Studying water, energy and food insecurity in South Africa

The South African National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Dutch Research Council (NWO) have granted two joint research projects in the second call for proposals of the South Africa-Netherlands Cooperation research programme.

One of these projects, in which Dr Iva Pesa represents the University of Groningen as consortium partner, studies water, energy and food security challenges in South African urban environments. The challenges of cities in South Africa face typify problems of many other fast-growing urban areas in Africa and beyond. Research outcomes have therefore the potential to be highly valuable for other contexts as well.

Ecological Community Engagements: Imagining sustainability and the water-energy-food nexus in urban South African environments (Eco-Imagining)               
Principal Investigators: Prof. L. Manderson (University of the Witwatersrand) & Prof. E.M. Moyer (University of Amsterdam)
Consortium partners: University of Limpopo, University of Fort Hare, Ruliv, Rand Water, Hannelie Coetzee Visual Art, Gender CC, South African Weather Service (SAWS), IHE-Delft Institute for Water Education, University of Groningen and Research Center for Material Culture

Through a transdisciplinary approach, this research aims to emphasize the importance of creative imagination in understanding the water, energy and food security challenges. By working in local, urban contexts, the researchers seek to generate new knowledge about the ways to manoeuvre such precarity. By working with local residents and leveraging their understanding of the WEF Nexus, the researchers expect to be able to develop guidelines for partnerships that can help improve the livelihoods, the environment and the general well-being of urban residents in the South African context.

Read more on NWO.nl