Integrative Governance and Water Security in the Jordan Valley: Balancing Agriculture, Land Use, and Socio-Political Dynamics

Complexities in water, energy, and food (WEF) governance provide varied systems and pathways that shape welfare outcomes. The biggest question relates to the scale and complexities in resource management and governance, which reaches a certain equilibrium to achieve maximum welfare benefits. This is a proposition that is assessed in this study which sought to compare the WEF welfare outcomes of jurisdictions under Water User Associations (WUAs) and Catchment Partnerships (CPs). The study used a multi-stage purposively sampled cross-sectional survey of 1184 households from Greater Taung and Magareng Local Municipalities (Vaalharts Water User Association) and Matatiele Local Municipality (uMzvimvubu Catchment Partnership) in South Africa. The Household Water Insecurity Experiences, Household Multi-Dimensional Energy Poverty Index and Household Food In-Access Scale, Min-Max normalization and Propensity Score Matching were used to analyze the data. There was association between jurisdiction and the level of WEF security. Households under the jurisdiction of a WUA experienced 13.8%, 6.8% and 9.3% higher levels of water, energy, and food insecurity, respectively. The study concludes that households under the jurisdiction of a CP had higher levels of WEF security, with complexities or lack thereof resulting in higher welfare outcomes. Therefore, larger is not always lekker. The study recommends either (i) scaling down of WUA to CP and/or (ii) diversifying by increasing the breadth and scope of stakeholders within WUA. The governance systems should be integrated in an evaluation to ascertain any impact on the welfare outcomes.

The Mkoji sub-catchment is the most populated sub-catchment in the uppermost part of the Rufiji basin in Tanzania, with critical users downstream, and it is vulnerable to water shortages. Despite the efforts made by governmental and non-governmental organizations in forming and supporting water user associations, little is known about their role on water resource management in the country. This study aimed to investigate the role of water user associations on the restoration of decreased environmental flow and degraded aquatic ecosystems in Tanzania, taking the Mkoji sub-catchment as a case study. Six water user associations were assessed, focusing on their strategies and influence on restoration, land use, ecosystem degradation, and their role in climate change mitigation strategies. Data were collected from various sources using interviews, focus group discussions and questionnaires. The Spearman correlation test was used to seek the relationship between the flow and the aquatic ecosystem. Statistical results showed that there was no correlation between the flow and rainfall, and there was a correlation between freshwater ecosystems and the flow. The results showed that 89% of the sample population accepted the decrease of the flow while 75% accepted the decrease of the fish catch in the freshwater ecosystem of the study. Based on the results obtained, the paper concluded that water user associations are doing a great job in management and restoration while politics, funding, and water permits were the main obstacles. Therefore, the government should play a role in restoring the ecosystem, bridging the gaps between farmers and animal keepers, land use planning, and developing aquaculture.

Land use and crop production in the Khorezm region in western Uzbekistan, exemplarily for the irrigated lowlands of Central Asia, are challenged by the excessive, non-sustainable use of irrigation water and repeated water shortages on one hand, and soil degradation by secondary salinization on the other hand. One of the research objectives of the German-Uzbek Khorezm project, funded by the German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) and led by Center of Development Research (ZEF) of Bonn University, was to better understand options for land use and choice of technology at the farm level in order to evaluate and propose technological alternatives and agricultural policy options for sustainable land use. To address these issues, a Farm-Level Economic Ecological Optimization Model (FLEOM) was developed as an integrated decision-support tool capable of optimizing land and resource use at the level of large farms and water user associations, while at the same time assessing the respective economic and environmental impacts at the micro-scale. This chapter provides a brief introduction to characteristics of FLEOM and the necessary steps and studies related to the generation of its database. Based on a comprehensive system-understanding composed by a range of agronomic and socioeconomic studies carried out in the project, the model captures the basic features of the regional agriculture and the interrelations of production activities most prevalent to the local farmers. It comprises regionally specified input–output parameters and conditions of land and water use. The flexibility of the model allows the addition of new crops, the modification of socio-economic parameters in a user-friendly way, such as to simulate changes in socio-economic and production environments, securing a wide range of its possible uses in the future. FLEOM builds on linear programming optimization routine and a comprehensive agronomic database established with the cropping system simulation model (CropSyst) using field experience and knowledge of a range of agronomic and hydrological studies of the project. A graphical user-interface programmed in Java provides the model’s easy usability, by which settings and results are visualized in tables and figures or as maps via a GIS-environment. The model works in three steps: first, the model sets and imports an agronomic database. Next, the agronomic database together with socio-economic information goes through an optimization process in the General Algebraic Modeling Software (GAMS). Finally, the model transfers the results into easily understandable tables, figures and maps.

The article presents the results of system analysis of the problems in irrigated agriculture and irrigation restoration in Ukraine. The results of classification of water and land use conditions within the irrigation systems are given in this paper. The methodological approaches to the development of integrated plans for consolidation of water and land resources have been elaborated. Based on the surveys and questionnaires in the studied regions, 5 groups of land fragmentation problems were identified, which are outlined in this study and illustrated on some examples with using maps. The following types of conditions of water use were distinguished: lease of land plots by one large farm or agroholding within the area of one or more water distribution channels of large irrigation systems; the using of lands of intra-farm irrigation systems, which typically belong to the territories of individual village councils and are served by several water intake structures, and a large number of medium and small tenants; the using by several tenants of an area serviced by one water intake structure or one pumping station; fragmentation of land use and land ownership conditions within a single field; the presence of land plots with different leases terms within the individual fields, used by one agricultural enterprise. According to the types of land use conditions, three options for integrated land consolidation plans for irrigation systems were proposed. In order to develop integrated land consolidation plans and to restore irrigation, a complex analysis of land use maps and maps of the projected irrigation area will be needed. Therfore, it is necessary to establish a dialogue with stakeholders, namely with all farms, farmers and individual landowners on drawing up the most economically and environmentally optimal land consolidation plan within irrigation restoration areas. When drawing up such a plan, it is necessary to carry out an expert evaluation of the different scenarios of irrigation restoration, taking into account the composition of crops, probable techniques and methods of irrigation. Once the consolidation plan has been agreed, it is important to have a permanent land users association in place to attract and invest in irrigation restoration and to operate the irrigation infrastructure after the restoration. The issues of creating Water User's associations (WUA) in the irrigation areas was considered; the role of associations and land consolidation in restoring the on-farm irrigation network was determined. The list of functions of Water User’s associations has been provided, the main one of which is the exploitation of on-farm irrigation systems and water distribution between water users.

Building on existing literature and the analysis of a portfolio of development projects (past and under implementation), this paper reviews the evolution of water user associations (WUAs) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), reflecting on the conceptualization of how they operate, and the promised outcomes related to irrigation development, and the efficient and effective delivery of irrigation services. It also moves one step further from existing studies on WUAs, postulating that additional reflection is needed to understand the limitations of WUAs and proposes alternative, viable and context-based adapted models. This need is particularly strong in SSA where irrigation is incipient, and governments and donors are still consolidating their development approaches. Whereas a growing body of international literature takes into account the sociopolitical context of decentralized irrigation management, practical indication on what remains to be done to address the various limitations found in SSA stays meagre and scattered. The objective of this paper is not to challenge the myth of WUAs but to learn how to better deliver on the promised outcomes. The underlying message is that, if the SSA region is to be made water and food secure while respecting resource sustainability, community development, livelihoods and equality of resource access, the recurrent templates for WUA management and governance need to be revisited and adapted to local needs.

Combining interactive multiple goal linear programming with an inter-stakeholder communication matrix to generate land use options

Interaction between urban land expansion and land use policy: An analysis using the DPSIR framework

Agricultural development in Ecuador: A compromise between water and food security?

Abstract. Currently, the simulation of land use and land cover change is one of the research focuses in land resource management. Models for simulating this topic have been used by lots of scholars. In the process of experiments, especially using the models, to grasp the characteristics of data has a significant impact on the simulation results. With the changes in policies of land use, the spatial layout has shown a new form. How to simulate the change is one of the focuses in the current Land Resource Management. Therefore, this paper analyzes the current land use of the study area in two aspects: the structure and spatial layout, studying on changes in demand according to the current major changes of policies for land use in the area.; based on the in-depth analysis, by making reasonable choices of land use classification and using the logical regression analysis and ROC curve to select driving factor which is suitable for the characteristics of the study area; a reasonable simulation is then conducted for the impact on the spatial layout for land use change policies through CLUE-S model. The result shows that the exact parameters in line with the characteristics of the study area in CLUE-S mode could simulate the land use spatial layout for many land-use policies such as "construction land uphill", "construction land making room for arable land", "construction land along the river and road development", "key industries land expansion". The results have certain significance on land use changes and land use planning. In order to assist the decision making and improve the efficiency of land use, using this method can help the department of land and resource use to simulate the situation of the land use from the structure and the spatial layout in future according to the demands and the local policies of the land.

Water insecurity is a growing challenge manifested from global to local scales. This paper examines stakeholders and their roles to tackle the challenges of water insecurity in the Awash basin of Ethiopia. The empirical evidence is based on stakeholder analysis employing key informant interviews with water experts using snowball techniques, focused group discussions with water user associations, and local communities. Moreover, secondary data sources were used to supplement the field data. The study is informed by Institution of Sustainability (IoS) to understand stakeholders’ arena in water security goal. The government institutions, private institutions, external bodies, and the local community were the key stakeholders. They engaged in water use, allocation, distribution, policy making, advocacy, and setting rules and regulations, development and management, and financing of water sector–water transaction processes. Nevertheless, it was found out that the stakeholders are not acting synergistically and coordinated to tackle the anthropogenic and natural factors affecting water quality, quantity, and access to safe water on a sustainable basis. Poor coordination fragmented the endeavours of various stakeholders and constrained effective participation. Power asymmetry among the actors limited their collaboration. In addition, there is little enforcement of water rules and regulations to surmount such challenges. Given these challenges, the dire water insecurity is a conspicuous manifestation in the basin. The potential of enforcing existing laws, engagement of pertinent stakeholders, as well as coordinating the action of these actors must be exploited to achieve sustainable water resources management and thereby water security. The political commitment is a sine qua non in the entire endeavour.

Studies have shown that there exists serious competition for freshwater for domestic uses and for the sustenance of agricultural activities in Nigeria. Based on this competition, this study seeks to interrogate how wastewater could be harnessed for development of agriculture in Nigeria. In view of the country’s dwindling economy amidst the current escalating herders-farmers’ conflict over resources for their respective economic activities, water security perspective contributes to our understanding of the roles that resource management can play in economic crisis than other commonly cited factors like income inequality, poor land use policies, ethnicity, and political instability. This paper argues that with Africa’s epileptic economy and increasing population in this climate change era, attainment of some Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 is unrealistic. The study submits that there is the need for a paradigm shift in wastewater perception in Africa, south of the Sahara as this would reduce pressure on freshwater and fast-track sustainable development through increase in agricultural production.

The provision of safe drinking water is a crucial service that generates revenue for water utilities to fund their operations. The annual amount of water lost is a crucial indicator for evaluating how effectively water is supplied and distributed. According to the usage of a deterministic simulation model on public water supply variables, the volume of non-revenue water (NRW) and its cost consequences have further developed a complicated system for the availability, distribution, and affordability of the utility. Annual water accessed (AWA) was negatively impacted by the steady annual increase in public water supply (AWS) from 8.0 * 106 m3 to 13.4 * 106 m3, with R2 = 0.096, and annual water loss (AWL) was significantly impacted with R2 = 0.99. This result suggests that the public water supply plays a role in water loss, which primarily occurs through leaks and bursts. As a result, Akure's expected annual volume and revenue water costs (NRW) are 6 million m3 and 15.6 million USD, respectively. A thorough investigation reveals that the annual money lost might be utilized to fund health and education programs for eight months. Therefore, it is predicted that the difficulty of determining safe drinking might be reduced by 30% if the rainwater is effectively harnessed in Ondo State, Nigeria.

Land-use changes and land policies evolution in China’s urbanization processes

This research aims to understand the complexities of energy deployment requiring nexus governance solutions. Nexus governance involves coordinating decision-making across policy areas and sectors, seeking compromise among stakeholders with varying positions. The challenge lies in coordinating diverse sectors and stakeholders amidst potentially conflicting priorities and interests. Moreover, social media significantly influence stakeholders’ perceptions and actions, serving as a platform for idea exchange and mobilization but also contributing to echo chambers and polarization. This study examines the impact of social media on perceptions of the oil shale project in Al Attarat, Jordan, focusing on the intersections of social, economic, and environmental concerns. The findings highlight that social media significantly influences public discourse, often skewing perceptions with misperceptions about land use, water, and food security. Analyzing key social media narratives reveals that food security is a primary concern, with energy and water security also gaining attention, though less prominently. Furthermore, misinformation has exacerbated tensions among stakeholders, leading to polarized views and resistance to proposed governance solutions. This research underscores the need for effective strategies to counter misinformation and promote informed dialogue.

Climate change impacts on water security elements of Kafr El-Sheikh governorate, Egypt