Building WEFE Nexus Governance Framework

IMAGINE!

The rice
Production in
Egypt
Why rice production? High value as a
staple in the Egyptian diet, its
ecological benefits for soil
reclamation, its economic importance
of small farmers and its strategic
importance as a food security crop
• Due to its high-water consumption throughout
cultivation phases- estimated at 6% of Egypt’s
freshwater resources – rice is one of the few crops that
are annually regulated by the state
• Sustainable Agricultural Development Strategy (SADS)
2030 recommends the state should ‘reduce the areas
planted to rice from 1.673 Million feddan cultivated in
2007 to 1.3 Million feddan by 2030 to save an
estimated 12.4 billion cubic meters of water’ (SADS,
2009)
• In 2018 the National Agricultural law was amended to
include a jail punishment of up to six months and hefty
fines for farmers that cultivate rice illegally.
• A detailed, district-level area cap ensued, allowing
cultivation only within designated areas to cut down
the total areas under rice cultivation by almost 50%,
from an annual average of 1.27 million feddans to
724,000 feddans, distributed across the districts of the
Northern Delta region.
Objective of our Project
• Create a Water, Energy, Food, Ecosystem Nexus Governance
Framework

Create a transdisciplinary
Integrate a bottom-up platform between
approach to governance professionals, scientists,
framework researchers, and policy
makers.
WEFE Nexus Governance Framework

1. Identify inter-
2. Mapping 3. Institutional
sectoral Problem
current Policies Mapping
to WEFE

4. Participatory 5. 6. Outcomes –
Needs Transdisciplinary measuring
Assessment platforms Impact
 Step 1: Identify
inter-sectoral • Study the geographic location (physical
resources)
Problem to WEFE • Study the community (socially,
economically) i.e. Livelihood assessment
NEXUS • Interconnectedness of the problem to
WEFE nexus
 Implications on farmers
“Our land is barren; we are being
choked. The government banned
us from cultivating rice just like
that (snapping fingers)! They
didn’t consult with us or even
suggest alternative crop options.
If it weren’t for our stored
harvest from last year, my kids
would have been starving by
now
Farmer, Al-Daqahleya
“The Northern Delta is a
coastal region, and the
soil is saline. Rice is the
only crop that suits this
region. How can they not
see that banning rice
means the destruction of
our land and livelihood?”
Farmer, Kafr Al-Sheikh
Formal & Informal
Rice cultivation
Problem Dimensions
Without rice high crop yield, the
Northern Delta’s soil would
become unfarmable, and salinity
increases.

Low soil productivity will alter the

Definition of “Water justice” & socioeconomic profile, agricultural
“Water Allocation” & “water activity, ecological stability, and
accountability” food security since it’s the source
of 60% of Egypt’s crops

Rice farmers view the regulation of

rice cultivation as a form of
differential treatment and
inequality as it puts over 10 million
farmers and their families.in
distress.
 • Study existing policies related to the
problem and its interconnectedness to
WEFE NEXUS.
• Policies are defined as National plans,
Step 2: Mapping laws, presidential and ministerial decrees.

Policies • Studying policies according to criteria:

• Timeframe
• Institutional plurality
• Expected impact on water, energy,
food, ecosystem
 Step 2: Mapping and Analyzing Policies on
Rice Production Case
• Sustainable agriculture • National Water Resources • Renewable energy • National climate change
Development Strategy Plan (2017 – 2037) outlook strategy 2050
2030 • Law 146 of 2021 on • Biodiversity strategy and
• Law 202 of 2020 on fisheries management action plan
agricultural waste • Law 147 of 2021 on water • Law 4 of 1994 on the
• Law 153 of 1966 on management and environment
agriculture production irrigation

Food Water Energy Biodiversity

Step 3: Institutional • Define the institutions and Stakeholders
• Roles of institutions
mapping
Institutional Mapping Actors

Institutional
Mapping

Locals, Cooperatives, government

(municipalities), community-based
National government,
organizations, local leaders
(parliament representatives,
ministries, Research centers Business, private sector
(private or public)
religious leaders, community
leaders)
Power/Interest grid
 Social Network Analysis

Possible Questions:
1. what are the organizations /
stakeholders that are important
and/or influent in WEFE governance
related to the issue?
2. what are their roles and positions in
decision making?
3. How frequent do they communicate
with each other, i.e community National Government
NGOs
(bottom) interact with the authorities Community organizations
(top)? - Assessment of relationship
(strength & weaknesses)
Horizontal Disconnect
 1. Set the 2. Set the
Assessment Assessment
Objectives Questions

Step 4:
Participatory Needs 3. Decide on the
Participatory
4. Decide who to
Assessment assessment
Methods
talk to (triangulation
+ gender sensitive)

Participatory Assessment methods:

- Live labs
- World Cafes
- Venn Diagram
- Transect Walk
What is the current challenge for WEFE
nexus governance?

Working
in silos!
 WEFE institution WEFE M&E Institution
between MALR, MWRI, under MPED
MOEE Responsible for
Responsible for aligning monitoring & evaluating
the policy design and these platforms and
implementation WEFE policy impact.

Step 5:
Transdisciplinary Science-Policy
Platform
Platforms
KPI Results
Science-policy-
society-private
institutions
Platform
 WEFE Institution
Structure
• The platform will be composed
mainly of representative from
main ministries relevant to WEFE
nexus (MALR – MWRI – MOEE).
• Each interface (policy-science ;
society-private sector with policy-
science) will occur twice a year.
• The presidential of its council will
be rotational across the relevant
ministries biyearly.
Role
• Discussion of the problem
• Discussion of the participatory Needs
assessment
• Discuss current policies and national
plans related to the problem
• Discuss trade-offs and synergies
based on the researcher’s modelling
• get the satisfaction from the
stakeholders on the most suitable
choices
 WEFE Institution: Transdisciplinary
Platforms
Science-policy (A specialized legal
scientific dialogue(
• Science: study the existing research that relate to
development and solution and ability to
application, ex. Biomass energy facilities, solar
energy.
• Policy: motivation of policy-makers to adopt
change using an evidence-based holistic approach
from science.
• Result: getting scientific solutions that align with
policies.
Science-policy-society-private sector
(implementation scale)
• Science & Policy: communicate the existing
method of development and solution in a simple
language.
• Society: giving feedback and suggestion on the
process.
• Private Sector: Find the available funding
opportunities that drive the economic and
sustainable growth.
• Result: setting and align the short- and long-term
goals between diverse interests of stakeholders
 WEFE M&E Institution
• MPED will be responsible for the monitoring and evaluation of WEFE
institution and platforms.
• Responsible for creating a KPI index that combines indicators under SDGs 2, 6
and 7 + indicators that measures the eco-social improvement.
• Track the KPIs, monitor influencers, correcting / adjusting inconsistencies of
any process.
Thank You!
Group 3: Governance and
Policies

Names:
1. Abdelrahman Ismail
2. Fayrouz Eldabbagh
3. Hani Kamal
4. Mariam Emadeldin
5. Yomna Ossama