Federico Alberto Sanchez Santillano’s research while affiliated with University of the Nations and other places

Improving access to and use of renewable energy (SDG 7), increasing reliable water supply (SDG 6), enabling irrigation and digital technologies in agriculture, and operations for food preservation (SDG 2) are activities focused on the three Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), pillars of this chapter. There is a great potential to expand these SDG ranges through planning and local involvement to contribute positively to as many SDGs as possible through the specific implementation of these activities. Focusing in the Sahel region, where the livelihood of 2 out of 3 people is based on subsistence farming, development of agricultural techniques slowly evolves, and at the same time largely depending on traditional techniques such as rain-fed agriculture. Climate change has invoked unprecedented and extreme events that make it challenging for communities to adapt. This chapter is embedded in the context of water-energy-food nexus technologies, contributing to address multiple sustainable development goals with their interconnected synergies and trade-offs with the potential to also restore degraded landscapes and transform millions of lives in the Sahel region. In addition, the chapter goes beyond exposing the water-energy-food challenges in this region, highlighting the experience in implementing agrivoltaics (AV) to respond to water, energy, and food challenges in the Sahel. The research puts forward that while initiatives such as tree planting offer long-term benefits, this needs to be coupled with immediate technical and economic responses in agrivoltaic concepts to benefit from a triple land use that also responds to water-energy-food needs and at the same time contributing to sustainable livelihoods and environment protection.

Small-scale, rain-fed subsistence agriculture and pastoralism represent the major activity for Africa. For Mali, this represents about 80% of the population employed by the agricultural sector and contributes to about 42% of the Gross domestic product (GDP). The overreliance on rainfall, competing for the most valuable lands, the increasing scarcity of water, the lack of innovative technologies and infrastructure has made the agriculture sector vulnerable to climatic and non-climatic risks including an increase in the number of land conflicts. In addition, inadequate access to affordable energy has also limited social opportunities for the poor communities, especially in rural areas of Mali. Water Energy and Food (WEF) Nexus solutions such as agrivoltaics are increasingly being deployed to improve access to water for agricultural uses, improve yields and incomes, reduce drudgery especially for women, enhancing resilience and microclimate, improve land use efficiency and food security. This innovative approach has opened new prospects to improve the quality of life for people as well as their environment as a whole. Agrivoltaics is rapidly gaining popularity in many countries but not yet in African countries. This paper presents a feasibility analysis, recommendations and future directions of agrivoltaics in Mali and in Africa as a whole. Furthermore, applications of agrivoltaic systems are discussed in terms of their socioeconomic and environmental effects, emphasizing also the necessity of integrative thinking in the process of strategic planning for achieving security in water, energy and food.

Small-scale, rain-fed subsistence agriculture and pastoralism represent the major activity for Africa. For Mali, this represents about 80% of the population employed by the agricultural sector and contributes to about 42% of the Gross domestic product (GDP). The overreliance on rainfall, competing for the most valuable lands, the increasing scarcity of water, the lack of innovative technologies and infrastructure has made the agriculture sector vulnerable to climatic and non-climatic risks including an increase in the number of land conflicts. In addition, inadequate access to affordable energy has also limited social opportunities for the poor communities, especially in rural areas of Mali. Water Energy and Food (WEF) Nexus solutions such as agrivoltaics are increasingly being deployed to improve access to water for agricultural uses, improve yields and incomes, reduce drudgery especially for women, enhancing resilience and microclimate, improve land use efficiency and food security. This innovative approach has opened new prospects to improve the quality of life for people as well as their environment as a whole. Agrivoltaics is rapidly gaining popularity in many countries but not yet in African countries. This paper presents a feasibility analysis, recommendations and future directions of agrivoltaics in Mali and in Africa as a whole. Furthermore, applications of agrivoltaic systems are discussed in terms of their socioeconomic and environmental effects, emphasizing also the necessity of integrative thinking in the process of strategic planning for achieving security in water, energy and food.