Sadly, I have come to the end of my blogging journey. This term I have critically explored the broad subject of water and food in Africa. I have guided you through a selection of issues and management strategies that address both water and food security in Africa. This post is a reflection on my blog's development and the recognition of other areas in water and food that I was unable to include.
To begin this blog I focused on setting the scene, drawing together the specificities of water, food and Africa, before connecting the complexities of the region and variability of experiences that occur within it. I hope that throughout this blog, the complexities continued to shine, as I covered different countries throughout East Africa, and their unique experiences within water and agriculture. I carry through my focus on subsistence farming as a reflection of my own understanding of the agricultural circumstances across the continent. I believe it is necessary to understand the uniqueness of each nation's situation and the complexity of the issues they are facing within the context of water and food, and beyond.
In the future I foresee significant changes for water and food across Africa. By the end of the 21st century it is predicted that the mean temperature of the continent could increase by 3–6°C. This would drastically change the current water and agricultural climate. As discussed in each blog post, different nations react differently to climatic circumstances and so not one nation will react in the same way to projected temperature increases. It is important management techniques are specific to each situation, rather than attempting to implement a “one solution fits all’ approach. History has shown that this is not the answer. It is important to recognise each nation individually and not as one place. Africa is too often referred to as "hot and dusty with rolling grasslands and huge herds of animals”.
This blog has taught me the diverse nature of management strategies in place and current crises being faced, such as frequent locust swarms, that affect African nations and the sheer number of ways that water and food can be connected, perceived and experienced. The topics that I have covered offer a small insight into the world of water and food in Africa. The resonating outcome of each blog post for me, is the recognition that each individual, community, region and country have different innovative methods for securing water and food security and I have thoroughly enjoyed researching each one of them. I could not research every aspect, and beyond this blog I look to develop a further understanding by expanding my knowledge wider than East Africa, and into larger-scale initiatives such as virtual water and integrated water resource management.
P.S. Thank you for joining me on this insightful journey, I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have.
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