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Background and Aims: Use of zinc (Zn) fertilisers may be cost-effective in increasing crop yields and in alleviating dietary Zn deficiency. However, Zn fertilisers are underutilised in many countries despite the widespread occurrence of Zn-deficient soils. Here, increased Zn fertiliser-use scenarios were simulated for wheat production in Punjab and Sindh Provinces, Pakistan. Inputs and outputs were valued in terms of both potential yield gains as well as health gains in the population. Methods: The current dietary Zn deficiency risk of 23.9 % in Pakistan was based on food supply and wheat grain surveys. “Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) lost” are a common metric of disease burden; an estimated 245,000 DALYs y-1 are lost in Punjab and Sindh due to Zn deficiency. Baseline Zn fertiliser-use of 7.3 kt y-1 ZnSO4.H2O was obtained from published and industry sources. The wheat area currently receiving Zn fertilisers, and grain yield responses of 8 and 14 % in Punjab and Sindh, respectively, were based on a recent survey of >2500 farmers. Increased grain Zn concentrations under Zn fertilisation were estimated from literature data and converted to improved Zn intake in humans and ultimately a reduction in DALYs lost. Results: Application of Zn fertilisers to the area currently under wheat production in Punjab and Sindh, at current soil:foliar usage ratios, could increase dietary Zn supply from ~12.6 to 14.6 mg capita-1 d-1, and almost halve the prevalence of Zn deficiency, assuming no other changes to food consumption. Gross wheat yield could increase by 2.0 and 0.6 Mt grain y-1 in Punjab and Sindh, respectively, representing an additional return of US$ >800 M and an annual increased grain supply of 19 kg capita-1. Conclusions: There are potential market- and subsidy-based incentives to increase Zn fertiliser-use in Pakistan. Benefit-Cost Ratios (BCRs) for yield alone are 13.3 and 17.5 for Punjab and Sindh, respectively. If each DALY is monetised at 1-to-3 times Gross National Income per capita on purchasing power parity (GNIPPP), full adoption of Zn fertiliser for wheat provides an additional annual return of 405–1216 M International Dollars (I$) in Punjab alone, at a cost per DALY saved of I$ 461–619.

Background Dietary mineral deficiencies are widespread globally causing a large disease burden. However, estimates of deficiency prevalence are often only available at national scales or for small population sub-groups with limited relevance for policy makers. Methods This study combines food supply data from the Third Integrated Household Survey of Malawi with locally-generated food crop composition data to derive estimates of dietary mineral supplies and prevalence of inadequate intakes in Malawi. Results We estimate that >50 % of households in Malawi are at risk of energy, calcium (Ca), selenium (Se) and/or zinc (Zn) deficiencies due to inadequate dietary supplies, but supplies of iron (Fe), copper (Cu) and magnesium (Mg) are adequate for >80 % of households. Adequacy of iodine (I) is contingent on the use of iodised salt with 80 % of rural households living on low-pH soils had inadequate dietary Se supplies compared to 55 % on calcareous soils; concurrent inadequate supplies of Ca, Se and Zn were observed in >80 % of the poorest rural households living in areas with non-calcareous soils. Prevalence of inadequate dietary supplies was greater in rural than urban households for all nutrients except Fe. Interventions to address dietary mineral deficiencies were assessed. For example, an agronomic biofortification strategy could reduce the prevalence of inadequate dietary Se supplies from 82 to 14 % of households living in areas with low-pH soils, including from 95 to 21 % for the poorest subset of those households. If currently-used fertiliser alone were enriched with Se then the prevalence of inadequate supplies would fall from 82 to 57 % with a cost per alleviated case of dietary Se deficiency of ~ US$ 0.36 year−1. Conclusions Household surveys can provide useful insights into the prevalence and underlying causes of dietary mineral deficiencies, allowing disaggregation by spatial and socioeconomic criteria. Furthermore, impacts of potential interventions can be modelled.

Background Revised regulations governing the quality of private drinking water supplies (PWS) were introduced in 2008 as EU Directives, and transposed into UK Regulations in 2009, but there is a la...

Ekumenik, dvs. kyrkliga enhetssträvanden, är en väletablerad företeelse inom kristna kretsar i Sverige. Religionsmöten relateras ofta till konfliktsituationer, men religionsdialog har också uppmärksammats som ett sätt att främja samexistens och öka förståelsen mellan olika religiösa grupper. Omtanke, medlidande och välgörenhet har en central plats inom alla världsreligionerna. Kan då det sociala arbetet vara en arena för religionsöverskridande samarbete? I studien fokuseras lokala kristna församlingars inställning till interreligiöst samarbete kring socialt arbete. Studien bygger på kvalitativa intervjuer med rep-resentanter från Svenska kyrkan, Katolska kyrkan, Pingstkyrkan och Frälsningsarmén. Resultatet pekar på skillnader mellan å ena sidan Svenska kyrkan och Katolska kyrkan och å andra sidan Pingstkyrkan och Frälsningsarmén. De förstnämnda har en positivare inställning till samarbete över religionsgränser och ett mångreligiöst samhälle. Fri-kyrkorna har en mer reserverad hållning till ett religionsöverskridande samarbete och tenderar att fokusera mer på svårigheter än på möjligheter i interreligiös samverkan. Det framkommer även att inriktningen på församlingarnas sociala arbete påverkas mycket av personliga initiativ och möjligheten till interreligiöst samarbete är följaktligen beroende av enskilda personers intresse i frågan.