Addressing the Water-Energy-Food Nexus in the context of climate change: The case of Bagré dam in Burkina Faso

Abstract

The water-energy-food (WEF) nexus concept highlights the interdependencies between water, energy, and food resources. Assessing these interdependencies can lead to a better understanding and their exploitation to improve people's access to water, energy, and food. This study aims to highlight the links between the water resource and the current and future water requirements for agricultural and hydropower production in the context of climate change. The bagré dam which is a multi-usage reservoir located in Burkina Faso is considered as the case study. This dam is used for agricultural production, livestock, and hydroelectricity production. To achieve this objective, the surface water resources of the study area and the different water uses have been first estimaded. Then, a model has been developed and implemented using the Water Evaluation And Planning (WEAP) tool, with the reference year 2020. Finally, the developed model was used to study four relevant plausible scenarios in the Bagré area up to 2050, namely: (1) expansion of irrigated schemes, (2) the drinking water needs of a neighbouring town, (3) climate change effects on the dam's water capacity, and (4) combinaison of the three other scenarios. The results show that all the water requirements for different uses are fully met for all the scenario except the combined scenario by 2050. For this last scenario, the unmet water demands reach up to 100 % specially during dry season. So, to improve the coverage rate of water demands for the combined scenario, it is crucial to explore other alternatives such as the use of groundwater and the implementation of best practices in agronomic management.