Abstract
The population of the African continent is significantly increasing which has given rise to societal, economic and environmental changes. This will generate an increase in demand for food, water and energy. Thus, strategies for sustainable management of natural resources need to be adopted urgently in order to match the future needs and to ensure sustainable development on the continent. The Water Energy Food (WEF) nexus is one the avenues for studying the current and future interactions and interdependencies of the WEF sectors under different scenarios and challenges in the effort towards establishing sustainable use of natural resources. Policies around the nexus approach are few or absent at the continental and countrylevels. This paper is a first review on the adoption of the Nexus in two model African countries, Morocco and South Africa. The review compares the water, energy and food sectors and the related national policies, plans and frameworks. The data related to the WEF Nexus revealed key difficulties of availability in both countries. A comparative analysis of the situation in both countries demonstrated differences in policies relating to the WEF Nexus across the sectors: water, energy, and agriculture. Additionally, the paper explores the relevance of technology-assisted frameworks for the WEF nexus and also analyzed risks to agriculture and food security in the context of the reviewed countries.
Highlights
Africa’s population is rapidly increasing and along with this is an increasing demand for food, water and energy
This review paper aims to compare the statute of the Water Energy and Food nexus in Morocco and South Africa and describe the basic frameworks in both countries
The research of Water Energy Food (WEF) Nexus policies showed that there is a lack of policies that take into consideration all the nexus components
Summary
Africa’s population is rapidly increasing and along with this is an increasing demand for food, water and energy. This places a tremendous strain on natural resources: soil, water and natural energy sources, especially for food production. African countries need to account for these changes in their long-term sustainable development strategies. The nexus of water, energy and food is seemingly becoming more critical for developing new adaptation and mitigation strategies to reduce the negative consequences of over-exploitation of natural resources and provide a more sustainable and resilient food production systems. This could potentially support economic growth through enhancing small-scale farming, as well as promoting sustainability in the vast arable lands of Africa. The detailed review and comparative analysis of the studied countries were presented
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