Concluding Thoughts

I want to take this time for reflection. This post is dedicated to 3 main reflections. 

Physical variabilities in Africa require consistent and adequate water management to ensure food security. However, transboundary water management is difficult to enforce because of politics, laws and the variability of Africa’s nations. Climate change will exacerbate this variability. This highlights the need for strategies to be tailed to address the issues of each region (taking into account all stakeholders) as opposed to adopting a continental scale one-size fits all approach. For example, large-scale engineering solutions are not viable in many African nations due to the financial costs. As there is no single solution to tackle food and water security, a myriad of solutions should be implemented in order to account for the variability in the both physical and socioeconomic characterises of African nations. 

I have done my best to provide an unbiased account of the occurrences in Africa. As I reflect on my positionality, I wish I had provided a broader scope of knowledge – localised knowledge and non-academic writing – to enrich these posts. Solutions to water and food insecurity need to move outside of Westernised development narratives, acknowledging African voices, for water management to enable sustainable development. Future development initiatives should take into account African voices when searching for solutions for the continent of Africa (Park, 2019.) 

Finally, it is important to consider the COVID-19 pandemic when looking at agriculture and future food security. Although I haven’t personally written on the subject, I would like to direct you to Thaneya’s and Kadeejah’s discussions on the topic. 

I hope you enjoyed reading these blogs posts as much as I have enjoyed writing these for you.  Goodbye!