Research Article // Assessing the Nexus on Local Perspective: A Quali-Quantitative Framework for Water-Energy-Food Security Evaluation in Neglected Territories
By Rita de Cássia Santos de Souza, Ana Paula Dias Turetta, Michelle Bonatti & Stefan Sieber. This study presents a case study about a typical neglected neighbourhood in Brazil, highlighting the residents’ perception about the WEF nexus. The questionnaire revealed a lack in accessibility and availability of the WEF services and conceptual gaps regarding some topis, e.g., organic food and alternative energy sources. The lack of community integration was also identified has an issue that made the development of integrative solutions difficult for the neighbourhood.
Figure 3. Construction of participatory indicators for Nexus water-food-energy assessment in urban and peri-urban areas. Source: de Souza, R. D. C. S., Turetta, A. P. D., Bonatti, M., & Sieber, S. (2022)
Abstract
There is limited focus on the water-energy-food (WEF) Nexus approach at the local scale, particularly considering the social contexts of neglected territories. To contribute to this debate, we propose a framework to address this topic in an area in Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, as a case study. A survey was conducted regarding residents’ perceptions, choices, practices and access to water, energy, and food. The interviews highlighted important topics on the WEF Nexus. As a result, a set of 12 indicators with data available on official datasets was proposed, reflecting residents’ perceptions of WEF safety. For each indicator, thresholds were established based mainly on the goals defined by Brazilian policies across different spheres—federal, state, or municipal. Thus, each indicator is multi-scale and integrative, since it comprises a local perspective (from the interview results), an official perspective (from the official databases), and a threshold. The results showed problems with energy and water supply, and the presence of home cropping, contrasting with residents who do not have access to basic food and experience extreme poverty. All these elements drew attention to the possibility of applying the WEF Nexus approach, searching for feasible solutions which can support better decisions and governance in neglected territories.
Published
February 2022
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Citation
de Souza, R. D. C. S., Turetta, A. P. D., Bonatti, M., & Sieber, S. (2022). Assessing the Nexus on Local Perspective: A Quali-Quantitative Framework for Water-Energy-Food Security Evaluation in Neglected Territories. Water, 14(5), 731.
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