Water security and livelihoods in the arid zones of South Africa: a human geography approach to rural education and curriculum development
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 secu...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Education |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2025.1621476/full |
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| author | Tolulope Ayodeji Olatoye Raymond Nkwenti Fru |
| author_facet | Tolulope Ayodeji Olatoye Raymond Nkwenti Fru |
| author_sort | Tolulope Ayodeji Olatoye |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e8cc1fcf55ba485394ca3b896c4834a0 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2504-284X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Education |
| spelling | doaj-art-e8cc1fcf55ba485394ca3b896c4834a02025-08-20T03:06:57ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Education2504-284X2025-08-011010.3389/feduc.2025.16214761621476Water security and livelihoods in the arid zones of South Africa: a human geography approach to rural education and curriculum developmentTolulope Ayodeji OlatoyeRaymond Nkwenti FruWater 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.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2025.1621476/fullarid regionswater securitysustainable livelihoodsrural educationhuman geography |
| spellingShingle | Tolulope Ayodeji Olatoye Raymond Nkwenti Fru Water security and livelihoods in the arid zones of South Africa: a human geography approach to rural education and curriculum development Frontiers in Education arid regions water security sustainable livelihoods rural education human geography |
| title | Water security and livelihoods in the arid zones of South Africa: a human geography approach to rural education and curriculum development |
| title_full | Water security and livelihoods in the arid zones of South Africa: a human geography approach to rural education and curriculum development |
| title_fullStr | Water security and livelihoods in the arid zones of South Africa: a human geography approach to rural education and curriculum development |
| title_full_unstemmed | Water security and livelihoods in the arid zones of South Africa: a human geography approach to rural education and curriculum development |
| title_short | Water security and livelihoods in the arid zones of South Africa: a human geography approach to rural education and curriculum development |
| title_sort | water security and livelihoods in the arid zones of south africa a human geography approach to rural education and curriculum development |
| topic | arid regions water security sustainable livelihoods rural education human geography |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2025.1621476/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT tolulopeayodejiolatoye watersecurityandlivelihoodsinthearidzonesofsouthafricaahumangeographyapproachtoruraleducationandcurriculumdevelopment AT raymondnkwentifru watersecurityandlivelihoodsinthearidzonesofsouthafricaahumangeographyapproachtoruraleducationandcurriculumdevelopment |