Tuesday, June 02, 2026

Study: Lack of clean drinking water linked to increased food insecurity

The finding held true across 121 countries including the U.S. and other wealthy countries

University of Southern California

A lack of clean drinking water is associated with lacking food and experiencing food safety threats in 121 countries across the globe — image:
Lack of clean drinking water was linked to increased food insecurity. The finding held true across 121 countries including the U.S. and other wealthy countries
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Credit: USC Schaeffer Institute. Source: World Risk Poll of 121 countries.

LOS ANGELES – June 2, 2026 – A new global study has found that people without access to clean drinking water are significantly more likely to experience food insecurity and food safety threats, underscoring the urgent need for coordinated global action to address these issues together.

The study was published in Nature Food by a team of researchers from the University of Southern California (USC) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) with expertise in water, food, and public policy. They analyzed survey data from the Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll, which included 124,003 respondents from 121 countries across all country-income levels.

The data revealed that, around the world, people who lack clean drinking water also tend to have difficulties with food access and food safety.

“Even if you live in a wealthy country, if you lack access to clean drinking water, you are more likely to lack access to food,” said Wändi Bruine de Bruin, lead author of the study. Bruine de Bruin is Provost Professor of Public Policy, Psychology, and Behavioral Science at the USC Price School of Public Policy, and Director, Behavioral Science and Policy Initiative, at the USC Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy & Government Service.

Coordinated Action Required

Researchers say the results demonstrate why governments, humanitarian organizations, and public health leaders should address water and food insecurity together rather than as separate issues.

"Water insecurity, food insecurity, and food safety are too often siloed as distinct challenges — and mistakenly presumed to be burdens borne only by low- and middle-income nations,” said Rachael McDonnell, Deputy Director General, International Water Management Institute, and one of the study’s co-authors. “Addressing this interconnected crisis demands that global, national, and local institutions transcend the structural and political barriers that have long fragmented coordinated action across the water-food nexus.”

The researchers suggest several reasons why people who lack clean drinking water also experience problems with accessing safe and sufficient food:

Problems with water and food might be caused by environmental factors, such as poor infrastructure, climate change, poverty, homelessness, and war;
Without clean drinking water, it is difficult to prepare food safely, if at all; and
Spending more money and time on getting food means spending less money and time on getting clean water.

Proposed Solutions

The study calls for expanded investments in clean water infrastructure, sanitation systems, and community-based public health programs, particularly in vulnerable and underserved regions. Researchers also encouraged policymakers to strengthen collaboration across water, food and other sectors to better address overlapping challenges.

Public health experts warn that climate change, population growth, and increasing pressure on water resources could intensify these risks in the coming decades. Drought, extreme weather, and declining freshwater supplies may make both water insecurity and food insecurity more common, particularly in low-resource communities.

The findings add to a growing body of evidence showing that access to clean drinking water is fundamental not only for health and sanitation but for nutrition, food safety, and economic stability.

Researchers hope the study will encourage policymakers and international organizations to prioritize comprehensive strategies that protect both water and food systems.

“Access to clean drinking water is a basic human necessity,” the study concluded. “Ensuring safe water access is critical to improving food security, reducing health risks, and supporting healthier communities worldwide.”

The other researchers were:

Joshua Inwald, Dornsife College Department of Psychology at the University of Southern California;
Sera Young, Center for Water, Northwestern University; Professor, Department of Anthropology and Program in Global Health Studies, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences; Co-Director, Center for Water; and Morton O. Schapiro Faculty Fellow, Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University
Kayla de la Haye, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles.

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Journal

Nature Food

DOI

10.1038/s43016-026-01363-8

Method of Research

Survey

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

A lack of clean drinking water is associated with lacking food and experiencing food safety threats in 121 countries across the globe

Article Publication Date

1-Jun-2026

COI Statement

We acknowledge funding from the Lloyd’s Register Foundation as part of the World Risk Poll into Action funding call (grant no. TWRP\100007; principal investigator: W.B.d.B.), the National Science Foundation (2125616; principal investigator: K.d.l.H.), as well as the Leverhulme Trust Foundation, the Reckitt Global Hygiene Institute and the Innovative Methods and Metrics for Agriculture and Nutrition Action (IMMANA) program, which is led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, in partnership with Tufts University and the University of Sheffield, and which is co-funded with UK International Development from the UK government and by the Gates Foundation (INV-002962/OPP1211308; principal investigator: S.L.Y.). The World Risk Poll was launched by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, in collaboration with Gallup. The funders had no role in our conceptualization, data analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. We thank C. Monder at the University of Southern California’s Public Exchange for project management.

The African Engineering and Technology Network signs tenth university partner

Pan-African network, led by Carnegie Mellon University Africa, drives digital transformation on the continent through research, education, and entrepreneurship

College of Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University

Carnegie Mellon University Africa announced today that the African Engineering and Technology Network (Afretec) has signed its tenth university partner, Addis Ababa Science and Technology University (AASTU). The network, launched in 2022, provides a vehicle for technology-focused universities in Africa to engage in deep collaboration to drive digital growth, create technology development, build pathways to opportunities for youth, and shape policy change.

Afretec Network members span the entire continent and represent North, South, East, West, and Central Africa. University partners include: Carnegie Mellon University Africa (Rwanda), Agostinho Neto University (Angola), Al Akhawayn University (Morocco), the American University in Cairo (Egypt), Université Cheikh Anta Diop (Senegal), University of Lagos (Nigeria), University of Nairobi (Kenya), University of Rwanda, University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa), and now Addis Ababa Science and Technology University (Ethiopia).

“We are proud to welcome Addis Ababa Science and Technology University as our tenth partner in the Afretec Network,” said Tim Brown, interim director of Carnegie Mellon University Africa. “The network is built on a model of collaboration and strengthened by each and every partner university. Our newest network member will bring perspective from a country known for a fast-growing digital economy and pan-African policy development.”

Afretec is focused on creating long-term sustained change across the continent, building and shaping ecosystems that will usher in economic growth:

Research: Since its founding, Afretec has awarded almost $7.43M in research funding across the continent. With more than 40 research projects in the network’s portfolio, Afretec is raising the profile of African research with findings published in peer-reviewed journals and international conference presentations.
Education: Afretec bridge programs, intended to prepare students for graduate studies, have trained more than 2,000 undergraduate students. Afretec has also trained almost 500 faculty members in topics such as proposal writing, AI in education, and teaching challenges.
Entrepreneurship: Afretec has created a formal and scalable relationship between academia and startups through their TechSkills Marketplace program. The program connects students with startups actively seeking tech talent, allowing them to explore entrepreneurship as a viable career pathway by contributing their skills in a startup environment.

AASTU is a public higher education institution established in 2011 as part of Ethiopia’s strategic vision to advance industrialization, technological innovation, and STEM education. Located in the southeastern Kilinto area of Addis Ababa—recognized as Ethiopia’s flagship industrial and pharmaceutical hub—the university serves as a center of excellence for science, technology, research, and innovation.

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About the African Engineering and Technology Network: The African Engineering and Technology Network (Afretec) is a pan-African collaboration of technology-focused universities working together to drive the digital transformation of Africa. The network is led by Carnegie Mellon University Africa. Learn more by visiting www.afretec.org.

About the College of Engineering and CMU-Africa: The College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University is a top-ranked engineering college that is known for our Advanced Collaboration culture in research and education. The College is well-known for working on problems of both scientific and practical importance. Our “maker” culture is ingrained in all that we do, leading to novel approaches and transformative results. Our acclaimed faculty have a focus on innovation management and engineering to yield transformative results that will drive the intellectual and economic vitality of our community, nation, and world.

Carnegie Mellon University Africa was established in 2011 through a partnership between Carnegie Mellon and the Government of Rwanda. CMU-Africa is the only U.S. research university offering its master’s degrees with a full-time faculty, staff, and operations in Africa. The institution is addressing the critical shortage of high-quality engineering talent required to accelerate the economic transformation of the African continent. For more information on the College of Engineering location in Africa, visit www.africa.engineering.cmu.edu.

Tiny pheromones deciphered

University of Groningen

Illustration of Trichogramma turkestanica and its pheromone structure — image:
This image shows an illustration of the wasp and the molecular structure of its pheromone as deciphered by the researchers.
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Credit: University of Groningen

The Trichogramma turkestanica is one of the smallest insects we know, and it produces only tiny amounts of pheromones to communicate with other members of the species. Because of those minute amounts, it was long thought to be impossible to elucidate exactly what molecules such a pheromone is composed of. But researchers of the University of Groningen, Wageningen University, and the University of Regensburg have nonetheless succeeded in doing just this, thereby showing that it is possible to identify molecules on the basis of just nanograms. The results were published on May 22nd in Scientific Reports.

The Trichogramma turkestanica is a type of parasitoid wasp, only about 0.4 mm long, which lays its eggs in the eggs of moths. Like most insects, the Trichogramma turkestanica produces pheromones to communicate with other members of the species – for instance, to locate one another, and for mating. However, due to its small size, the pheromones are produced in only tiny amounts.

To elucidate the exact composition of such a pheromone, the team proceeded to breed many wasps in the lab, then collected the volatiles, followed by careful separation and analysis. This allowed them to partially resolve the structure of the pheromone.

The next step was to synthesize the putative pheromone, which made it possible to elucidate the structure completely. ‘The synthesis was complex,’ Minnaard explains, ‘and there have been several failed attempts. This is the work of many master students and trainees, and my colleague Dr Teris van Beek made a Herculean effort. In all, the whole project spanned a large number of years and involved many researchers, as is clear from the author list.’

On a side note, Minnaard remarks that these tiny wasps themselves are perfectly able to detect such very small amounts of the pheromone. This is in the order of attograms: a number with fifteen decimals. ‘This is really unprecedented, and it is currently not understood how this is possible.’ And the next step for the researchers is already set out for them: ‘Although the male species uses this pheromone to locate the female, it turned out that it apparently needs yet another compound to initiate mating. So the search has not yet ended.’

This image shows the wasp Trichogramma turkestanica and its tiny size: the inset shows the wasp next to a coin, with a red arrow pointing to the tiny insect.

Credit

University of Groningen