Document Type : ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Author
Department of Public Management and Economics, Durban University of Technology, Durban 4001, South Africa
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Food security, water governance, and sustainable urban development are interdependent challenges across BRICS countries. Rapid urbanisation, climate volatility, and socioeconomic inequality place simultaneous pressure on food systems, water resources, and urban infrastructure. However, existing research examines these domains separately, leaving their contribution to climate resilience insufficiently understood. This review analyses how Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa integrate food security and water governance within sustainable urban-development strategies. It develops a comparative framework connecting the three pillars and proposes a transferable governance model for advancing climate-resilient, inclusive, and just urban futures in BRICS and other emerging economies.
METHODS: An integrative review methodology, operationalised through a PRISMA-aligned four-stage screening protocol followed by methodological quality appraisal, identified 90 eligible sources comprising 55 peer-reviewed academic studies and 35 policy and institutional documents. After excluding 12 low-quality sources—eight academic studies and four policy documents—78 sources, comprising 47 academic studies and 31 policy and institutional documents, were included in the qualitative synthesis. Academic literature was retrieved through Boolean searches of Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar from January 2010 to June 2026, supplemented by policy documents from FAO, UNEP, IPCC, UN-Habitat, and the World Bank. The review examined policy approaches, sustainability innovations, governance structures, and climate-adaptation strategies across Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Methodological quality was assessed using modified JBI and AGREE II frameworks to ensure transparent evidence synthesis.
FINDINGS: BRICS countries have adopted distinct yet convergent approaches to climate resilience, including climate-smart agriculture, integrated water resource management, circular water economies, green infrastructure, and sustainable urban planning. China’s Sponge Cities, India’s Smart Cities Mission and Jal Jeevan Mission, and Brazil’s participatory urban food-security initiatives demonstrate significant progress. However, governance fragmentation, institutional weaknesses, social inequality, and limited intergovernmental coordination continue to constrain integration. Because reported outcomes are inconsistent across countries, this review presents qualitative outcome ranges anchored to specific programmes. South Africa shows strong institutional integration, China scalable infrastructure-led approaches, and Brazil equity-focused statutory models with context-specific lessons.
CONCLUSION: Climate-resilient urban futures within BRICS nations require integrated governance frameworks that simultaneously address food security, water sustainability, and urban development, supported by climate finance, digital innovation, nature-based solutions, South-South cooperation, and explicit attention to equity. The proposed Integrated BRICS Climate-Resilience Governance Framework combines policy integration, institutional coordination, climate finance, digital technology, nature-based solutions, and equity-centred just-transition principles, offering a transferable operational roadmap for BRICS and comparable emerging economies.
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