuing temperature and carbon dioxide increase. The most important climate mitigation measure is the abolishment of fossil fuels, and climate change adaptation is needed for sustainable crop production. The concept of agrivoltaics (AV) combines the installation of a photovoltaic (PV) system for clean energy generation with an agricultural use on the same area, increasing land use efficiency and creating synergy effects to adapt agriculture to climate change by protecting crops from extreme weather events. Recently, interest in AV systems is booming in many countries with an estimate 14 GW of electricity being produced by AV worldwide. Latest technical options of AV systems are described, and the advantage for crops is evaluated. Additionally, environmental effects are reviewed, in terms of influences on microclimate, biodiversity, soil conditions and water management. Optimal technical options for installation and management of AV and results of life cycle analyses are presented. Economic comparison showed that if electricity is directly consumed on-farm, an amortization could be achieved after 3.22 years, based on the present electricity costs in Germany.

Although many international events tackle either the question of energy, specifically the growing importance of renewable energy (RE) for global development, or the development of water efficient technologies and practices that will help conserve our world’s scarce and dwindling resources, the two spheres are rarely considered in their specific interconnections that are so important for holistic development approaches. In addition to these linkages, a framework of economic and governance conditions that determine the success of such technologies, specifically in rural areas with their complex problems, needs to be considered for a sustainable rural development. Egypt is a country that is particularly vulnerable to many of the sustainability challenges and climate change effects to which all countries around the world are struggling to respond. The MENA population is expected to double to 720 million by 2050,¹ and the Egyptian population of around 93 million grows by a million people every 6 to 10 months,^2,3 a growth rate of 2.56%,⁴ further increasing poverty and the already high youth unemployment. Since the country’s landmass consists of 96% desert, 98% of Egypt’s population lives on only around 4% of the landmass, mainly on the green sliver of land along the Nile River and in the Nile Delta, and population densities are comparable to those of Indian megacities. This population distribution also means that residents of villages and cities that are located far away from the River Nile constitute minorities that are often not well connected to the services concentrated in the most populated parts of Egypt. The vast distances that lie between Egypt’s urban centers and the residents of some of its remote rural areas pose a challenge to the transportation of public services, such as 24-h electricity and improved drinking water. The geographical distances and the remote location of some rural communities that may, at times, consist of only a handful of households, lend themselves to stand-alone, off-grid solutions to service power generation based on solar photovoltaic (PV).