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Under a Water Aid project, the community provided labour and contributed funds WaterAid came up with skilled expertise and materials. The locals maintain and manage the pumps, using funds that they themselves contribute monthly to pay for repairs. Waterborne diseases are now a thing of the past; school enrolment has increased, and the primary school is now fully staffed – teachers accept jobs as there is water nearby.Waters of the intifadaUsing water wisely can help massively in agriculture, too. Drip irrigation cuts losses; careful choice of crops keeps water needs to a minimum. Starved of water by the Israeli occupation, Palestinian farmers have become unlikely leaders in sustainability, “harvesting” rainwater on roofs and using improvised filter beds in backyards to clean wastewater fit for reuse.Back home, we’re learning the wisdom of such techniques too. The “BedZed” housing development near Croydon features a “living machine” that purifies rain and “grey” (waste) water. The water’s filtered through a concentrated reed bed system housed in a greenhouse: microbes in the mini-marsh break down the pathogens.

Out comes water almost good enough to drink, plus wholesome compost that will delight any gardener.MW. What’s the problem?Wild species are the source of virtually all our foods and most of our medicines. Natural forests and grasslands play a vital role in keeping our climate tolerable, and we’re destroying both at an alarming speed. Overall, species are becoming extinct at over 1,000 times the natural rate.
Our agriculture is becoming reliant on a precariously small range of species: there used to be some 2,000 varieties of apples in Britain’s orchards – now it’s rare to find more than 10 in the shops. Indian farmers once grew more than 30,000 varieties of rice – now just five cover most of the country. This means reduced resilience to disease, and greater dependence on pricey chemicals.Where are the solutions?We need to farm with nature, not against it.

Organic farming may not produce such high yields as intensive agribusiness – but by maintaining soil fertility and using far fewer inputs like pesticides, it’s arguably more efficient overall – and doesn’t require so much to be spent on cleaning up chemical pollution. It supports a much wider variety of wildlife – from wild flowers to birds and insects – many of which play a role in keeping down pests.Consumer demand for organics is growing at 55 per cent a year – outstripping supply, three quarters of which comes from abroad. The UK government has recently increased support to help farmers go organic – but it’s still a fraction of the money spent on subsidising intensive farming.”The balance has to shift,” says Forum for the Future’s Rupert Howes: “We should pay for the countryside we want – one providing healthy, sustainably produced food, enhanced biodiversity and a thriving rural economy – rather than have a countryside dominated by intensively-produced crops which are grown only because they attract massive subsidies.”For forests and fish, there’s some hope in market mechanisms. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and its Marine counterpart both offer consumers the chance to buy products certified as being from a sustainably-managed source.