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Energy-food-water nexus in Sub Saharan Africa: the impact on water of rapid economic growth

The rapid economic growth (since 2000) in Sub Saharan Africa, framed as 'Africa rising', has been connotated by an emerging middle class and high, urban, population growth, together with an unknown impact on the rural and urban poor. This growth demands for enhancement of sewage systems, for higher food demands which are bound with changes to urban food systems, and for an increase in electricity demand.

Micro- en macrodata

These trends will influence critical resource use for energy, water and land, highly impacting the environment. To understand how these changes in these resource flows affect environmental pressure, we studied micro- and macrodata of eight low-income countries in Sub Saharan Africa, at regional and national scales. Patterns show large differences among and in countries; main variables seem to be the energy pathway (country policy), the degree of urbanisation (economic hotspot) and the shift in diet (urban/rural wealth). This focus on the energy-food-water nexus helps to analyse how this rapid economic growth has impact on the availability of water, and to what extent the availability of safe water is guaranteed in the future. In order to study these socio-ecological systems properly, we must interconnect not only the ecological data but also the socio-economic data at a subnational scale.

Contact: Angelique Lansu