Browsing by Author "Lager, Zachary"
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- ItemA community model for water-energy-food security nexus development: cultivating sustainable livelihoods and an adaptive comanagement approach in rural Mozambique(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2021-03) Lager, Zachary; Goldsmith, Candice; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. School of Public Leadership.ENGLISH SUMMARY : Mozambique is one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world. In its 2019 Human Development Index, the United Nations Development Programme ranked Mozambique 180 out of 189 qualifying countries. This lack of development is experienced at a household and community level through a diversity of deprivations, including lack of access to water, energy and food. These deprivations are experienced more acutely in rural areas such as the district of Nhamatanda, Sofala Province, Mozambique where only 50% of people have access to clean water, close to 40% of children suffer from stunting and malnutrition and only five percent have access to electricity (INE 2017). To address these critical needs, innovative, flexible and results based projects are needed that are locally relevant, ecologically sustainable and economically viable. In order to secure minimum access to these vital resources, and also contribute to more flourishing futures for rural communities, these projects need to build local livelihoods and enhance longer term ecological governance. This thesis and research endeavour explores one promising hybrid model by integrating insights from water-energy-food nexus theory, the sustainable livelihoods approach and adaptive comanagement. Integrating these insights and utilising a community based participatory action research process, the aim of the research was to collaboratively collect socio-ecological data with the community of Nguineia, Nhamatanda District and subsequently use that data to design a meaningful Logical Framework Matrix project proposal. The research design deployed a mixed methods approach that sought to quantify the socio-ecological flows of a local community demonstration farm, analyse local market dynamics and foster more qualitative data collection and feedback through focus groups and informal interviews. During the research process Cyclone Idai ravaged the research site and provoked a devastating humanitarian crisis. To respond to this crisis and building off the Logical Framework Matrix as a flexible prototype for project planning, the research adapted its methodology to address the immediate needs stemming from the cyclone, while also collecting critical data and feedback needed to develop a project proposal. The results of the research is a five year project proposal aimed at enhancing access to water, energy and food by cultivating and supporting local livelihoods. The proposed project’s initial activities are focused on building the capacity of the local community through practical agroecology training programmes and equipping two local manual borehole drilling teams. Building on the knowledge and skills gained from these initial capacity building activities, the project then shifts to fostering the capability of the community to extend and apply these skills in meaningful and locally adapted ways. Specifically, this will be accomplished through an agroecology farmer extension programme, a community borehole drilling campaign, an agroforestry community outreach initiative, horizontal integration of local farmers and local leadership development. Ultimately, the goal of the project is to build a bridge between theory and practice of community based natural resource management by fostering a locally relevant form of adaptive comanagement that enhances access to water, energy and food while also contributing to generative livelihood outcomes.