We explore processes that enable effective policies and practices for managing the links between water, energy, and food. Three case studies are assessed at different scales in the Mekong River basin, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. We find that there are considerable opportunities for improving outcomes for sustainable development by finding solutions that accommodate multiple objectives in the nexus. These include making data more publicly available, commissioning independent experts to advise on contested issues, engaging under-represented stakeholders in decision-making, sharing benefits, exploring different perspectives in forums where alternative development options can be tested and engaging decision-makers at different scales.

We explore processes that enable effective policies and practices for managing the links between water, energy, and food. Three case studies are assessed at different scales in the Mekong River basin, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. We find that there are considerable opportunities for improving outcomes for sustainable development by finding solutions that accommodate multiple objectives in the nexus. These include making data more publicly available, commissioning independent experts to advise on contested issues, engaging under-represented stakeholders in decision-making, sharing benefits, exploring different perspectives in forums where alternative development options can be tested and engaging decision-makers at different scales.

The discourse on the need for water, energy, and food security has dominated the development agenda of southern African countries, centred on improving livelihoods, building resilience, and regional integration. About 60% of the population in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) live in rural areas relying mainly on rainfed agriculture, lacking access to clean water and energy, yet the region is endowed with vast natural resources. The water-energy-food (WEF) nexus is a conceptual framework that presents opportunities for greater resource coordination, management, and policy convergence across sectors. This is particularly relevant in the SADC region as resources are transboundary and supports efforts linked to regional integration and inclusive socio-economic development and security. We conducted an appraisal of WEF-related policies and institutions in SADC and identified linkages among them. The present ‘silo’ approach in resource management and allocation, often conducted at the national level, contributes to the region’s failure to meet its development targets, exacerbating its vulnerabilities. The lack of coordination of WEF nexus synergies and trade-offs in planning often threatens the sustainability of development initiatives. We highlighted the importance of the WEF nexus to sustainably address the sectoral coordination of resources through harmonised institutions and policies, as well as setting targets and indicators to direct and monitor nexus developments. We illustrate the significance of the nexus in promoting inclusive development and transforming vulnerable communities into resilient societies. The study recommends a set of integrated assessment models to monitor and evaluate the implementation of WEF nexus targets. Going forward, we propose the adoption of a regional WEF nexus framework.

Water–Energy–Food Nexus Narratives and Resource Securities: A Global South Perspective provides a knowledge synthesis on the water–energy–food (WEF) nexus, focusing primarily on the global south. By presenting concepts, analytical tools, and case studies, the book serves as a practical resource for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in sustainability and functional roles across all three sectors. It addresses key issues related to data availability, tools, indices, metrics, and application across multiple scales, beginning with a summary of existing knowledge. Finally, it examines the WEF nexus, presents global insights, and discusses future considerations and implications. This book presents an overview of existing knowledge on the WEF nexus and examines how such research aligns with emerging global WEF nexus perspectives, making it ideal for professionals, government entities, private industry, and the general public.

Climate change is a complex and cross-cutting problem that needs an integrated and transformative systems approach to respond to the challenge. Current sectoral approaches to climate change adaptation initiatives often create imbalances and retard sustainable development. Regional and international literature on climate change adaptation opportunities and challenges applicable to southern Africa from a water-energy-food (WEF) nexus perspective was reviewed. Specifically, this review highlights climate change impacts on water, energy, and food resources in southern Africa, while exploring mitigation and adaptation opportunities. The review further recommends strategies to develop cross-sectoral sustainable measures aimed at building resilient communities. Regional WEF nexus related institutions and legal frameworks were also reviewed to relate the WEF nexus to policy. Southern Africa is witnessing an increased frequency and intensity in climate change-associated extreme weather events, causing water, food, and energy insecurity. A projected reduction of 20% in annual rainfall by 2080 in southern Africa will only increase the regional socio-economic challenges. This is exacerbating regional resource scarcities and vulnerabilities. It will also have direct and indirect impacts on nutrition, human well-being, and health. Reduced agricultural production, lack of access to clean water, sanitation, and clean, sustainable energy are the major areas of concern. The region is already experiencing an upsurge of vector borne diseases (malaria and dengue fever), and water and food-borne diseases (cholera and diarrhoea). What is clear is that climate change impacts are cross-sectoral and multidimensional, and therefore require cross-sectoral mitigation and adaptation approaches. In this regard, a wellcoordinated and integrated WEF nexus approach offers opportunities to build resilient systems, harmonise interventions, and mitigate trade-offs and hence improve sustainability. This would be achieved through greater resource mobilisation and coordination, policy convergence across sectors, and targeting nexus points in the landscape. The WEF nexus approach has potential to increase the resilience of marginalised communities in southern Africa by contributing towards attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 13).

As befits a CGIAR Challenge Program , the CPWF has welcomed a wide range of stake holders and partners in accord with their ability to achieve program goals. Decision on research investments (project selection) have been based on a competitive grants in which proposal quality was evaluated by an interdependent external panel. The usual weakness of a competitive grants approach - lack of coherence in research agenda has been address by Basin Focal Projects and synthesis research.

1.5 billion people live in fragility and conflict-affected settings (FCAS) and they face an increased risk of food insecurity and poverty trap. A systems approach in collaboration with innovators in FCAS is needed to produce practical and inclusive solutions that can improve the resilience of food, land, and water systems (FLWS). CGIAR is in the unique position to produce transformative policies, programming, and market strategies to bring science-driven innovation to improve resilience among FCA communities and create a bridge between the humanitarian, development, and peace (HDP) nexus. This market report conducts a market assessment across 14 countries in Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia to inform a science-driven acceleration programme to scale CGIAR innovations in FCAS. The analysis in the report is from a newly developed database on FLWS-HDP innovation ecosystem actors, which includes 600+ innovator data covering 90+ solution types and 200+ funding supporters, including investors, governments, NGOs, hubs, and other collaborative ecosystem enablers. Additionally, the report draws insights from consultations with experts in the ecosystem ranging from CGIAR practitioners to innovation hubs and innovators (Chapter 1). The ecosystem mapping shows that the FLWS-HDP innovation ecosystem is still nascent in many FCA countries, and is largely concentrated on food production. Water resources, migration, and anticipatory action innovations only take up 20% of all innovations. Financial support to enable private innovators has been rising and 25% of the innovators mapped in the selected countries have raised funding amounting to over $330M as of November 2023, with investors from the private sector paving the way and with public-private partnerships (PPPs) increasingly playing an important role. Funding support from private investors and PPPs support early-stage innovation development by creating hubs, de-risking funding by co-investing with the private sector, and directly providing financial support to the innovators. International donors, governments and investors from the Global North are also prevalent in the ecosystem as 90% of actors supporting innovators are from outside the FCA countries. Local actors often work with international actors to implement programmes, co-invest, and help source high-impact innovators. There is little evidence of international research organisations’ activities in the FCAS so far (Chapter 2). Developing a sustainable FLWS-HDP innovation ecosystem in FCAS is met with challenges related to limited infrastructural resources, value chain disruptions, and heightened security risks. However, opportunities also exist, especially when innovators flexibly adapt innovations to address local challenges, and in settings where the solutions become tools to better facilitate and coordinate humanitarian, government, and private sector initiatives. Hence, supporting private sector innovation should prioritise localising solutions for the specific context to increase longerterm sustainability. Research organisations should support by developing systems to bring science to sector value chains and becoming expert support for innovators. Lastly, partnerships with governments, local actors, and international NGOs should be leveraged to bring innovations to tackle local challenges (Chapter 3). Finally, he report provides an overview of the macroeconomic and FCA context and an analysis of the FLW-HDP innovation ecosystem for each of the 14 countries The country overviews highlight that each country has a unique set of challenges and opportunities for developing a resilient innovation ecosystem, yet there are strong signals that innovators, support initiatives, and actors are making an impact in improving the conditions for FLW and HDP systems in FCA contexts (Chapter 4).

Background: Inadequate food and water resources negatively affect child health and the efficiency of nutrition interventions. Methods: We used data from the SHINE trial to investigate the associations of food insecurity (FI) and water insecurity (WI) on mothers’ implementation and maintenance of minimum infant dietary diversity (MIDD). We conducted factor analysis to identify and score dimensions of FI (poor access, household shocks, low availability & quality), and WI (poor access, poor quality and low reliability). MIDD implementation (n = 636) was adequate if infants aged 12 months (M12) ate ≥ four food groups. MIDD maintenance (n = 624) was categorized into four mutually exclusive groups: A (unmet MIDD at both M12 and M18), B (unmet MIDD at M12 only), C (unmet MIDD at M18 only), and D (met MIDD at both M12 and M18). We used multivariable-adjusted binary logistic and multinomial regressions to determine likelihood of MIDD implementation, and of belonging to MIDD maintenance groups A-C (poor maintenance groups), compared to group D, respectively. Results: Low food availability & quality were negatively associated with implementation (OR = 0.81; 0.69, 0.97), and maintenance (ORB = 1.29; 1.07, 1.56). Poor water quality was positively associated with implementation (OR = 1.25; 1.08, 1.44), but inconsistently associated with maintenance, with higher odds of infants being in group C (OR = 1.39; 1.08, 1.79), and lower odds of being in group B (OR = 0.80; 0.66, 0.96). Conclusion: Food security should be prioritized for adequate implementation and maintenance of infant diets during complementary feeding. The inconsistent findings with water quality indicate the need for further research on WI and infant feeding.

This document summarizes presentations and discussions of the workshop to launch the Challenge Program on Water and Food Project No. 1 for the Limpopo river basin in southern Africa. The project is funded through the CGIAR's Challenge Program for Water and Food. It aims to improve food security and farm incomes for smallholder farmers in the Limpopo basin, which covers parts of Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe.