Water Wheel Jan/Feb 2022: Wef Nexus

Abstract

South Africa needs to ensure that its natural resources remain in circulation for longer to alleviate food insecurity and deal with its challenges concerning water and energy. This was highlighted by Dr Luxon Nhamo, a Research Manager with the Water Research Commission (WRC), during a recent webinar focused on the WEF nexus. The event, held on 1 October, was hosted by AgriSA and Farmers’ Weekly. The WEF nexus is an approach that considers the interactions, synergies and trade-offs of water, energy and food when managing these resources. In their presentations, the panellists provided perspectives on how this approach helps address some of the country’s most pressing issues. Water, energy, and food securities are inextricably linked, with the usage of resources within one sector influencing the use and availability in the adjacent sectors. “Currently, more than half of South Africa’s households are food-insecure,” Nhamo said. Furthermore, 98% of the country’s available water resources had already been allocated, while 86% of its energy is generated by coal.

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