WATER-ENERGY-FOOD NEXUS RESEARCH: ASSESSMENT OF HOUSEHOLD INDICATORS IN DRC

Abstract

The DRC is one of the top 20 countries in the world in terms of energy deficiency, with only 19% of the population having access to electrification while access to clean cooking solutions is only 4% nationally. Already characterized by high levels of social vulnerability, including food insecurity, high levels of poverty, undernourishment and very low levels of access to clean water, climate projections suggest that extreme events will become more frequent in parts of the DRC, potentially worsening the situation. The present work in a Nexus approach focuses on the assessment of household indicators with regard to access to water, energy and food in the DRC. The study mobilised and adapted tools such as the ESMAP Multi-tier framework, the United Nations Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) Framework for Measuring Access to Water and Sanitation and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Food Insecurity Experiences Scale (FIES) to conduct an in-depth assessment of access to water, energy and food in the Mwenga Territory of South Kivu in eastern DRC. The core of the work was a household survey, which captured the reality of access to water, energy and food in Mwenga, which is characterised by almost no access to adequate electricity, limited access to improved water sources and severe food insecurity.