WEFE nexus management plan for sustainable development and Gender equity in the Matmata region, SE Tunisia

Houda Besser^1*Afef Mahjoubi¹Xenia Theodotou Schneider²Fethi Abdelli¹Enrica Caporali³Bianca Maria Rizzo³Fernando Nardi^4,5,6Mohamed Ouessar¹

• ¹Institut des Régions Arides, Medenine, Tunisia
• ²XPRO Consulting Limited, Cyprus, Cyprus
• ³University of Florence, Florence, Tuscany, Italy
• ⁴WARREDOC Università per Stranieri di Perugia (UNISTRAPG), Perugia, Italy
• ⁵University of Rome Tor Vergata, Department of Civil Engineering and Computer Science, Italy, Roma, Italy
• ⁶Florida International University, Institute of Environment, USA, Florida, United States

Climate variability and socio-environmental challenges are often assessed separately , overlooking their interdependencies. This siloed management approach may mitigate one issue while inadvertently exacerbating others. The Water, Energy, Food, and Ecosystem (WEFE) nexus approach provides, however, a holistic framework for assessing these complex interconnections promoting sustainable resource management processes via addressing gender mainstreaming and social inequality. This paper presents, consequently, a baseline study for the application of the WEFE nexus management transition scheme on the Matmata region characterized by important rural exodus, limited water resources, and monoculture development. The community-driven approach relies on the gathered data during field surveys, face-to-face meetings, multistakeholder dialogue, the Delphi method, focus group discussions, and the nominal group technique. These methods ensure effective community participation, complemented by statistical treatment and inter-rater coding for qualitative data.Findings indicate that socio-cultural barriers are the key factors limiting the effective social inclusion of women in the Nexus Ecosystem Laboratory (NEL) of Matmata. This economic dependency is related mainly to family agricultural unpaid work. Their awareness about the nature-based solutions and motivation to develop micro-projects that valorize local natural and cultural heritage aligning with the nexus transition schemes. Promoting institutional arrangements and enhancing gender inclusion are pivotal for transforming the current scenario.The research underscores that strengthening gender equity is crucial to economic sustainability. The successful transition towards the WEFE nexus management approach should incorporate overlooked social drivers in diversifying nexus toolkits. Social investment strategies are crucial for achieving a community-based transition scheme.