Food-energy-water security in sub-Saharan Africa : quantitative and spatial assessments using an indicator-based approach

The challenge of achieving food, energy and water (FEW) security is greatest in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where millions of people lack access to electricity, reliable drinking water and one in four people are undernourished. To develop targeted policies, it is necessary to identify at-risk countries and the spatial patterns of FEW insecurity in the region. However, country and sub-regional level assessments of FEW security have received scant attention. In this study, we carried out quantitative and spatial assessments of FEW security in SSA using the Pardee Rand FEW Index. Results show that 41 countries in SSA are FEW insecure, with Burundi being the most affected country while the West African sub-region seems to have many FEW insecure countries. Spatial analysis of FEW security reveals the presence of spatial patterns in the distribution of FEW insecurity in SSA suggesting that a sub-regional approach may be used to tackle this challenge. However, literature review shows that this has to be approached with caution given that different contextual factors such as socio-economic and governance conditions may influence FEW security within countries. Our analyses imply that any policy response designed to enhance FEW security needs to address both socio-economic, governance and other contextual factors within countries.