Water and Food in Africa

This blog aims to explore the idea of 'virtual water' and how it could circumvent the uneven distribution of water in Africa. I will focus on the Libyan Jamahiriya. I will explore how this water-scarce region benefits from this 'virtual' water flow and how it may overcome water and food scarcity.   As I have suggested in previous blogs, Africa's varying geologies, climates, and seasonality mean that freshwater distribution is highly uneven. Africa has an ample supply of water. Though, owing to the factors stated earlier, water is available in some areas but not others  (de Wit and Stankiewicz 2006 ). Throughout this blog, I have assessed various hard engineering solutions like  water transfer projects,   desalination , and  dams ; however, all of these solutions appear ecologically and economically unsustainable. Rather than physically moving water to water scare regions, a better solution would be to send foodstuffs that require significant amounts of 'virtual

In this entry, I will focus on the role of another cutting-edge solution to increase water and food production. This method is the use of dams. I will first explore how dams function through the Aswan Dam, Egypt (fig. 10). I will also explore dams' efficiency and whether they could be a solution for other African nations.    What are dams?  Dams come in various shapes and sizes, ranging from a small-scale regional dam to 'mega-dams'. However, regardless of a dam's form, the function remains relatively the same. A dam is a structure used to control river flow; this structure holds water in a reservoir until it is needed  (Jones 1997).  By capturing water in the reservoir, water can then be released during low flows, replicating the natural state of a river, which is essential especially for farmers and municipal populations ( Jones 1997 ;  Davie 2002 ).    The Aswan Dam, Egypt: An iconic example of a  ‘mega-dam’  has been the Aswan High Dam located on the Nile in Aswan,

Desalination is a revolutionary way to increase water and food security for struggling countries; however, is it a reasonable solution? In this entry, I will focus on the role of desalination in Algeria to address its water scarcity issue, which has dramatically impacted its agribusiness. I will explore what desalination is, how Algeria has capitalised on this technology and its limitations.    In last week’s blog,  I elaborated on the potentials of water transfer projects like the GMMR in increasing water and food security. In essence, projects like the GMMR transport water from areas of surplus to those in deficit. However, a limitation of schemes like the GMMR is that a country must have a surplus of water that they can transport, which is not always the case ( Salem 2007).  Therefore, rather than relying on water from areas of surplus, using a process known as ‘desalination’, water can, in essence, be created. This process can prove incredibly useful for water-scarce nations like t

This week’s blog will explore a potential solution to addressing the geographical unevenness of water and food availability; water transfer projects to deficit areas. The blog will explore the famous example of the Great Man-Made River (GMMR) in Libya and its approach to addressing the unevenness of water access and food production.   Libya’s ‘Great Man-Made River’: In last week’s blog , I discussed the spatial unevenness of water access and food production in Ethiopia. Ethiopia's plight is not unique. Instead, this uneven distribution of water and food is relatively standard across much of Africa, owning to the continents complex physical and human characteristics ( MacDonald  et al.  2012 ;  Quadri 2019 ). In the last blog, I stated if there was only a way to "physically transport water to areas that need it". This is what has Libya done. Under the authority of Colonel Gaddafi, Libya began the construction of a sophisticated pipeline system known as the 'Great Man-M

In this blog post, I will focus on Ethiopia's agribusiness and what has enabled it to be successful. Likewise, I will highlight lessons that we can learn from Ethiopia; a country with a varied climate and landscape.   In the 1990s, images of Ethiopia in popular discourse (like that seen below) often revolved around its chronic famine which claimed thousands of lives; such as; Live Aids’   ‘Feed the World’   campaign. Such connotations regarding Ethiopia have stuck, with many individuals appropriating the nation as a 'desert' lacking the ability to sustain its food and water supply   (Haile 2015).  However, in reality, the latest statistics suggest that agriculture accounts for half of   Ethiopia’s GDP , namely from cash crops like coffee beans, legumes and cereals  (World Bank 2006).  Ethiopian agricultural success is highlighted as it employs approximately 80% of Ethiopia's workforce, making it a vital poverty alleviation tool. Why is Ethiopia so productive? Many might

In this blog post, I will explore the complexities of water scarcity in Africa. Through scholars like  Falkenmark (1989)   and  Taylor (2009) , I will investigate how Africa’s water is geographically uneven and what this means for the continent.    It has been a week since I last added to this blog. However, a few days ago, I spoke with my brother about Africa's food and water scarcity issue. I recall my brother telling me "why can't they [Africa] just make more food by getting water from the ground". I reflected on his comments for a moment. However, I then realised the challenges facing the continent, meaning there is no single approach to addressing Africa's scarcity of water and food. This week's blog post will focus on the role of water in food production, but it will also explore this idea of 'water scarcity.'   Why is water important? Water is paramount for so many reasons , so I could not list them all. However, as  Shiklomanov (2000)  pointed

Hi there and welcome to my blog about water and food in Africa!    I am Nasir, and this blog will be a series of posts about a topic of great importance; water and food in Africa. This blog will explore how water plays a central role in food production and the challenges that Africa faces. Given the complexities of Africa's physical and human characteristics, this blog will focus on carefully selected examples such as Ethiopia, Libya, Algeria and Egypt. Using these examples, I will explore how these countries have approached their situation, how practical their approaches have been and what we can learn from them.    Africa’s thirst for water:  Undeniably, surface and groundwater are imperative for several reasons such as basic sanitation, drinking water and also industrial use. However, in Africa’s context, a stable supply of water is crucial to support the continent’s economy and its rapidly growing population (Adams 1994 cited in  Thompson and Hollis 1995 ). However, despite the