A Scaleable Schematic Design

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

A Scaleable Schematic Design A Scaleable Schematic Design Report October 2011 This report was written and designed by Charlie Baker, John Sampson, Nick Dodd and Clara Maurel from URBED on behalf of Manchester International Festival with support from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation The authors wish to acknowledge the technical input into the project of Michael Shaw and Galen Fullford for Biomatrix Water, Nigel Paul and Ian Dodd at the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, Andy Woods for the BP Institute and Helen Gribbon and Mai Ren for Buro Happold. The Centre for Sustainable Agriculture 2 CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4 CHALLENGE 6 CONCEPT 7 THE STORY SO FAR 8 TECHNICAL CHALLENGE 12 // LIGHTING 13 // AIR QUALITY 16 // GROWING SYSTEMS 18 // NUTRIENT FLOWS 32 // WATER 39 // HEATING 42 SCHEMATIC DESIGN 44 PARTS LIST 50 PHASING 52 CONCLUSION 57 APPENDICES 58 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CHALLENGE Manchester International Festival (MIF) has The vertical farm will not be sustainable if it uses more Nutrients and water commissioned a special project for 2011’s energy than conventional agriculture. The balance between - What symbiotic relationships can we develop within the programme: a vertical farm. Committed to what we put in and what we get out has to make sense farm? sustainably issues, MIF aims to explore the ways environmentally. - How can we recycle naturally obtained nutrients within in which we can grow food to feed our ever- the farm? expanding cities – and produce that food in an Our aim is to explore how we far we can minimise the - How much nutrient will we need and where will we urban environment. energy required for the growing systems to work. We source this from? believe we can achieve this through careful attention to - What will the water demand be and can we meet this by The aim of this study is explore in greater detail a lighting and heating and by selecting crops according to capturing water within the building footprint? series of technical challenges identified in an initial the available conditions. In seeking to do this we have been feasibility study commissioned by Mif entitled exploring the following issues: Growing Systems Another day at the office, authored by Creative - What should we be growing and when? Concern, URBED, Capital Relations and Debbie Energy - Which growing systems should we be using? Ellen, detailing the kind of challenges we are likely - How much natural light can we capture in the building? - Which growing systems should we locate where? to encounter when transforming a derelict office - How much light do we need to grow healthy and building in Wythernhawe. nutritious plants? - How can we minimise the energy demands of artificial In order to test whether Alpha farm could be lighting? designed in such a way as to reduce the resource - What temperature range do we need to maintain within demands of the farm we have developed through the building? this study, a scaleable schematic design for the - What changes do we need to make to the building to entire building. achieve this? 4 ABOUT THE TEAM A ReSOURCe ‘SenSIble’ MODel To set about exploring these questions a team of experts BP Institute, Having completed this study we believe that by taking a and designers were appointed. The team included: The BP Institute based at Cambridge University engages comprehensive approach to the integration of nutrient, in ‘open research’ under the theme of multiphase flow and water and energy flows within the building ALPHA FARM URBED surface chemistry. The institute provided support on how has the potential to be developed as a resource ‘sensible’ URBED are Manchester based co-operative specialising we move air and moisture around the building. model. By this we mean that the farm has the potential to in design, sustainability and community engagement. As grow food using less energy than conventional farming lead designers on the team URBED were responsible for Buro Happold based on the input of large numbers of pesticides and co-ordinating the team of experts that have been brought Buro Happold is an award winning international engineering fertilisers and the transport of food over large distances. together. company provided structural and environmental modeling Further investigation and testing is still required to test input to the project. these ideas further. Biomatrix Are international experts in Ecological Design and Thanks NEXT STEPS Engineering Solutions for Bioremediation and Wastewater Thanks also to Coral Grainger and Debbie Ellen for their Alpha farm provides the opportunity to began to test some Treatment. Biomatrix provided expertise around nutrient research and input that helped get the project up and of the ideas put forward in this study. Through working and water flows around the building. growing. closely with the local community in Wythernshawe the aspiration is to develop Alpha farm as a community farm, The Centre for Sustainable Agriculture which builds a knowledge and skills base around vertical The Centre for Sustainable Agriculture based at Lancaster growing here in Wythernshawe. University brought international expertise on plant science with a practical focus on sustainable agriculture to the team. 5 CHALLENGE Every day, the planet has 219,000 more people to WHAT DO WE NEED? WHAT ARE THE ISSUES? feed. By the year 2050, it is estimated that nearly 80% of the world’s population will live in urban centres. Bringing farming to the city could be a Population Cropland need (global ha/cap) - Feeding a world population of 6.8 billion people requires a land viable and innovative solution. UK Over 60 million 70 million area the size of South America. By 2050 this population will have England Over 50 million 60 million increased to 9.5 billion people. Greater Manchester 2.5 million 2.85 million - World food prices have risen dramatically as pressure on land, With Alpha Farm we plan to explore how to retro- Manchester 500,000 570,000 fit redundant, empty city buildings to grow food water and fossil fuel reserves has increased. – using pioneering new technologies such as - Worldwide, 10 of the hottest years on record have occurred since aquaponics, hydroponics and aeroponics to turn 1990 and this has affected global food production. a disused, eight storey office block in Wythen- - Safe and equitable water supply - Pesticides and fertilisers are responsible for the pollution of water shawe into a productive food hub. courses and long-term decline in soil fertility. - Food safety and security - Since 1980, worldwide oil consumption has exceeded discovered What we learn in this building could revolutionise - Engagement of society in sustainable reserves the way the world’s population could be fed. We lifestyles - Nearly 40% of the earth’s land mass is already used for will be learning as we go, seeing which farming agriculture. - Reduced dependence on fossil fuels methods work the best, what crops can be grown - A typical supermarket trolley of food is quoted to have travelled a and how to get the community involved. distance of 3,000 km. - On average we throw away one third of the food that what we buy, Launching at MIF 2011 and culminating at MIF and shops also dump food for its appearance past and sell by date. 2013, this project is deliberately experimental. Exactly where it will take us is the really exciting bit… 6 Prototype for a vertical farm CONCEPT Solar Harvesting - PV’s Solar Harvesting - Solar Hotwater Lightweight Steel Frame POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF VERTICAL FARMING IN A Extract Vents CITY: Chicken Run Hen Hangar Algae Bee Hives Duckweed Protozoa Plankton Benefits for the community: Shrimp / Fish Fry - Control of food safety and security UV - Extension of growing seasons Sterilisation - Distribution of fresh local food - Creation of local jobs Auxhillary Growth Space - Protection from weather-related crop failure Storage / Service Space O2 AEROPONICS Education Space HYDRO- O2 PONICS AQUA- Retain Existing Facade Growing Space O2 PONICS Benefits for the environment: HORTICULTURE External Growing Space PURITY - Reduction in land use Mirrors - Reuse of abandoned buildings CAFE HIGH RISK - Recycling of organics waste HIGH YIELD HIGH ALUE - Saving water Wythenshawe Market V - Reduction in use of fertilisers and pesticides Compostate - Prevention of agricultural run-off Compost Drum Composter Local Compost Collection N Key O2 O2 O2 Oxygen Circulation Heat Transfer - Water Heat Transfer - Air Typical Floor Layout 7 THE STORY SO FAR What we can learn from precedents: I. UTOPIAN CONCEPTS The Harvest Green Vertical Farm Center for Urban Agriculture Concept – Vancouver, 2009 – Romses Architects – Seattle, 2007 – by Mithun A dynamic design including a large farmer’s market supermar- An off-grid design project integrating housing and farming in ket, agricultural research and education, and residential and downtown Seattle. hospitality areas. http://webecoist.com/2010/01/13/3d-farming-26-vertical-farms- http://webecoist.com/2010/01/13/3d-farming-26-vertical-farms- and-green-skyscrapers/10-harvest-urban-vertical-farm/ and-green-skyscrapers/21-seattle-off-grid-vertical-farm/ UTOPIAN CONCEPTS 8 The Living Tower Forwarding Dallas Dragonfly Vertical Farm EVF: Experimental Vertical Farm – Paris, 2006 – SOA Architects – Dallas, 2009 – Atelier Data & MOOV – nYC Roosevelt Island, 2009 –Vincent Callebaut – Santiago, 2009 – Claudio Palavecino llanos A building combining offices and residential spaces with green- A series of valleys and hilltops designed to run ‘off the grid’ in A bionic two crystalline wings tower concept for New York Vertical farms could be designed to exploit underused urban houses on inclined floors to allow for natural irrigation. Dallas sites http://vincent.callebaut.org/page1-img-dragonfly.html http://www.ateliersoa.fr/verticalfarm_en/urban_farm.htm http://webecoist.com/2010/01/13/3d-farming-26-vertical-farms- http://www.presidentsmedals.com/Project_Details. and-green-skyscrapers/1-revision-dallas-green-city-design/ aspx?id=2432&dop=True&year=2009 9 WHAT WE HAVE I.
Recommended publications
  • Fungus-Farming Insects: Multiple Origins and Diverse Evolutionary Histories
    Commentary Fungus-farming insects: Multiple origins and diverse evolutionary histories Ulrich G. Mueller* and Nicole Gerardo* Section of Integrative Biology, Patterson Laboratories, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712 bout 40–60 million years before the subterranean combs that the termites con- An even richer picture emerges when com- Aadvent of human agriculture, three in- struct within the heart of nest mounds (11). paring termite fungiculture to two other sect lineages, termites, ants, and beetles, Combs are supplied with feces of myriads of known fungus-farming insects, attine ants independently evolved the ability to grow workers that forage on wood, grass, or and ambrosia beetles, which show remark- fungi for food. Like humans, the insect leaves (Fig. 1d). Spores of consumed fungus able evolutionary parallels with fungus- farmers became dependent on cultivated are mixed with the plant forage in the ter- growing termites (Fig. 1 a–c). crops for food and developed task-parti- mite gut and survive the intestinal passage tioned societies cooperating in gigantic ag- (11–14). The addition of a fecal pellet to the Ant and Beetle Fungiculture. In ants, the ricultural enterprises. Agricultural life ulti- comb therefore is functionally equivalent to ability to cultivate fungi for food has arisen mately enabled all of these insect farmers to the sowing of a new fungal crop. This unique only once, dating back Ϸ50–60 million years rise to major ecological importance. Indeed, fungicultural practice enabled Aanen et al. ago (15) and giving rise to roughly 200 the fungus-growing termites of the Old to obtain genetic material of the cultivated known species of fungus-growing (attine) World, the fungus-growing ants of the New fungi directly from termite guts, circumvent- ants (4).
    [Show full text]
  • Transmission of Fungal Partners to Incipient Cecropia-Tree Ant Colonies
    RESEARCH ARTICLE Transmission of fungal partners to incipient Cecropia-tree ant colonies Veronika E. Mayer1*, Maximilian Nepel1,2, Rumsais Blatrix3, Felix B. Oberhauser4, Konrad Fiedler1, JuÈ rg SchoÈnenberger1, Hermann Voglmayr1 1 Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Rennweg 14, Vienna, Austria, 2 Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna, Althanstraûe 14, Vienna, Austria, 3 Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, CNRS UMR 5175, France, 4 Department of Zoology, University of Regensburg, UniversitaÈtsstraûe 31, Regensburg, Germany a1111111111 a1111111111 * [email protected] a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 Abstract Ascomycete fungi in the nests of ants inhabiting plants (= myrmecophytes) are very often cultivated by the ants in small patches and used as food source. Where these fungi come from is not known yet. Two scenarios of fungus recruitment are possible: (1) random infec- OPEN ACCESS tion through spores or hyphal fragments from the environment, or (2) transmission from Citation: Mayer VE, Nepel M, Blatrix R, Oberhauser mother to daughter colonies by the foundress queen. It is also not known at which stage of FB, Fiedler K, SchoÈnenberger J, et al. (2018) Transmission of fungal partners to incipient the colony life cycle fungiculture is initiated, and whether the- symbiont fungi serve as food Cecropia-tree ant colonies. PLoS ONE 13(2): for the ant queen. To clarify these questions, we investigated four Azteca ant species inhab- e0192207. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. iting three different Cecropia species (C. insignis, C. obtusifolia, and C. peltata). We ana- pone.0192207 lysed an rRNA gene fragment from 52 fungal patches produced by founding queens and Editor: Renee M.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction
    INTRODUCTION Mushrooms and Humans: Past, Present, and Future Mushrooms as we know them today evolved at least 120 million Gathering mushrooms is an age-old years ago—well before the time of the dinosaurs—and they have practice. Ja Schindler been part of our lives for as long as humans have existed. One of our closest living relatives, the mountain gorilla, is a passionate mush- room eater. The earliest record of humans eating mushrooms comes from a burial site in Europe from about 18,700 years ago, and the oldest record of mushroom cultivation by humans dates from about 600 CE in China. In Europe, button mushrooms (Agaricus bispo- rus) were first propagated in quarries and caves in France around 1650, on composted horse manure. The practice of fungiculture has developed rapidly since pure culture laboratory techniques were developed around the turn of the 20th century; these lab techniques require a high level of sanitary measures that are not easily achieved at home on a low budget. But things have changed, and it is now easier than ever to grow your own mushrooms. The proliferation of information-sharing via online forums has decomposed many of the barriers to DIY mushroom cultivation. Widely dispersed communi- ties of home-scale cultivators have developed simple technologies (aka teks) to facilitate growing mushrooms at home. • 1 This extract provided by New Society Publishers. All rights reserved. Uma Echo Kirouac Arevalo enjoys Certainly, people grow mushrooms for many different reasons. the aroma of her harvest of pink They are well loved as food, and most cultivated mushrooms are oysters.
    [Show full text]
  • Materials Required for Infrastructure of Mushroom Cultivation
    Materials Required For Infrastructure Of Mushroom Cultivation Enunciative Clem sometimes refrigerating any bullheads overstudies clamantly. Daemonic Piotr conferring unashamedly, he verbified his clouding very embarrassingly. Serge never decoy any eschewals nitrogenize steadily, is Oral degraded and oneirocritical enough? Assessment of markets because spores started as stuffing for cultivation materials for of infrastructure and processed mushroom From the substrate is the amount of production rooms for materials required infrastructure of mushroom cultivation houses as food. This phase ii, bacteria and of materials infrastructure mushroom for cultivation on wetting the production yields were almost universally accepted by! Sweet spices grown. This document is best viewed in temporary single page format. Organic nitrogenous material may be unsatisfactory sometimes enlarge to the presence of toxic substances. Final compost should be used to buy back with mushroom cultivation are going through filter. Associations should erect a mass media marketing campaign to increase popularity of mushroom war the country. Infrastructure Mushroom Machines Mushroom Machinery. Workshop Mycelium Cultivation Texas Architecture UTSOA. Bhk duplex in the external funding of a fourth layer of intracellular protein in organic crops a required for materials mushroom cultivation of infrastructure, because mushrooms in size of! There is no outlook of consuming fresh mushrooms, as happens in other countries. Introduction to find that differs from hefei sada medical
    [Show full text]
  • Cultivo Integrado Do Cogumelo Pleurotus Ostreatus E Tomate (Solanum Lycopersicum)
    Universidade Federal do Tocantins Campus Universitário de Gurupi Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia ANTONY ENIS VIRGÍNIO MACHADO Cultivo integrado do cogumelo Pleurotus ostreatus e tomate (Solanum lycopersicum) GURUPI – TO 2019 Universidade Federal do Tocantins Campus Universitário de Gurupi Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia ANTONY ENIS VIRGÍNIO MACHADO Cultivo integrado do cogumelo Pleurotus ostreatus e tomate (Solanum lycopersicum) Dissertação apresentada ao Programa de Pós- graduação em Biotecnologia da Universidade Federal do Tocantins como parte dos requisitos para a obtenção do título de Mestre em Biotecnologia. Orientador: Prof. Dr. Félix Gonçalves de Siqueira, Embrapa Agroenergia Co-orientadora: Profa. Dra. Simone Mendonça, Embrapa Agroenergia. GURUPI – TO 2019 AGRADECIMENTOS Em primeiro lugar, não posso deixar de agradecer a Deus, pelas inúmeras oportunidades que Ele vem me concedendo, para sempre continuar acreditando no meu potencial. A presente dissertação de mestrado não poderia chegar a bom ponto, sem o precioso apoio de várias pessoas: Agradeço imensamente o meu orientador, Professor Doutor Félix Gonçalves de Siqueira, por toda a paciência, empenho e sentido prático com que sempre me orientou neste trabalho e no trabalho de TCC da graduação. Agradeço ainda, pelas palavras sinceras e diretas que foi nos dirigidas, contribuiu e muito para o meu crescimento profissional e pessoal. Agradeço aos colegas de trabalho de pesquisa e de sala de aula, que foram muitos no decorrer deste curso. De maneira especial, agradeço ao Aparecido, Ana Paula, Vandinelma, Taísa, Joice, Rubén e todos que contribuíram de alguma forma para que este trabalho chegasse até aqui. Agradeço ainda, a família da Sra. Iolanda e Sr. Dionísio, na pessoa de seus filhos Rodrigo, Gustavo e Lucas, que sempre me acolheram de braços abertos durante as semanas de aula, que fiquei em Gurupi.
    [Show full text]
  • Evolution of Cold-Tolerant Fungal Symbionts Permits Winter Fungiculture by Leafcutter Ants at the Northern Frontier of a Tropical Ant–Fungus Symbiosis Ulrich G
    Evolution of cold-tolerant fungal symbionts permits winter fungiculture by leafcutter ants at the northern frontier of a tropical ant–fungus symbiosis Ulrich G. Muellera,b,1, Alexander S. Mikheyeva,c, Eunki Honga, Ruchira Sena, Dan L. Warrena, Scott E. Solomona,d, Heather D. Ishaka, Mike Coopera, Jessica L. Millera, Kimberly A. Shaffera,e, and Thomas E. Juengera,b aSection of Integrative Biology, bInstitute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712; cOkinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Onna-son, Kunigami, Okinawa 904-2234, Japan; dDepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005; and eSchool of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287 Edited by Nancy A. Moran, Yale University, West Haven CT, and approved January 26, 2011 (received for review October 20, 2010) The obligate mutualism between leafcutter ants and their Attamy- adaptive evolution of the fungal symbiont that occurred within ces fungi originated 8 to 12 million years ago in the tropics, but the host–microbe symbiosis under cold-temperature stress at the extends today also into temperate regions in South and North northernmost frontier of the leafcutter distribution. America. The northernmost leafcutter ant Atta texana sustains fun- Leafcutter ants depend on the cultivation of Attamyces fungi giculture during winter temperatures that would harm the cold- for food, and the fungi have strict humidity and temperature sensitive Attamyces cultivars of tropical leafcutter ants. Cold-toler- demands (11–14). The vast majority of leafcutter species occur in ance of Attamyces cultivars increases with winter harshness along the tropics, generally in low- to midelevation rainforest, where a south-to-north temperature gradient across the range of A.
    [Show full text]
  • The Pros and Cons of Monoculture Fungus Farming, in Termitomyces
    The pros and cons of monoculture fungus farming, in TermitomycesTermitomyces Margo Wisselink THESIS REPORT AT LABORATORY OF GENETICS – WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY SUPERVISOR: DUUR AANEN FEBRUARY 2015 Abstract Many organisms work together with organisms of other species, to be able to compete better for resources. Such a cooperation is called obligatory mutualism if both partners depend on each other for survival. An amazing form of mutualism is observed between Termitomyces and termites who cultivate these fungi. The termites cultivate the fungi on combs, which are constructed from plant material in chambers. The termites consume persistent plant material and put their faeces on the rims of these combs. The fungi are grown in monocultures on these combs where they extract the nutrients. Afterwards, the termites eat the fungi and the degraded plant material, thereby utilising the extracted nutrients. In other fungi than Termitomyces, research has shown that long-term cultivation in monocultures can lead to lower fungal growth and spore formation. This may indicate possibilities of increasing or maintaining production of the fungus when grown in a mixed culture. To select for plant components on which a mixed culture could be maintained, the degradation possibilities needed to be found. Therefore different Termitomyces strains were tested on 35 diverse substrates. To show the long term effect of cultivation in monocultures an evolution experiment on Termitomyces was performed. The fungi were examined during many generations and no obvious negative effect of long-term monoculture cultivation was shown. Next to that, the cultures were tested on rich and poor media to distinguish between different ways of selection.
    [Show full text]
  • June 1997 ISSN 0541 -4938 Newsletter of the Mycological Society of America
    Vol. 48(3) June 1997 ISSN 0541 -4938 Newsletter of the Mycological Society of America About This lssue This issue of Inoculum is devoted mainly to the business of the society-the ab- stracts and schedule for the Annual Meeting are included as well as the minutes of the mid-year meeting of the Executive Committee. Remember Inoculum as you prepare for the trip to Montreal. Copy for the next issue is due July 3, 1997. In This lssue Mycology Online ................... 1 Mycology Online MSA Official Business .......... 2 Executive Committee MSA Online Minutes ................................ 3 Visit the MSA Home Page at <http://www.erin.utoronto.ca~soc/msa~>.Members Mycological News .................. 5 can use the links from MSA Home Page to access MSA resources maintained on 1996 Foray Results .............. 6 other servers. Calendar of Events .............. 10 MSAPOST is the new MSA bulletin board service. To subscribe to MSAPOST, Mycological Classifieds ...... 12 send an e-mail message to <[email protected]>.The text of the mes- Abstracts ............................... 17 sage should say subscribe MSAPOST Your Name. Instructions for using MSAPOST are found on the MSA Home Page and in Inoculum 48(1): 5. Change of Address .............. 13 Fungal Genetics The abstracts for the plenary sessions and poster sessions from the 19' Fungal Ge- netics Conference at Asilomar are now available on-line at the FGSC web site <www.kumc.edu/researchlfgsc/main.html>.They can be found either by following Important Dates the Asilomar information links, or by going directly here: <http://www.kumc.edu July 3, 1997 - Deadline for /research/fgsc/asilomar/fgcabs97.html>.[Kevin McCluskey].
    [Show full text]
  • Training Needs of Mushroom (Agaricus Biosporus) Farmers in Oyo State, Nigeria
    Creative Commons User License: CC BY-NC-ND Journal of Agricultural Extension Abstracted by: EBSCOhost, Electronic Journals Service (EJS), Vol. 23 (3) July, 2019 Google Scholar, Journal Seek, Scientific Commons, ISSN(e): 24086851; ISSN(Print); 1119944X Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), CABI and Scopus http://journal.aesonnigeria.org http://www.ajol.info/index.php/jae http://eoi.citefactor.org/10.11226/v23i3 Email: [email protected] Training Needs of Mushroom (Agaricus biosporus) Farmers in Oyo state, Nigeria https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/jae.v23i3.8 Tijani Sarafat Ayanfunke Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, [email protected] 08051370802 Abstract The study examined the training needs of mushroom farmers and other factors hindering its production in Oyo State. Multi stage sampling procedure was used to select 143 mushroom farmers and data collected through interview schedule were analyzed using percentage, Chi-squared and correlation statistics at 0.05 probability level. Results showed that almost all (94.4%) were knowledgeable about mushroom production and 64.3% had high knowledge of mushroom benefits. Major constraint faced by the mushroom farmers was poor sales (72.7%). Trainings were needed in mixing/exposure period of substrate (42.9%), absolute infection free (91.4%), chemical preservation (88.8%), and quick freezing (71.8%). On the aggregate, the majority (63.6%) of the farmers have high training needs. There was a significant relationship between farmers’ educational level (x2=9.347), monthly income (x2=19.184), scale of production (x2=34.493), constraint (r=-0.452) and their training needs.
    [Show full text]
  • Case Studies
    CASE STUDIES Henry J. Leir Institute • The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy • Tufts University • (617) 627-0992 • bit.ly/LeirInstitute OCTOBER 2020 Henry J. Leir Institute Financial Integration The Henry J. Leir Institute at The Fletcher School, Tufts University focuses on the security and protection of individuals and communities while promoting peace and in Refugee Economies: sustainable development. To achieve this, the Leir Institute catalyzes collaboration between and creates synergies among the fields that place people at the center of Evidence from Uganda concern: conflict resolution, human rights, humanitarian studies, and political and economic development. Our research, education, and policy engagement emphasize the following principles: protection and promotion of the rights of at- risk populations, empowerment of people, and promotion of responsible government and institutional practices. For more information on the research project, please visit www.journeysproject.org. KIM WILSON, Sr. Lecturer, The Fletcher School Kim Wilson is a Sr. Lecturer and Sr. Fellow at the Fletcher School, Tufts University. She is the lead author for a series of studies on the financial journey of refugees and migrants. In collaboration with Dan Creamer, Cate Wanjala, and Julie Zollmann Anne E. Moses is a visual artist and children’s book illustrator. By Anne E. Moses OCTOBER 2020 Table of Contents 1. Introduction 4 2. Background 4 3. Introduction to our Findings 5 Peril, separation and the kindness of strangers marked the nature of refugee escapes. 5 In Kampala, police stations and churches offered crucial support to new arrivals. 6 Documentation and language skills were factors key to economic integration. 6 4.
    [Show full text]
  • Working Towards Design Solutions for the Water and Nutrition Crisis of Informal Settlements
    C. Cerro, Int. J. Environ. Impacts, Vol. 2, No. 2 (2019) 131–144 WORKING TOWARDS DESIGN SOLUTIONS FOR THE WATER AND NUTRITION CRISIS OF INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS C. CERRO College of Architecture, Art and Design, American University of Sharjah, UAE ABSTRACT According to the World Water Assessment Program, today, half the world’s population lives in urban ar- eas. Because of this, many of the world cities are growing exponentially and unchecked urban sprawl is spawning areas that lack water infrastructure. The vast majority of these people will be living in crowd- ed informal settlements with inadequate, sometimes non-existent, water and sanitation services. The poor as always, are the first to suffer. Globally, an estimated 2,000 children (UNICEF) under the age of five die every day from diarrheal diseases and of these some 1,800 deaths are linked to water, sanitation and hygiene. Extending safe drinking water to the 180 million urban dwellers currently lacking it, will play a key role in improving the health and security of cities, protecting economies and ecosystems, and minimizing the risk of pandemics. With this in mind, this paper will cover an ongoing design process that started in 2012, for the development of water generating facilities to be implemented as independ- ent, self-sufficient interventions within impoverished communities. Each one of the proposed buildings will use atmospheric water generators to produce water from the humidity in the air, which will be re-mineralized and stored for free access by the communities around them. A small percentage of the water produced will also be used to feed a mushroom and hydroponic vegetable farm within the build- ing, designed to provide cheap and accessible nourishment to the neighborhood.
    [Show full text]
  • Ecology and Evolution of Insect–Fungus Mutualisms
    EN65CH22_Biedermann ARjats.cls October 7, 2019 14:27 Annual Review of Entomology Ecology and Evolution of Insect–Fungus Mutualisms Peter H.W. Biedermann1,∗ and Fernando E. Vega2 1Research Group Insect-Fungus Symbiosis, Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg, Germany; email: [email protected] 2Sustainable Perennial Crops Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, Maryland 20705, USA; email: [email protected] Annu. Rev. Entomol. 2020. 65:22.1–22.25 Keywords The Annual Review of Entomology is online at attine ants, termites, ambrosia beetles, cooperation, symbiosis, insect ento.annualreviews.org agriculture https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ento-011019- 024910 Abstract Copyright © 2020 by Annual Reviews. Annu. Rev. Entomol. 2020.65. Downloaded from www.annualreviews.org The evolution of a mutualism requires reciprocal interactions whereby one All rights reserved species provides a service that the other species cannot perform or performs ∗ Corresponding author less efficiently. Services exchanged in insect–fungus mutualisms include nu- trition, protection, and dispersal. In ectosymbioses, which are the focus of Access provided by WIB6145 - University Library of Wuerzburg on 10/19/19. For personal use only. this review, fungi can be consumed by insects or can degrade plant poly- mers or defensive compounds, thereby making a substrate available to in- sects. They can also protect against environmental factors and produce com- pounds antagonistic to microbial competitors. Insects disperse fungi and can also provide fungal growth substrates and protection. Insect–fungus mutu- alisms can transition from facultative to obligate, whereby each partner is no longer viable on its own.
    [Show full text]