Increasing the Resilience of Colombia’s Indigenous Wayuu Communities Through Renewable Energy Technologies

Sammanfattning: Small scale renewable energy systems (SSRES) serve as a potential solution to decrease energy poverty, increase water and food security, and a potential climate change adaptation (CCA) strategy. This thesis investigates the diffusion of such systems amongst indigenous Wayuu communities in La Guajira, Colombia, through Roger's Diffusion Theory. Subsequently, a Water-Energy-Food Security Nexus analysis analyse the local impacts of SSRES diffusion and underpins an examination of its suitability as a CCA strategy. To grasp the knowledge of La Guajira's indigenous peoples, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and field observation serves as the primary research methodology for this thesis. The data shows that numerous enablers of SSRES diffusion exist. However, the lack of financial capital is the greatest barrier limiting widespread diffusion. The systems in place increase water and food security amongst users, showcasing strong synergies within the WEF Nexus. Still, with the increasing depletion of aquifers, exacerbating groundwater depletion is a significant long-term trade-off. This leads to whether SSRES is suitable for CCA. In the short term, SSRES serves as an efficient CCA strategy by increasing water and subsequent food security. However, decreasing groundwater levels compromise the CCA potential of SSRES in the long term.