Fig. 1

Graphical illustration of post-disaster use and re-use of agricultural-grade plastic or tarpaulin: a Tent for livestock shelter; b Re-purposing into a plastic tunnel (greenhouse) to protect high-value vegetables against insects and extreme temperatures; c Re-purposing into agricultural mulch to suppress weeds (and conserve water and soil). In panels a and c, the boxed image in the upper left/top represents the challenge after a disaster. (Images courtesy of Lisa Smith, University of Guelph, can be reused under the Creative Commons BY licence)