Leveraging the Water–Energy–Food Nexus to Support Agroecological Transitions

This briefing by the African Food Systems Transformation Collective argues for the integration of agroecology into the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus framework to accelerate the transition toward sustainable and resilient African food systems. It positions philanthropic investment as a critical catalyst to overcome the fragmentation and short-term funding cycles that currently hinder the scaling of agroecological practices.

• African food systems are currently hindered by unsustainable industrial models—such as monocropping and chemical-intensive farming—which prioritize productivity over sustainability and equity, leading to environmental degradation and persistent food insecurity.
• Agroecology is presented as a science-based, holistic alternative that utilizes ecological principles to create diversified food systems, reducing dependency on external inputs and enhancing resilience against climate change.
• The Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus serves as a strategic framework to manage the interconnections between food production, energy generation, and water resources. It allows for systems-level analysis, scenario planning, and the identification of trade-offs and co-benefits to optimize resource use.
• Philanthropic organizations are uniquely positioned to drive agroecological transitions due to their flexibility and risk tolerance, which can fill gaps in policy advocacy, technical support, and long-term infrastructure investment that traditional funding often misses.
• Integrating agroecology into the WEF nexus can address the framework's tendency to be a theoretical 'discourse tool' by applying place-based practices and local knowledge to achieve practical, on-the-ground outcomes.
• Several systemic hurdles impede the transition to agroecology, including governance fragmentation, institutional silos, and a preference for large-scale infrastructure projects over nature-based, smallholder-driven solutions.
• The document recommends that philanthropies adopt specific investment principles, including the 'subsidiarity principle' (local collective decision-making), defunding harmful industrial policies, and avoiding 'tokenism' in the form of cumbersome accelerator programs.

APA

Magadzire, N., Odero, K., Oluowo, F. E., Chilinya, V., Imuetinyan, C. V., Love, T. E., Oulu, M., & Mbenya, R. (2025). Leveraging the Water–Energy–Food Nexus to Support Agroecological Transitions. African Climate Foundation. https://africanclimatefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/801023_C-Leveraging-WEF-nexus-in-agroecological-05-1.pdf

Chicago

Magadzire, Nyasha, Kenneth Odero, Freeman Elohor Oluowo, Vladimir Chilinya, Chukwuemeka Victoria Imuetinyan, Theophilus Erabanabari Love, Martin Oulu, and Rosinah Mbenya. Leveraging the Water–Energy–Food Nexus to Support Agroecological Transitions. African Climate Foundation, 2025. https://africanclimatefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/801023_C-Leveraging-WEF-nexus-in-agroecological-05-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Magadzire |first1=Nyasha |last2=Odero |first2=Kenneth |last3=Oluowo |first3=Freeman Elohor |last4=Chilinya |first4=Vladimir |last5=Imuetinyan |first5=Chukwuemeka Victoria |last6=Love |first6=Theophilus Erabanabari |last7=Oulu |first7=Martin |last8=Mbenya |first8=Rosinah |title=Leveraging the Water–Energy–Food Nexus to Support Agroecological Transitions |publisher=African Climate Foundation |date=2025 |url=https://africanclimatefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/801023_C-Leveraging-WEF-nexus-in-agroecological-05-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{magadzire2025leveraging, author = {Magadzire, Nyasha and Odero, Kenneth and Oluowo, Freeman Elohor and Chilinya, Vladimir and Imuetinyan, Chukwuemeka Victoria and Love, Theophilus Erabanabari and Oulu, Martin and Mbenya, Rosinah}, title = {{Leveraging the Water–Energy–Food Nexus to Support Agroecological Transitions}}, institution = {African Climate Foundation}, year = {2025}, url = {https://africanclimatefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/801023_C-Leveraging-WEF-nexus-in-agroecological-05-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }