FACT SHEET Food, water, sanitation challenges

This fact sheet from the Stockholm Environment Institute outlines the challenges facing smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa, specifically regarding food security, soil fertility, and water management. It proposes an integrated systems approach combining water harvesting, conservation agriculture, and 'productive sanitation'—the reuse of human excreta as fertilizer—to close yield gaps and build climate resilience.

• Sub-Saharan Africa is identified as a future hotspot for food shortages due to a combination of low agricultural yields, high population growth, weak economies, and a heavy dependence on agriculture. Climate change is further expected to negatively impact food security in the region.
• There is a significant yield gap in Sub-Saharan Africa, where yields are commonly below 1 ton/ha compared to 5 ton/ha in other regions. This is attributed to the mismanagement of nutrients and water, with the region losing 30–60 kg of nutrients per hectare annually and using only one-tenth of the global average of fertilizer application.
• Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa is predominantly rainfed (over 93%), making it vulnerable to erratic rainfall distribution. However, on-farm evidence suggests that improving water, nutrient, and soil management could double or triple current yields.
• The document proposes 'productive sanitation systems' (ecological sanitation), which involve the safe collection and reuse of human urine and faeces as fertilizer. If fully implemented, these systems could theoretically double current agricultural nutrient inputs (NPK) in Sub-Saharan Africa while reducing reliance on non-renewable resources.
• To achieve sustainable yield increases and climate adaptation, the document advocates for a systems approach that combines productive sanitation with water management techniques—such as mulching, water harvesting, and conservation agriculture—underpinned by scientific evidence and mathematical modeling.

APA

Karlberg, L., Ruben, C., & Watt, R. (n.d.). FACT SHEET Food, water, sanitation challenges. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Air-land-water-resources/Food_security_health_biodiversity/fact-sheet-improving-food-production-subsahara.pdf

Chicago

Karlberg, Louise, Cecilia Ruben, and Robert Watt. FACT SHEET Food, water, sanitation challenges. Stockholm Environment Institute, n.d. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Air-land-water-resources/Food_security_health_biodiversity/fact-sheet-improving-food-production-subsahara.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Karlberg |first1=Louise |last2=Ruben |first2=Cecilia |last3=Watt |first3=Robert |title=FACT SHEET Food, water, sanitation challenges |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Air-land-water-resources/Food_security_health_biodiversity/fact-sheet-improving-food-production-subsahara.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{karlbergndfact, author = {Karlberg, Louise and Ruben, Cecilia and Watt, Robert}, title = {{FACT SHEET Food, water, sanitation challenges}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Air-land-water-resources/Food_security_health_biodiversity/fact-sheet-improving-food-production-subsahara.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }