Full Text Available
Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.
Climate change impacts on the nexus between water, energy and food resources : the cases of Narok County in Kenya and Vhembe District Municipality, in South Africa
Thesis (PhD (Meteorology))--University of Pretoria, 2025.
Saved in:
| Other Authors: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
University of Pretoria
2025
|
| Subjects: | |
| Tags: |
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1867613490112364544 |
|---|---|
| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author2 | Botai, Joel |
| author_browse | Botai, Joel |
| author_facet | Botai, Joel |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | © 2024 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
| description | Thesis (PhD (Meteorology))--University of Pretoria, 2025. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/102981 |
| institution | University of Pretoria (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:36:58.250Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | University of Pretoria |
| publisherStr | University of Pretoria |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| spelling | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/102981 Climate change impacts on the nexus between water, energy and food resources : the cases of Narok County in Kenya and Vhembe District Municipality, in South Africa Botai, Joel nosipho.zwane@weathersa.co.za Mabhaudi, Tafadzwanashe Zwane, Nosipho Ntombani WEF resources Climate change Structural equation modeling Scenario planning Risk reduction and sustainability Thesis (PhD (Meteorology))--University of Pretoria, 2025. The current and predicted increase in global demand for the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) resources as well as the inherent links between the WEF sectors and sustainable development, the WEF nexus is rapidly being recognized as a method to manage sustainable development effectively. Many African countries still have demand and accessibility challenges to WEF resources. For this reason, a comparative study of two different sites (Narok County and Vhembe District Municipality), yet exhibiting similar socio-economic, environmental and technological circumstances was undertaken. In the present study, we considered 218 questionnaire responses, which we analyzed using the partial least squares - Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) based on the WEF nexus constructs. Two hypotheses were formulated: 1) Null Hypothesis (H0) – No interdependencies exist between the state of climate and the WEF resources, 2) Alternative Hypothesis (Ha) – Interdependencies exist between the state of climate and WEF resources. Results show that the alternative hypothesis (Ha) is true, demonstrated by the descriptive statistics indicating p-values < 0.05 for both the t-test and the Bartlet test. Furthermore, results from the multi-regression model based on data from both sites showed p-values < 0.05 and higher adjusted r-squared values, suggesting a better fit. The communities in both study sites agree that the regions have experienced a scarcity of WEF resources due to climate change. The results show that climate change is an intrinsic part of developmental options for the sustainable livelihood of both study sites in line with the 2030 UN agenda on sustainable development goals targets. The results illustrate that both study sites share similar socio-economic and environmental challenges. Moreover, future changes in rainfall and temperature projections indicated that constraints in the scarcity of WEF resources will be exacerbated and this will increase the vulnerability in both study sites. Thus, sustainable management of natural resources that is people and planet centric is crucial to climate change adaptation and mitigation, social justice, equity, and inclusion. The SEM results showed with significant confidence that the water, energy and food sectors are closely interconnected, and the impact on climate and sustainability is significantly different. Food has a direct positive impact on climate and sustainability, while both water and energy have an indirect negative impact. Moreover, for all the relationships explored, climate indicated a significant direct link to sustainability. Since in most underdeveloped countries, sustainable development and societal well-being heavily rely on goods and services derived from the natural resources and the environment, this study contributes to the nexus modeling research field by introducing SEM as an innovative methodology over a single equation modeling framework in analyzing variables that have complex interrelationships and facilitates advanced WEF Nexus resource governance. Moreover, this study explored alternative options for community resilience to climate change The financial support of the Water Research Commission of South Africa, grant numbers C2019/2020-00017 UP Postgraduate Doctoral Bursary The Sustainable and Health Food Systems - Southern Africa (SHEFS-SA) Programme, supported by the Wellcome Trust [Grant No 227749/Z/23/Z] Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology PhD (Meteorology) Unrestricted Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences SDG-13: Climate action 2025-06-25T09:41:37Z 2025-06-25T09:41:37Z 2025-09 2025-06 Thesis * S2025 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/102981 en © 2024 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria |
| spellingShingle | WEF resources Climate change Structural equation modeling Scenario planning Risk reduction and sustainability Climate change impacts on the nexus between water, energy and food resources : the cases of Narok County in Kenya and Vhembe District Municipality, in South Africa |
| title | Climate change impacts on the nexus between water, energy and food resources : the cases of Narok County in Kenya and Vhembe District Municipality, in South Africa |
| title_full | Climate change impacts on the nexus between water, energy and food resources : the cases of Narok County in Kenya and Vhembe District Municipality, in South Africa |
| title_fullStr | Climate change impacts on the nexus between water, energy and food resources : the cases of Narok County in Kenya and Vhembe District Municipality, in South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Climate change impacts on the nexus between water, energy and food resources : the cases of Narok County in Kenya and Vhembe District Municipality, in South Africa |
| title_short | Climate change impacts on the nexus between water, energy and food resources : the cases of Narok County in Kenya and Vhembe District Municipality, in South Africa |
| title_sort | climate change impacts on the nexus between water energy and food resources the cases of narok county in kenya and vhembe district municipality in south africa |
| topic | WEF resources Climate change Structural equation modeling Scenario planning Risk reduction and sustainability |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/2263/102981 |