Nexus disrupted: Lived realities and the water-energy-food nexus from an infrastructure perspective
Loading...
Authors
Bruns, Antje
Meisch, Simon
Ahmed, Abubakari
Meissner, Richard
Romero-Lankao, Patricia
Issue Date
2022-05-27
Type
Article
Language
en
Keywords
Political Ecology , Heterogeneous Infrastructure , Resource Governanc , Practices , Nexus Configurations
Alternative Title
Abstract
In recent years, the water-energy-food nexus gained traction in science and policy debates to address the relationships
between water, energy and food sectors. Inspired by Political Ecology thinking, we advocate for a
nexus understanding that acknowledges the political nature of the concept and points to lived and experienced
nexus realities. We draw on literature from heterogeneous infrastructures, giving attention to the socio-material
entanglements that configure a nexus dynamically over time and space. We substantiate our conceptual arguments
based on three different cases from Sub-Saharan Africa, that reveal the ways in which people access,
maintain or disrupt infrastructure that links water, energy, and food systems. This may occur through practice
forms of tinkering or improvisation of infrastructural components, intermediate (decentralised) technologies,
through theft, or through some form of self-empowerment. Methodologically, the role of practices is emphasized
as they help to understand Nexus heterogeneity and disparate forms of agency to (re-)configure a nexus.
The findings demonstrate that the nexus is not just there but is constantly in-the-making. Practices stabilise,
build, or alter differentiated nexus configurations within uneven nexus in/securities. Moreover, this article
disrupts a “one-size-fits-all” nexus concept by offering a nuanced understanding of nexus realities that are more
complex, heterogeneous, and plural than commonly described. Our analysis shows that re-thinking the nexus by
focusing on people and practices draws the attention towards agency and change – and thus enables to identify
leverage themes rendering a more just nexus.
Description
Citation
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2022.05.007. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016718522000999)
Publisher
Elsevier
License
Journal
Volume
Issue
PubMed ID
DOI
ISSN
0016-7185
1872-9398
1872-9398