IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i10p5181-d553919.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Indicators of Land, Water, Energy and Food (LWEF) Nexus Resource Drivers: A Perspective on Environmental Degradation in the Gidabo Watershed, Southern Ethiopia

Author

Listed:
  • Zinabu Wolde

    (College of Land Management, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
    College of Natural Resources, Dilla University, Dilla 419, Ethiopia)

  • Wu Wei

    (College of Land Management, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
    Nantional and Local Joint Research Center for Rural Land Reseources Use and Consolidation, Nanjing 210095, China)

  • Haile Ketema

    (College of Land Management, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
    College of Natural Resources, Dilla University, Dilla 419, Ethiopia)

  • Eshetu Yirsaw

    (College of Natural Resources, Dilla University, Dilla 419, Ethiopia)

  • Habtamu Temesegn

    (College of Natural Resources, Dilla University, Dilla 419, Ethiopia)

Abstract

In Ethiopia, land, water, energy and food (LWEF) nexus resources are under pressure due to population growth, urbanization and unplanned consumption. The effect of this pressure has been a widely discussed topic in nexus resource literature. The evidence shows the predominantly negative impact of this; however, the impact of these factors is less explored from a local scale. As a result, securing nexus resources is becoming a serious challenge for the country. This necessitates the identification of the driving factors for the sustainable utilization of scarce LWEF nexus resources. Our study provides a systemic look at the driving factor indicators that induce nexus resource degradation. We use the Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) to develop the indicators’ weights, and use a Path Analysis Model (PAM) to quantitatively estimate the effect of the driving factor indicators on the LWEF nexus resources. The results indicate that social (48%), economic (19%), and policy and institutional changes (14%) are the major nexus resource driving factor indicators. The path analysis results indicate that among the social driving factor indicators, population growth and consumption patterns have a significant direct effect on the LWEF nexus, with path coefficients of 0.15 and 0.089, respectively. Similarly, the potential of LWEF nexus resources is also influenced by the institutional and policy change drivers, such as outdated legislation and poor institutional structure, with path coefficients of 0.46 and 0.39, respectively. This implies that population growth and consumption patterns are the leading social drivers, while outdated legislation and poor institutional structures are the institutional and policies change drivers which have a potential impact on LWEF nexus resource degradation. Similarly, other driving factors such as environmental, economic and technological factors also affect nexus resources to varying degrees. The findings of our study show the benefits of managing the identified driving factors for the protection of LWEF nexus resources, which have close links with human health and the environment. In order to alleviate the adverse effects of driving factors, all stakeholders need to show permanent individual and collective commitment. Furthermore, we underline the necessity of applying LWEF nexus approaches to the management of these drivers, and to optimize the environmental and social outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Zinabu Wolde & Wu Wei & Haile Ketema & Eshetu Yirsaw & Habtamu Temesegn, 2021. "Indicators of Land, Water, Energy and Food (LWEF) Nexus Resource Drivers: A Perspective on Environmental Degradation in the Gidabo Watershed, Southern Ethiopia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-24, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:10:p:5181-:d:553919
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/10/5181/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/10/5181/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dogan, Eyup & Madaleno, Mara & Altinoz, Buket, 2020. "Revisiting the nexus of financialization and natural resource abundance in resource-rich countries: New empirical evidence from nine indices of financial development," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    2. Efundem Agboraw & Aled Jones, 2017. "Resource Constraints and Global Growth," Springer Books, Springer, number 978-3-319-67753-8, December.
    3. deLlano-Paz, Fernando & Martínez Fernandez, Paulino & Soares, Isabel, 2016. "Addressing 2030 EU policy framework for energy and climate: Cost, risk and energy security issues," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 115(P2), pages 1347-1360.
    4. Lorelei C. Mendoza & Gladys A. Cruz & Alejandro N. Ciencia & Maileenita A. Penalba, 2020. "Local Policy and Water Access in Baguio City, Philippines," International Journal of Social Ecology and Sustainable Development (IJSESD), IGI Global, vol. 11(1), pages 1-13, January.
    5. Duan, Cuncun & Chen, Bin, 2020. "Driving factors of water-energy nexus in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 257(C).
    6. Kurian, Mathew, 2017. "The water-energy-food nexus," Environmental Science & Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 97-106.
    7. Mohd Helmi Ali & Suhaiza Zailani & Mohammad Iranmanesh & Behzad Foroughi, 2019. "Impacts of Environmental Factors on Waste, Energy, and Resource Management and Sustainable Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-16, April.
    8. Tanner, Andrew M. & Johnston, Alison L., 2017. "The Impact of Rural Electric Access on Deforestation Rates," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 174-185.
    9. Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi & Luxon Nhamo & Sylvester Mpandeli & Charles Nhemachena & Aidan Senzanje & Nafisa Sobratee & Pauline Paidamoyo Chivenge & Rob Slotow & Dhesigen Naidoo & Stanley Liphadzi & Albe, 2019. "The Water–Energy–Food Nexus as a Tool to Transform Rural Livelihoods and Well-Being in Southern Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-20, August.
    10. Helmy, Imane, 2020. "Livelihood Diversification Strategies: Resisting Vulnerability in Egypt," GLO Discussion Paper Series 441, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    11. Maria Ivanova, 2010. "UNEP in Global Environmental Governance: Design, Leadership, Location," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 10(1), pages 30-59, February.
    12. Mabhaudhi, T. & Nhamo, Luxon & Mpandeli, S. & Nhemachena, Charles & Senzanje, A. & Sobratee, N. & Chivenge, P. P. & Slotow, R. & Naidoo, D. & Liphadzi, S. & Modi, A. T., 2019. "The water–energy–food nexus as a tool to transform rural livelihoods and well-being in southern Africa," Papers published in Journals (Open Access), International Water Management Institute, pages 16(16):1-20.
    13. Araújo Costa, Renata Cristina & Pereira, Gener Tadeu & Tarlé Pissarra, Teresa Cristina & Silva Siqueira, Diego & Sanches Fernandes, Luís Filipe & Vasconcelos, Vinicius & Fernandes, Luiz Alberto & Pach, 2019. "Land capability of multiple-landform watersheds with environmental land use conflicts," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 689-704.
    14. Jakob Granit & Anders Jägerskog & Andreas Lindström & Gunilla Björklund & Andrew Bullock & Rebecca Löfgren & George de Gooijer & Stuart Pettigrew, 2012. "Regional Options for Addressing the Water, Energy and Food Nexus in Central Asia and the Aral Sea Basin," International Journal of Water Resources Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(3), pages 419-432.
    15. Ferreira, João J.M. & Fernandes, Cristina I. & Ferreira, Fernando A.F., 2020. "Technology transfer, climate change mitigation, and environmental patent impact on sustainability and economic growth: A comparison of European countries," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    16. Coates, D. & Pert, P. L. & Barron, J. & Muthuri, C. & Nguyen-Khoa, S. & Boelee, Eline & Jarvis, D. I., 2013. "Water-related ecosystem services and food security," Book Chapters,, International Water Management Institute.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Cong Liu & Wenlai Jiang & Yang Liu & Yunfei Liu, 2023. "Evaluation for Water and Land Resources System Efficiency and Influencing Factors in China: A Two-Stage Network DEA Model," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-18, February.
    2. Cuimei Lv & Yuguang Hu & Minhua Ling & Aojie Luo & Denghua Yan, 2024. "Comprehensive evaluation and obstacle factors of coordinated development of regional water–ecology–energy–food nexus," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(8), pages 20001-20025, August.
    3. Qiangyi Li & Lan Yang & Fangxin Jiang & Yangqing Liu & Chenyang Guo & Shuya Han, 2022. "Distribution Characteristics, Regional Differences and Spatial Convergence of the Water-Energy-Land-Food Nexus: A Case Study of China," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-28, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Omolola M. Adeola & Abel Ramoelo & Brian Mantlana & Oscar Mokotedi & Wongalethu Silwana & Philemon Tsele, 2022. "Review of Publications on the Water-Energy-Food Nexus and Climate Change Adaptation Using Bibliometric Analysis: A Case Study of Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-15, October.
    2. Ebun Akinsete & Phoebe Koundouri & Conrad Landis, 2022. "Modelling the WEF Nexus to support Sustainable Development: An African Case," DEOS Working Papers 2204, Athens University of Economics and Business.
    3. Radini, Serena & Marinelli, Enrico & Akyol, Çağrı & Eusebi, Anna Laura & Vasilaki, Vasileia & Mancini, Adriano & Frontoni, Emanuele & Bischetti, Gian Battista & Gandolfi, Claudio & Katsou, Evina & Fat, 2021. "Urban water-energy-food-climate nexus in integrated wastewater and reuse systems: Cyber-physical framework and innovations," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 298(C).
    4. Shulei Cheng & Yu Yu & Wei Fan & Chunxia Zhu, 2022. "Spatio-Temporal Variation and Decomposition Analysis of Livelihood Resilience of Rural Residents in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(17), pages 1-25, August.
    5. Govindan, Rajesh & Al-Ansari, Tareq, 2019. "Computational decision framework for enhancing resilience of the energy, water and food nexus in risky environments," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 653-668.
    6. Durán-Romero, Gemma & López, Ana M. & Beliaeva, Tatiana & Ferasso, Marcos & Garonne, Christophe & Jones, Paul, 2020. "Bridging the gap between circular economy and climate change mitigation policies through eco-innovations and Quintuple Helix Model," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    7. Fujii, Tomoki & Shonchoy, Abu S. & Xu, Sijia, 2018. "Impact of Electrification on Children’s Nutritional Status in Rural Bangladesh," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 315-330.
    8. Krarti, Moncef & Aldubyan, Mohammad, 2021. "Mitigation analysis of water consumption for power generation and air conditioning of residential buildings: Case study of Saudi Arabia," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 290(C).
    9. David López-Carr, 2021. "A Review of Small Farmer Land Use and Deforestation in Tropical Forest Frontiers: Implications for Conservation and Sustainable Livelihoods," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-23, October.
    10. Xin Nie & Jianxian Wu & Han Wang & Weijuan Li & Chengdao Huang & Lihua Li, 2022. "Contributing to carbon peak: Estimating the causal impact of eco‐industrial parks on low‐carbon development in China," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 26(4), pages 1578-1593, August.
    11. Spittler, Nathalie & Davidsdottir, Brynhildur & Shafiei, Ehsan & Diemer, Arnaud, 2021. "Implications of renewable resource dynamics for energy system planning: The case of geothermal and hydropower in Kenya," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    12. Carattini, Stefano & Fankhauser, Sam & Gao, Jianjian & Gennaioli, Caterina & Panzarasa, Pietro, 2023. "What does network analysis teach us about international environmental cooperation?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 205(C).
    13. Wang, Rong & Tan, Junlan & Yao, Shuangliang, 2021. "Are natural resources a blessing or a curse for economic development? The importance of energy innovations," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    14. Ghannouchi, Imen, 2023. "Examining the dynamic nexus between industry 4.0 technologies and sustainable economy: New insights from empirical evidence using GMM estimator across 20 OECD nations," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    15. Aldieri, Luigi & Bruno, Bruna & Makkonen, Teemu & Vinci, Concetto Paolo, 2023. "Environmental innovations, geographically mediated knowledge spillovers, economic and environmental performance," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    16. Mercure, J.-F. & Paim, M.A. & Bocquillon, P. & Lindner, S. & Salas, P. & Martinelli, P. & Berchin, I.I. & de Andrade Guerra, J.B.S.O & Derani, C. & de Albuquerque Junior, C.L. & Ribeiro, J.M.P. & Knob, 2019. "System complexity and policy integration challenges: The Brazilian Energy- Water-Food Nexus," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 230-243.
    17. Naidoo, Dhesigen & Nhamo, Luxon & Mpandeli, Sylvester & Sobratee, Nafisa & Senzanje, Aidan & Liphadzi, Stanley & Slotow, Rob & Jacobson, Michael & Modi, Albert T. & Mabhaudhi, Tafadzwanashe, 2021. "Operationalising the water-energy-food nexus through the theory of change," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    18. Elena Helerea & Marius D. Calin & Cristian Musuroi, 2023. "Water Energy Nexus and Energy Transition—A Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-31, February.
    19. Bashar Hassna & Sarah Namany & Mohammad Alherbawi & Adel Elomri & Tareq Al-Ansari, 2024. "Multi-Objective Optimization for Food Availability under Economic and Environmental Risk Constraints," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(11), pages 1-18, May.
    20. Katrin Martens & Sebastian Rogga & Jana Zscheischler & Bernd Pölling & Andreas Obersteg & Annette Piorr, 2022. "Classifying New Hybrid Cooperation Models for Short Food-Supply Chains—Providing a Concept for Assessing Sustainability Transformation in the Urban-Rural Nexus," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-24, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:10:p:5181-:d:553919. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.