Water and Food

  In previous posts on this blog, I have explored some solutions to the water scarcity and food insecurity problem in Africa. These solutions include water conservation through erosion control, adopting geo-mapping technology to aid borehole-drilling, investment in irrigation, and technology adoption in water distribution. This post will address some of the challenges faced in managing the water and food problem in Africa Allocation Historically, the problem of water scarcity in Africa has been more severe in the rural areas of Africa. Research on water scarcity has also predominantly focused on the challenges faced by those in rural areas in gaining access to clean. Allocation is a significant challenge in the management of water scarcity with authorities faced with the decision of how to distribute the scarce resource across a rapidly expanding population within their countries. An emerging trend concerning allocation is worsening situation involving the quality and availabilit

  While the use of technology for geo-mapping and irrigation schemes can provide a long-term solution for water scarcity and food shortages in Africa, it is significant to note that Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) is neither a solution nor a recipe, but rather a perspective or way of looking at problems with a view to solving them through transparent and inclusive decision-making processes; and that IWRM should explicitly deal with the fact that water tends to build asymmetrical relationships between people, communities and nations.” ( van der Zaag, 2005 ). Conservation is a noble effort that has to take the form of genuine concern for country and the environment as a whole. But most importantly, conservation of natural water sources allows for availability of water that will drive the health, mortality and success of Africa ( van der Zaag, 2005 ). Crucially, this conserved water has the potential to serve several purposes including but not limited to, production of food

  Groundwater is an essential part of the hydrological ecosystem as it forms the main source for consistent water flow through rivers, streams and lakes. Moreover, this water flow also forms the basis for habitation of most plants and animals in the natural environment ( Gaye & Tindimugaya, 2018 ) . In order to efficiently source, harness and distribute groundwater for human consumption in Africa, cost-effective solutions are key components that must be availed to countries experiencing water scarcity in Africa. Technology is vital at every step of the water harnessing process. To begin with, geo-mapping tools must be used to map areas that have plentiful supplies of ground and most importantly, underground water reserves. Due to climate change and the resulting increase in global temperatures, surface flow of groundwater has significantly been depleted. This has been exacerbated by pollution, environmental degradation and over-dependence by the mass population African countries.

Besides the impact of water scarcity mentioned in the previous blog, another major impact of water scarcity is food insecurity. Water is key to food security. In fact, food security literally depends on water security.  Agriculture requires a lot of water for production of both livestock and crops. Agriculture uses 80% of water in the world while only 10% is spent on other domestic issues (Werner & Besada 2013) . Planning for future food security requires analyzing water resource issues and land use. Water plays a very crucial role in food security, providing the basis for human well-being and healthy eco-systems. The relationship between food and water production is important for creation of sustainable and resilient food systems same as the relationship between the ecosystem and humans is core. All living creatures depend on the ecosystem and without proper ecological conditions; aquatic life such as fish which is food for human beings is also affected. The world and especially A

As shown in the previous blog through the water scarcity index, water scarcity is a big challenge in Africa.   Water scarcity affects more than 748 million people worldwide; Sub-Saharan Africa has been the most affected. One of the major poverty causes in Africa has been the lack of basic resources such as clean, safe and properly sanitized water. Destruction of river catchments and increased pollution has contributed to water crisis in Africa. Some of the causes of water scarcity in Africa have been discussed below; Climatic Change ; There has been climatic   climate change in Africa which has led to a change in rainfall patterns leading to worse water security, changed rainfall patterns affecting agriculture and reducing food security and generally rising water stress. The growing population has really worsened the water crisis in Africa placing more pressure on the available water resources. 41% of the global population today live in river basins that are experiencing water stre

  As state in the previous blog, water shortage has emerged as one of the biggest limitations on industrial and human development in Africa; It ranks one of the top three global risk concerns with almost four billion people facing severe water scarcity (Mekonnen and Hoekstra, 2016) and according to the World Economic Forum, water crisis a problem in all African countries at all levels. Despite some countries having high availability of water in Africa, the unpredictable and low water supply in comparison with the high demand and poor use of available water resources label Africa a water constrained continent. This blog will explain more on water scarcity index in Africa. A Swedish hydrologist (Frankerman, 1986) , came up with a water measuring index that mainly measures the levels of water stress. This method includes the total freshwater resources in a given population and the area’s population. According to this measure, if fresh water is below 1700cubic meters per person per year