542
Some of the lakes have been invaded by the water hyacinth (Eichhornia
crassipes). Agricultural activities, deforestation, and the removal of other vegetation in the catchment areas have increased siltation and contributed to the loss of
habitats and biodiversity. Increased nutrient inputs from agriculture, sewage and
industrial discharges and combustion processes contribute to problems of eutrophication. There are also increased threats of toxic pollution from industrial waste discharge, mining, pesticides, and oil residues and spills.
Arguably, population pressure is the central driver of watershed management
challenges at the nexus of food, energy, and water systems in Lake Victoria Basin,
primarily due to the increasing demand for food and energy by a growing population.
Fishing and agriculture are critical to the economies of the countries in the Basin.
Over 80% of the population in the region relies on land, agriculture, and fishing for
their livelihoods. Lake Victoria Basin supports a population of over 35 million people who derive their livelihood directly or indirectly from the resources within the
basin. The fisheries produce an annual income of more than $US 600 million and
provide employment opportunities for over three million people (Njiru et al. 2008).
Approximately 22 million people in the region rely on fish for consumption
(Bremner et al. 2013). Yet the region is marked by high rates of rural poverty and
food insecurity, which are related to stagnant agricultural productivity, soil degradation, desertification, livestock diseases, declining fisheries, and biodiversity losses.
Environmental stresses adversely impact on the ecosystems of the Basin, as well as
the region’s economy and livelihoods.
There are three primary challenges related to the food–energy–water nexus in the
Lake Victoria Basin, and each is associated with unsustainable natural resource uses.
The first is pollution and eutrophication, which is driven by excessive nutrient
runoff that also contributes to water quality degradation, oxygen depletion, and fish
mortality.
The second is deforestation, which is driven by both the clearing of land for
agriculture and the dependence on wood fuels for energy. Deforestation contributes
to erosion and sedimentation that degrades water quality in the Lake.
The third is overfishing and declining fish catch, which is driven in part by the
other two challenges, along with the dependence on fisheries for food security, livelihoods, and household income.
Pollution and eutrophication in Lake Victoria have led to problems associated with
water quality, oxygen depletion, algal blooms, and fish mortality. The primary nutrients
of concern are nitrogen and phosphorous, and they originate from three major sources:
discharges of sewage and other untreated wastewater, stormwater runoff, and nonpointsource pollution, mainly from agricultural activities (ILEC 2005).
Deforestation has been documented as a critical environmental concern across
all countries in the Basin. Extraction of wood fuels for cooking and heating is an
important factor in deforestation throughout the region. All countries an unsustainable energy deficit, as fuelwood is being consumed faster than it is being replaced
(LVBC 2007). Most rural households rely on firewood that is collected, and more
than 80% of urban households in sub-Saharan Africa use charcoal as their main
source of cooking energy.
R. B. Richardson
Some of the lakes have been invaded by the water hyacinth (Eichhornia
crassipes). Agricultural activities, deforestation, and the removal of other vegetation in the catchment areas have increased siltation and contributed to the loss of
habitats and biodiversity. Increased nutrient inputs from agriculture, sewage and
industrial discharges and combustion processes contribute to problems of eutrophication. There are also increased threats of toxic pollution from industrial waste discharge, mining, pesticides, and oil residues and spills.
Arguably, population pressure is the central driver of watershed management
challenges at the nexus of food, energy, and water systems in Lake Victoria Basin,
primarily due to the increasing demand for food and energy by a growing population.
Fishing and agriculture are critical to the economies of the countries in the Basin.
Over 80% of the population in the region relies on land, agriculture, and fishing for
their livelihoods. Lake Victoria Basin supports a population of over 35 million people who derive their livelihood directly or indirectly from the resources within the
basin. The fisheries produce an annual income of more than $US 600 million and
provide employment opportunities for over three million people (Njiru et al. 2008).
Approximately 22 million people in the region rely on fish for consumption
(Bremner et al. 2013). Yet the region is marked by high rates of rural poverty and
food insecurity, which are related to stagnant agricultural productivity, soil degradation, desertification, livestock diseases, declining fisheries, and biodiversity losses.
Environmental stresses adversely impact on the ecosystems of the Basin, as well as
the region’s economy and livelihoods.
There are three primary challenges related to the food–energy–water nexus in the
Lake Victoria Basin, and each is associated with unsustainable natural resource uses.
The first is pollution and eutrophication, which is driven by excessive nutrient
runoff that also contributes to water quality degradation, oxygen depletion, and fish
mortality.
The second is deforestation, which is driven by both the clearing of land for
agriculture and the dependence on wood fuels for energy. Deforestation contributes
to erosion and sedimentation that degrades water quality in the Lake.
The third is overfishing and declining fish catch, which is driven in part by the
other two challenges, along with the dependence on fisheries for food security, livelihoods, and household income.
Pollution and eutrophication in Lake Victoria have led to problems associated with
water quality, oxygen depletion, algal blooms, and fish mortality. The primary nutrients
of concern are nitrogen and phosphorous, and they originate from three major sources:
discharges of sewage and other untreated wastewater, stormwater runoff, and nonpointsource pollution, mainly from agricultural activities (ILEC 2005).
Deforestation has been documented as a critical environmental concern across
all countries in the Basin. Extraction of wood fuels for cooking and heating is an
important factor in deforestation throughout the region. All countries an unsustainable energy deficit, as fuelwood is being consumed faster than it is being replaced
(LVBC 2007). Most rural households rely on firewood that is collected, and more
than 80% of urban households in sub-Saharan Africa use charcoal as their main
source of cooking energy.
R. B. Richardson