Micronutrient and pollution transfer in East African lake catchments: impacts on the food-water-energy security nexus

非洲的自给农民往往依赖于有限地区内种植的粮食。因此，他们的健康往往与地球化学因素有关，这些因素影响健康所需的必需微量营养素（如锌）从土壤向作物的转移。粮食生产和质量受到土壤侵蚀和沉积物向下游水体迁移的影响，沉积物和相关的营养物/污染物影响到水安全。可持续管理土壤的资源可能有限，导致土壤风化和侵蚀进入水道/集水区，如维多利亚湖。关于土壤风化造成的MN损失以及这些是否更容易导致土壤管理不善（有机物保留）的情况知之甚少。土壤细颗粒的流失可能导致微量营养素或天然存在/人为的潜在有害元素（PHE）转移到水道/集水区，对生态健康产生影响。维多利亚湖的威纳姆湾集水区是这些过程的一个范例，是该地区重要的陆地和水食物来源。

Subsistence farmers in Africa are often dependent on food grown within a limited area. Therefore, their health is often associated with geochemical factors that influence the soil-to-crop transfer of essential micronutrients (MN) for health (e.g. zinc). Food production and quality is compromised by soil erosion and downstream transport of sediments to waterbodies where sediment and associated nutrients/pollutants impact water security. Resources to manage soils sustainably can be limited, resulting in weathering and erosion of soil into waterways/catchments, such as Lake Victoria. Little is known about the loss of MN from weathering of soils and whether these are more prone to poor soil management (organic retention). Loss of fine soil particles may result in transfer of micronutrients or naturally occurring/anthropogenic potentially harmful elements (PHEs) into water courses/catchments with implications for ecological health. The Winam Gulf catchment of Lake Victoria is an exemplar of these processes as a regionally important source of food both from land and water.