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      The Water–Energy–Food Nexus as a Tool to Transform Rural Livelihoods and Well-Being in Southern Africa

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          Abstract

          About 60% of southern Africa’s population lives in rural areas with limited access to basic services and amenities such as clean and safe water, affordable and clean energy, and balanced and nutritious diets. Resource scarcity has direct and indirect impacts on nutrition, human health, and well-being of mostly poor rural communities. Climate change impacts in the region are manifesting through low crop yields, upsurge of vector borne diseases (malaria and dengue fever), and water and food-borne diseases (cholera and diarrhoea). This study applied a water–energy–food (WEF) nexus analytical livelihoods model with complex systems understanding to assess rural livelihoods, health, and well-being in southern Africa, recommending tailor-made adaptation strategies for the region aimed at building resilient rural communities. The WEF nexus is a decision support tool that improves rural livelihoods through integrated resource distribution, planning, and management, and ensures inclusive socio-economic transformation and development, and addresses related sustainable development goals, particularly goals 2, 3, 6 and 7. The integrated WEF nexus index for the region was calculated at 0.145, which is marginally sustainable, and indicating the region’s exposure to vulnerabilities, and reveals a major reason why the region fails to meet its developmental targets. The integrated relationship among WEF resources in southern Africa shows an imbalance and uneven resource allocation, utilisation and distribution, which normally results from a ‘siloed’ approach in resource management. The WEF nexus provides better adaptation options, as it guides decision making processes by identifying priority areas needing intervention, enhancing synergies, and minimising trade-offs necessary for resilient rural communities. Our results identified (i) the trade-offs and unintended negative consequences for poor rural households’ livelihoods of current silo approaches, (ii) mechanisms for sustainably enhancing household water, energy and food security, whilst (iii) providing direction for achieving SDGs 2, 3, 6 and 7.

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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Int J Environ Res Public Health
                Int J Environ Res Public Health
                ijerph
                International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
                MDPI
                1661-7827
                1660-4601
                18 August 2019
                August 2019
                : 16
                : 16
                : 2970
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Centre for Transformative Agricultural and Food Systems, School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, P. Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3209, South Africa
                [2 ]International Water Management Institute, Southern Africa (IWMI-SA), 141 Creswell Street, Silverton, Pretoria 0184, South Africa
                [3 ]Water Research Commission of South Africa, 4 Daventry Street, Lynnwood Manor, Pretoria 0081, South Africa
                [4 ]School of Environmental Sciences, University of Venda, Private Bag X 5050, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa
                [5 ]School of Engineering, University of KwaZulu-Natal, P. Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3209, South Africa
                [6 ]School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, P. Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3209, South Africa
                [7 ]International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), DAPO Box 7777, 1301 Metro Manila, Philippines
                [8 ]Department of Genetics, School of Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College, London WC1E 6BT, UK
                Author notes
                [* ]Correspondence: mabhaudhi@ 123456ukzn.ac.za ; Tel.: +27-33-260-5442
                Author information
                https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9323-8127
                https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2944-1769
                https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4685-9246
                https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6887-1721
                Article
                ijerph-16-02970
                10.3390/ijerph16162970
                6720849
                31426610
                e0d65188-2729-4672-af97-a00f88556d05
                © 2019 by the authors.

                Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

                History
                : 29 April 2019
                : 13 August 2019
                Categories
                Article

                Public health
                climate change,livelihoods,innovation,human well-being,wef nexus,adaptation,health
                Public health
                climate change, livelihoods, innovation, human well-being, wef nexus, adaptation, health

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