Water security in Egypt: potential for and constraints on virtual-water decoupling in achieving food-water security
File(s)
Author(s)
Mohamed Abdelhamid Tayia, Ahmed
Type
Thesis
Abstract
Water security has generated much research and policy-making concern over recent decades. Food production has always been the major water user, but food-water security has rarely been foregrounded in public policy or as a research priority. This research addresses food-water security policy insofar it can be a means of achieving national water security. The research examines the policy instruments deployed to achieve food-water security. More specifically, it analyses the potential for, and the constraints on, virtual-water decoupling in achieving food-water security. Virtual-water decoupling is the policy instrument that reduces the pressure on domestic water consumption for food production by importing water embedded in food imports. This study has developed a novel multi-layered framework based on New Institutional Economics to assess the socio-economic impacts on virtual water decoupling role in achieving food-water security. The framework was then used to provide an in-depth analysis of virtual-water decoupling role in achieving a version of food-water security in Egypt during the period 1962-2013. Egypt was chosen as a case study as it provides a rich example of a country that has maintained a version of water and food-water security, despite being challenged by a limited freshwater supply and a rapidly growing population. It is shown that Egypt has experienced episodes of growth and retreat of virtual-water decoupling until it adopted a stable virtual-water decoupling policy. This stable policy has provided it with more than one-third of its annual food-water consumption, namely water embedded in the food consumed, since 2004. It is also revealed that the Egyptian socio-economic context has been a major determinant of the virtual-water decoupling - sometimes constraining and reinforcing it on others. It is concluded that the potential for virtual-water decoupling depends not only on the effectiveness of its implementation but also on adaptation to socio-economic constraints.
Version
Open Access
Date Issued
2019-02
Date Awarded
2019-06
Copyright Statement
Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial Licence
License URL
Advisor
Collins, Alexandra
Publisher Department
Centre for Environmental Policy
Publisher Institution
Imperial College London
Qualification Level
Doctoral
Qualification Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)