Abstract
This chapter examined the link between ecological governance and water conservation as sustainable pathways for enhancing rural livelihoods in the Savannah Region. Designs adopted were post-positivist and cross-sectional. Probability sampling techniques were used to sample 450 household and official respondents. Questionnaires were administered, while descriptive statistics and chi-square test were utilised to analyse the data. Findings showed significant relationship between conservation initiatives, finance, rehabilitation/maintenance, and gender inclusion and domestic water conservation. Therefore, with commitment to maintenance, funding, and gender inclusion in water decisions, there is the likely for water to be locally sustainable in rural communities of the region. Democratic, decentralised, and participatory approaches to ecological governance and empowerment of the local communities are recommended as essential preconditions for achieving ecologically self-governing communities and sustaining domestic water systems in the rural areas of the region.
TopIntroduction
The governance and conservation of water resources is considered essential for effective water delivery and enhancement of rural livelihoods (Grimm, Grove, Pickett & Redman, 2000; Grimm & Redman, 2004). Hence, sustaining local development can be achieved by ensuring that water utilisation is linked with ecological, human and social systems (Alberti et al., 2003). This is considered essential for planning, sustainable use, control over and protection of water resources (Grimm & Redman, 2004). Similarly, for Nelson and Shilling (2019), supplementing scientific data with local and traditional knowledge is imperative for broadening the information base needed for better governance and local decision making regarding the ecological management and sustainable use of water resources. The participation of rural dwellers in water decisions, access to potable water and utilisation is perceived to be a minority privilege (Jiménez et al., 2019). Water conservation is an ecological imperative in the face of rural water scarcity (Pickett, Cadenasso & Grove, 2004). The sustainability of water is perceived as the efficient utilisation of water, reduction in unnecessary water usage, losses and wastage of potable household water (Manu, 2015).
The governance of water and ecological resources relates to the understanding of “the complex relations between nature and society through a careful analysis of what one might call the forms of access and control over resources and their implications for environmental health and sustainable livelihoods” (Watts, 2000: 257). In line with this assertion, ecological governance embraces all the policies, strategies and activities to sustainably manage the natural resource of fresh water, to protect the environment, and to meet the current and future human demands of water (Goldratt & Cox, 2016). Yanmaz (2013) and Pennington (2008) perceives ecological governance as embracing the policies, legislations, capacities and skills required for the efficient planning and management of water resources available for consumption by human population. These water resources are composed of piped water, dug-out wells, surface water and underground water that can be treated/filtered for human use (Neil, 2018).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Urgency: Is considered by this study as the degree to which stakeholder claims call for immediate attention by authorities and decision-making structures ( Mitchell et al., 1997 , p. 867).
Power: Power is defined by this study as the extent to which a party has or can gain access to coercive (physical means), utilitarian (material means) or normative (prestige, esteem and social) means to impose their will (Mitchel et al., 1997 AU185: The in-text citation "Mitchel et al., 1997" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. , p. 864).
Rural Community and Households: Rural community refers to settlements with populations less than 5000, whereas a household is a group of people who live together and share the same or common housekeeping arrangements ( GSS, 2018 ).
Legitimacy: The legitimacy of the stakeholders is generally the perception or assumption that the actions of an entity are desirable, proper, or appropriate within some socially constructed system of norms, values, beliefs, and definitions ( Suchman, 1995 , p. 574).
Stakeholder: Stakeholder is used with reference to state and non-state actors. In this study, stakeholder classification, power dynamics and ecological governance participatory experiences are based on Mitchell et al. (1997) stakeholder theory and salience model.
Ecological Governance: It embraces all the policies, strategies, and activities to sustainably manage the natural resource of fresh water, to protect the environment, and to meet the current and future human demands of water ( Goldratt & Cox, 2016 ).
Water Conservation: Encompasses the engagement and policy participatory processes, strategies and activities developed to manage potable water and sustainable exploitation of human ecological systems ( Wanjiru, 2014 ).