Editor’s choice
In developing countries, where economic expansion depends on extractive activities such as agriculture and mining, water quantity and quality considerations need to be examined in tandem with GDP growth and poverty reduction efforts. This study analyses water access and poverty linkages in Bolivia’s Tupiza River Basin using the Multidimensional Poverty Analysis (MDPA) framework and assesses how watershed policy can work to reduce poverty and inequality.
Multidimensional poverty estimates show that 1.3 billion people in the world are multidimensionally poor, with 84.2 percent of them living in rural areas. Sustaining people’s livelihood in rural areas depends on water, an essential resource for sustainable development. Agricultural water access and its management are connected with poverty reduction, especially in developing countries. However, equity considerations must be included to ensure water security can benefit the poorest and enhance economic growth.
This study focuses on understanding the links between water access and poverty in the Tupiza river basin, located southeast of the Department of Potosí, in Bolivia, which is considered one of the 25 strategic basins in the country due to its socio-economic relevance and environmental vulnerability.
The poverty dimensions considered in this study are based on the MDPA framework proposed by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). This framework guided a survey design and further development of multidimensional poverty indicators. Researchers performed spatial analysis to identify communities with concentrations of the poorest households. Establishing the relationship between water access and the multidimensional poverty of households can support policy-making efforts and water planning and take the landscape of inequality in the Tupiza watershed into consideration.
The the analysis of the relationship between water access and multidimensional poverty showed that, both in the urban area (city of Tupiza) and in the rural and peri-urban communities of the basin, water access for domestic use affects the poverty levels of the households. In the rural and peri-urban areas, water access for agricultural and livestock breeding activities also affects the extent of multidimensional poverty of households.
Project / SEI researchers are working on a new framework to ensure water models provide decision-makers with the tools to address poverty and inequality.
Initiative / The Gender Equality, Social Equity and Poverty Initiative explores the links between gender, social equity and justice, power and sustainability.
Project / SEI research team will synthesize the existing evidence about gender and social equality (GSE) outcomes of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions.
Feature / Rural communities in Colombia's Campoalegre watershed struggle to meet basic needs. SEI researchers aim to connect them to policymakers to improve their lives.
Journal article / This study demonstrates how incorporating social factors into water modelling can lead to a more equitable water supply.
SEI working paper / This paper describes the development of poverty-related indicators in SEI's Water Evaluation And Planning (WEAP) tool.
Design and development by Soapbox.
