Dr. Leena Malayil, a CONSERVE researcher, received a Conservation, Food and Health Foundation grant to advance food security via harvested rainwater in Nepal. Harvested rainwater has long been considered a potential irrigation water alternative to groundwater and surface water resources. Since Nepal receives monsoon rains from June to early October, harvesting this water and using it to irrigate food crops after the monsoons and well into the dry season is an attractive strategy to maintain crop production and alleviate food insecurity. However, before this practice can be expanded, it is necessary to understand the microbiological quality of this water source. Dr. Malayil and her collaborators will conduct field-based research that will characterize the microbiological quality of harvested rainwater ponds and track live bacteria from rainwater to irrigated soil and produce. The team will also engage in community-driven capacity building that will train and inspire future agricultural water use leaders in Nepal. The project is a collaborative effort between the CONSERVE Center of Excellence, the Sanskriti Farms and Research Center, and Kathmandu University. This project will serve as an international model for collaborative, interdisciplinary research, community-driven capacity building and training focused on sustaining water and food security beyond Nepal in other similarly food- and water-insecure nations.
Sanskriti Farms & Research Center
Water samples collected at Sanskriti Farms & Research Center