The document discusses strategies for providing water and food to refugees and smallholder farmers in arid regions, emphasizing the importance of distributing 75-liter water barrels and establishing small family gardens to combat malnutrition. It suggests leveraging used industrial barrels for water storage and shipping aid, proposing practical solutions to improve access to resources. The author advocates for immediate action from organizations to implement these ideas, highlighting their potential impact on the lives of those affected by drought and conflict.

1. Some suggestions about providing water and fresh food
Trying to help with some modest, constructive suggestions, I refer to one of my former postings:
Barrels for refugees and smallholder farmers in the drylands
Posted on April 28, 2011
http://desertification.wordpress.com/2011/04/28/barrels-for-refugees-and-smallholder-farmers-
in-the-drylands-willem-van-cotthem/
1. BARRELS
In arid or semi-arid regions, water is usually collected by women and children, carrying heavy
loads over considerable distances to their tents or houses. Providing availability of drinking
water in the immediate neighborhood of their homes has to be seen as an efficient relieve of the
burden of carrying water.
In order to offer internally displaced persons (IDPs) easier access to water, the joint United
Nations-African peacekeeping force (UNAMID) intended to distribute thousands of 75 liters (4
jerry cans) water containers (barrels) across the Darfur area, where water is one of the major
sources of conflict.
Mr. Ibrahim GAMBARI, Head of UNAMID, declared: “The project is to make life easier and safer
for women, and also to underscore the fact that water hasn’t only been a source of conflict; it is
also the solution. It is our hope that their use will not only support former displaced persons, but
also help protect civilians as they return to resume their lives.”
Fore sure, the distribution of water containers is a very recommendable initiative. Together with
the installation of tents or other shelters, this should be a conditio sine qua non when installing a
refugee camp. Access to water can contribute to solving the conflict.
However, we are convinced that offering a 75 liter-barrel to the refugee families is only a part of
the solution to make life in the camps easier, safer and better. Indeed, besides the need for
safe drinking water (4 jerry-cans may be sufficient), we consider it a human necessity to install
close to every shelter (tent) a small family garden, e.g. 50 m2, to let the refugees grow their own
fresh food. And therefore, some irrigation water should also be available close to the shelter.
For every family a barrel of 200 liter would solve all the irrigation problems for keeping a small
family garden in good shape.
2. AVAILABILITY OF BARRELS

2. All over the world, the industry uses barrels or drums of diverse forms and dimensions to
transport or ship materials and products. Those used for liquids are often coated to avoid
negative effects of the liquid on the inner wall of the barrel. Even in agriculture, a number of
reservoirs or tanks, mostly in UV-resistant materials, are used to ship products or food.
Eventually, many industrial divisions encounter problems to find a new destination for used
barrels, drums and tanks. These have to be thoroughly cleaned (steamed), taken out of
circulation, dumped, recycled or sold as second hand products. Generally, these actions are
too expensive for the industry and thus the barrels are destroyed.
UV-resistant barrels, drums, reservoirs or tanks with a sufficient capacity, e.g. 200 liter, should
never be destroyed, but sent to arid or semi-arid developing countries, where they can be used
as a water tank, not only in refugee camps, but even by rural families.
Two questions remain :
(1) Will the “Western” and “Eastern” industry agree to make these “useless containers” available
for development aid ?
(2) Which existing organization (international or non-governmental) considers this idea valuable
enough to set up a structure for collecting and shipping the industrial containers from the
developed to the developing world ?
It should be taken into account that these containers, instead of sending them empty, can also
be filled with valuable goods for development actions. We are thinking here at a good example:
WFP could ship its food aid in big barrels.
An organization in developed countries could collect the “useless” barrels in the industry and
make them available for development organizations for shipping aid goods to their projects,
particularly to those in drought affected regions.
3. INSTALLATION OF SMALL FAMILY GARDENS (30-50 m2)
It has been shown that family gardening is a very efficient tool in the combat of child malnutrition
and hunger. We received many questions about the possible costs of such a garden. Here are
some ideas to help people estimating those costs :
A. Composition of a garden kit
1 barrel of 200 liter for water storage (blue plastic, UV-resistant): see above
5 kg of water-absorbent soil conditioner
1 kg NPK fertilizer
Commercial seeds (10 small packages of different species)

3. 1 spade
1 rake
1 small hand-rake
1 watering can (UV resistant)
B. Additional costs
Transport
Customs
Training fee for local agronomist (1/2 day + local travel)
TO BE PROVIDED BY THE RECIPIENTS ?
Fencing of 30-50 m2 (poles, fence)
Labor (soil treatment, watering)
———–
4. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
We are hoping that these ideas can motivate organizations to help hungry people and/or
refugees to a better life by offering them access to water and food, at least starting with a barrel
and some necessities for a small garden.
Once again, we don’t need billions of dollars to make poor people healthy and happy !
Transporting water by truck to drought-hit people is only one part of the solution, offering a
barrel to stock a certain quantity of water in or close to the house is the other "necessary" one.
As "UN aid agencies, working with national authorities and non-governmental organizations
(NGOs), are also distributing food to households in need and providing health care, veterinary
services and livestock feed", I guess that it must be possible to ship these goods (food, livestock
feed ...) in bigger barrels (100 to 200 liters).
I suggested before that such barrels are available in the chemical industry, where they are used
for transporting liquid or solid chemicals. Often these barrels are not recycled and thus, they
should be available at the lowest cost.
My logic tells me that it should be possible for the UN-organizations concerned to set up a
structure to use these "useless" barrels as con
tainers for shipping goods to drought-hit residents and leave them with the families to use them
as water containers.

4. Taking into account that "High global food and fuel price rises have raised the cost of buying
and importing essential commodities, including food" it seems again logic to me that it would be
much cheaper to produce some food locally instead of "buying and importing" it.
Impossible because of the drought, you think? Let me suggest again reading some of my
messages on container gardening, published recently on my desertification blog, e.g.:
Windowsill gardening for houses and schools in desertified regions (Willem Van Cotthem)
Posted on April 28, 2011 by Willem Van Cotthem
http://desertification.wordpress.com/2011/04/28/windowsill-gardening-for-houses-and-schools-
in-desertified-regions-willem-van-cotthem/
As one doesn't need large quantities of water to grow vegetables and herbs in very cheap
containers (pots, bottles, cans ...), it is quite feasible for all the drought-hit people to grow fresh
food at home. School children can do the same at school. And they love to do so!
It goes without saying that I believe strongly in the positive outcome of these two
recommendations:
1. USE THE "USELESS" BARRELS OF THE INDUSTRY FOR DEVELOPMENT AID
DELIVERY TO DROUGHT-HIT PEOPLE.
2. TEACH THESE PEOPLE HOW TO PRODUCE FRESH FOOD WITH A MINIMUM OF
WATER IN CONTAINERS.
I cross my fingers.