Water security and livelihoods in the arid zones of South Africa: a human geography approach to rural education and curriculum development
Résumé
Water insecurity poses a critical threat to livelihoods in South Africa’s arid zones, where rural communities are increasingly vulnerable to hydrological stress, ecological degradation, and socio-economic marginalization. Despite the urgency of the issue, scholarly engagement that bridges water security with rural development education through a human geography perspective remains underexplored. Also, inadequate integration of local ecological knowledge and community-driven water management strategies into formal education systems undermines both resilience and innovation in rural development initiatives. This study conducts a systematic literature review of policy papers and peer-reviewed articles drawn from Scopus and Web of Science databases to investigate the nexus between water security and livelihoods in South Africa’s arid regions, with a focus on its pedagogical relevance to rural education development. Guided by the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF), the findings reveal that water scarcity is a deeply social and spatial condition shaped by historical land dispossession, poor infrastructure, climate variability, and fragmented governance, hence, the urgent need to recalibrate rural education curricula to incorporate interdisciplinary, context-specific knowledge on water governance, environmental justice, and sustainable livelihoods. This study recommends a transformative educational model that embeds water security into human geography, environmental science, and rural development programs, which prioritizes experiential learning, participatory research, and transdisciplinary partnerships to foster water-literate graduates and empowered rural citizens. Hence, this study reimagines education as a tool for adaptation, equity, and charts a new course for integrating water justice into the heart of rural transformation in South Africa’s arid landscapes.
Citer ce document
Accès au document
Texte intégral en lecture en ligne, réservé aux abonnés SPHAERO et aux membres de l'institution. Se connecter
Voir l'article sur le site de la revueAuteur(s)
Statistiques
Consultations : 1
Téléchargements : 0