By Lizzie Stifel and Sophie Gregrowski, Princeton in Asia Fellows

From assessing freshwater demand for electricity in Africa, to innovative management of hillslope aquifers and advanced nitrogen management for agriculture, IWMI researchers have contributed to diverse global studies. The following is a selection of their open-access work published in May and June 2024. To read the full articles, click the DOI links below.

Sunti Nepali pulls paddy rice seedlings for transplanting into rice fields in Chobar, Kathmandu Valley, Nepal
Sunti Nepali pulls paddy rice seedlings for transplanting into rice fields in Chobar, Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. Photo credit: Jim Holmes/IWMI.

Consistency in climate change impact reports among indigenous peoples and local communities depends on site contexts

https://doi.org/10.1038/s44168-024-00124-2

Indigenous Peoples and local communities possess insights into climate change impacts and frequently bear the brunt of these effects. Their perspectives on climate impacts are shaped by both site-level factors, such as shared community histories, local cultures, and religions, and individual-level factors, including personal experiences with nature-dependent livelihoods. In a study published in npj Climate Action, IWMI’s Emmanuel M. N. A. N. Attoh and colleagues explore the consistency of climate change impact reports by Indigenous Peoples and local communities given various site-level and individual-level characteristics. The researchers interviewed 1860 Indigenous respondents across Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Oceania, at sites where climate change affects both atmospheric systems and nature-dependent livelihoods. Their findings indicate that there is high average consistency among site characteristics, though considerable variation is influenced by various site-specific factors. Individual-level factors are not significant. These outcomes highlight the potential of Indigenous groups to identify suitable monitoring and adaptation strategies tailored to their cultural and environmental contexts.

Spatially distributed freshwater demand for electricity in Africa

https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ew00246f

Energy production consumes significant amounts of essential freshwater, yet detailed data on electricity’s water demand across Africa remains sparse. IWMI researcher Davy Vanham and colleagues fill this significant data gap on freshwater demand for electricity across Africa with their paper published in Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology. Their spatial analysis covers 2534 power plants (fossil, renewable, other) throughout 2020, offering the first comprehensive dataset on water withdrawal and consumption. They find total water withdrawal exceeds 33,000 million m^3, with hydropower and natural gas plants dominating (70% and 27% respectively). Countries like Egypt, Ghana, and Zambia show high annual water withdrawal rates. Information from this database underscores the substantial impact of electricity production on water resources continent-wide, and provides resources for energy planning stakeholders and water management initiatives in Africa.

Supporting water-food-land nexus policy coherence through integrated agrifood advisory and extension system in Egypt

https://doi.org/10.1051/bioconf/202410901038

Achieving policy coherence, or the alignment and integration of policies across sectors and governance levels, is crucial for effectively managing natural resources in the face of climate change and global population growth. Under the CGIAR’s National Policies and Strategies for Agrifood System Transformation initiative IWMI’s Fayrouz Eldabbagh and Youssef Brouziyne study how interest groups influence decisions about water productivity in Egypt. Their paper, published in BIO Web of Conferences, focuses on understanding power dynamics and social networks that shape policy-making. They find that donors and financial institutions control knowledge and technical assistance, but in the absence of strong government extension services to disseminate this knowledge, smallholder farmers are confined to traditional methods. The authors recommend integrating extension services with better financial support to bridge knowledge gaps, improve access to trustworthy services, and encourage innovation. These insights aim to enhance climate-adaptive water policies for small-scale farmers, supporting their livelihoods and local economies.

Revisiting the Thornthwaite Mather procedure for baseflow and groundwater storage predictions in sloping and mountainous regions

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hydroa.2024.100179

Hillslope aquifers are crucial sources of drinkable water and irrigation, particularly in developing countries. The calculation of baseflow and recharge is critical for managing hillslope aquifers, though many existing methods are not applicable for uplands or mountainous regions. In a study published in Journal of Hydrology X, IWMI researchers Seifu A. Tilahun and Petra Schmitter adapt the Thornthwaite and Mather (T-M) procedure to sloping and mountainous regions. Researchers replaced the linear reservoir typically used in the T-M procedure with a zero-order aquifer. After testing two contrasting watersheds over four years in the Ethiopian highlands, their results yielded “very good” baseflow predictions and “satisfactory to good” groundwater table predictions. The study concluded that the T-M procedure is adaptable to sloping upland regions, providing a promising approach for managing the hillslope aquifers which are essential in food security, poverty alleviation, and rural employment.

Exploring policy coherence to understand limited progress of gender and social inclusion in the energy sector: the case of Nepal

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2024.114140

The Sustainable Development Goals aim to ensure universal access to sustainable and affordable energy. In recent years, the importance of gender and social inclusion (GESI) in Nepal has gained increased recognition in the transition towards low-carbon energy. In a policy analysis published in Energy Policy, IWMI researchers M. Buchy and S. Shakya explore how limited coherence between policies at a federal and local level causes slow progress in the implementation of GESI in the energy sector in Nepal. The researchers outline Nepal’s official commitments to GESI and examine the structural barriers that maintain exclusion of socially disadvantaged groups in the clean energy value chain. Utilizing a feminist policy lens in an energy justice context, internal policy coherence is assessed through parallels and disjoints between various GESI aims. The study sets forth that lacking coherence and narrow conceptualization of the policy problem undermine and slow the implementation of GESI in the Nepalese energy sector.

Modeling maize growth and nitrogen dynamics using CERES-Maize (DSSAT) under diverse nitrogen management options in a conservation agriculture-based maize-wheat system

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-61976-6

Efficiently managing agricultural inputs, such as fertilizer, is crucial for modern day agricultural practices. The use of nitrogen fertilizers has grown in recent decades; farmers apply more nitrogen to increase grain yield which negatively influences environmental and socioeconomic impacts. In order to appropriately manage nitrogen usage, Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) models are crucial in providing valuable decision-making insights. In a study published in Scientific Reports journal, researchers Kamlesh Kumar, C. M. Parihar, et. al use the Crop Environment Resource Synthesis CERES-Maize DSSAT model to simulate crop growth, yield, and nitrogen dynamics. The model successfully simulated maize physiological maturity and predicted measured values, accurately assessing impacts of nitrogen practices on maize’s crop growth. Researchers found that this modeling approach provides reliable simulations during growth season and therefore, can facilitate more efficient resource management overall.