Aporte de las políticas públicas con enfoque Nexo Agua-Energía- Alimentos en la consecución de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS).

Abstract

The water-energy-food nexus is currently perceived as an approach capable of proposing solutions to improve the integrated governance of these critical resources and coherently implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To determine this potential, it is necessary to approximate the contributions of public policies or initiatives with a link in the achievement of the SDGs. This non-experimental, descriptive-correlational research uses mixed methods to: 1) carry out a critical conceptual understanding of the nexus and characterize Ecuadorian public policy by describing its social metabolism and identifying correspondences with the main nexus interrelationships recognized in the Andean Region. 2) Address an analysis of public policy under the framework of promoting coalitions and; 3) Assess whether initiatives with related features are associated with the dimensions of the SDGs; through a case study (Agrarian Policy- PIDAASSE project), relationships between nexus variables and ODS are established. Applying the chi 2 statistical test, it is concluded that there is a relationship between access to water and the three dimensions that the SDGs require attention: social (diseases -ODS3-, vulnerability due to infrastructure -ODS9-), economic (lack of money -ODS 8, 10-), environmental (pests -ODS13, 15-). Relations between the availability of energy -ODS7- and the economic dimension (lack of money -ODS 8, 10-); as well as between food -ODS2- and the social dimension (level of education -ODS4-), are also present. In addition, the Nexus variables are compared with the same statistical test. The study allowed us to understand the Nexus in a specific context and its potential to be inserted in the public policy agenda.