Water statistics and poverty statistics in Africa: do they correlate at national scales?

Abstract

There is a general consensus that agricultural water scarcity contributes to the severe levels of poverty observed in Africa. However, the results of analyses to determine whether a lack of water is either actively contributing to the poverty observed, or when it is incidental, have been inconsistent. This paper examines the extent to which country-level water statistics and poverty/development statistics align. The authors find limited correlation, suggesting either that the water–poverty relationship is relatively inconsequential, or more likely, that the aggregated nature of these statistics obscures the actual relationship. The authors suggest that variables that better capture spatial heterogeneity may help rectify this.

Keywords:

• water scarcity
• water poverty
• indicators
• spatial scale
• Africa

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Challenge Programme on Water and Food (Niger Basin Focal Project), and CSIRO Water for a Healthy Country Flagship. Helpful comments were provided by Sandeep Mohapatra and four anonymous reviewers. All errors and omissions are the responsibility of the authors only.