With a growing recognition of the link between the provision and consumption of adequate food, water and energy, industry bodies are now arguing that national and local government need to manage natural resources in a far more integrated manner.

The 2013 Human Sciences Research Council study entitled ‘A national health and nutrition examination survey’ reveals that more than half of South Africans do not have regular access to enough food. Food insecurity in this regard refers to people who experience hunger, and it is said that one out of four urban households experience hunger in South Africa.

The study also mentions that, in Johannesburg, at least 42% of the population living in some of the most deprived areas are considered to be food insecure, and as such go to bed without a meal at least three times a month. In a city with 4.4- million people, the estimated number of those who are food insecure is about 350 000.

Speaking at South African Cities Network’s strategic conversation on the water-energy- food nexus in Port Elizabeth last month, City of Johannesburg social development executive head Wandile Zwane stated that the right to food is a human right recognised under national and international law and, at its core, the right to food requires that food be available, accessible and adequate for everyone to ensure a healthy and productive life.

“The right to food is linked to one’s right to life and dignity. Without water, agriculture would not be possible as it is the essence of its existence. The human right to water and food are intertwined and, therefore, the right to food cannot be realised if people lack sustainable access to safe and clean drinking water for personal and domestic use,” Zwane continued.

This being the case, project management consultancy Royal HaskoningDHV water and environment expert Ashwin Seetal emphasised that the need for conscious stewardship of vital resources is necessary as the dependencies between the various components of the nexus impact on one another.

“In the water sector, the food-water- energy nexus is replacing the concept of integrated water resource management. The production for food is dependent on energy and water inputs, and we are dependent on energy derived from fossil fuels. The farming industry uses energy for purposes that include fertiliser production, water consumption, farm equipment, processing, packaging and transportation,” he pointed out.

Meanwhile, nonprofit organisation Sustainable Energy Africa MD Megan Euston-Brown said at the strategic conversation that the country was experiencing an “energy transition”, which was seeing an increase in the availability of viable alternative energy technologies, as a result of rapidly growing demands from urban users and the recurring electricity blackouts.

She added that while the national government was responsible for energy policy development and regulations, national government increasingly required the participation of local government in order for the policies to be effective.

“It is important that the fundamentals of city management that will ensure pro-poor sustainable development in suitable areas are put in place. This can only be done if local government gets involved with national government to drive projects that will ensure sustainable development to benefit the country,” stated Euston-Brown.