Water-Food-Poverty Nexus

Both developed and developing countries are facing massive transformations toward low-carbon transition. As an exemplified case-study we choose Colombia. Colombia is a distinctive country in Latin America characterized by a great variety of landscapes and a strong historical legacy with colonialism, inequality and political struggles. The current study provides a comprehensive picture of the spatio-temporal distribution of several indicators regarding the economic activities, water distribution, energy and land use across 5 hydrologic regions. Our comprehensive approach highlights that regional differences are remarkable and persistent over time. From the supply side, we show that, within the national boundaries, there are both water-abundant and water-scarce regions, and the actual availability greatly depends on the level of economic development. The agricultural sector showed no water efficiency gains and is responsible for a threatful land degradation, that is affecting each region, with detrimental consequences in terms of land fertility and, so, food production. The local impact of climate change might aggravate this picture. From the demand side, remarkable differences within the Colombian territory in terms of access to electricity, drinking-water, aqueducts and sanitation are observed. Urban areas have better access to these services than rural zones, which are also where poverty is higher. So, the poorest continue having more restrictions on access to water and energy services. Dealing with such a complex picture imposes a new scientific understanding to elaborate reliable scenarios and to design fine-tuned policy interventions. Finally, the focus on a so-called “developing” country posits new questions, most of all how to eliminate poverty while ensuring satisfying environmental standards. Indeed, the success of sustainable strategies must deal with the biophysical constraint and with the economic and political feasibility of the proposed solutions. Although climate change is a global issue, specific responses vary across and within the countries.