Water Scarcity, Socio-Ecological Dynamics, and Adaptive Responses in the Jordan Valley: An Integrated SES–WEFE Qualitative Analysis

The Jordan Valley, a critical agro-ecosystem in Jordan, faces escalating challenges from chronic water scarcity compounded by environmental and socio-economic pressures, necessitating a systems perspective to understand cross-sector interactions beyond isolated sectoral issues. This study interprets socio-ecological interactions influencing sustainability outcomes in the region and identifies key feedback loops and adaptive responses under water scarcity through an integrated Socio-Ecological Systems (SES) and Water–Energy–Food–Ecosystems (WEFE) framework. Employing a qualitative document analysis (QDA) design, a purposive collection of peer-reviewed studies and institutional publications (n = 50) published between 2002 and 2025 was assembled and systematically coded using a structured deductive–inductive strategy grounded in SES components and WEFE domain interactions. Results reveal seven interconnected themes: water scarcity as a structural constraint, agricultural intensification and resource pressures, climate change as a stress multiplier, ecosystem degradation and service loss, pollution and environmental quality challenges, socio-economic vulnerability and livelihood constraints, and fragmented governance with coordination gaps. These themes highlight reinforcing loops where scarcity promotes groundwater reliance and non-conventional water use, intensification heightens salinity and contamination risks, climate variability escalates irrigation demands, and ecological degradation diminishes buffering capacity, while socio-economic limitations hinder adaptation and governance fragmentation impairs integrated planning and enforcement. While prior studies have examined water scarcity, agricultural intensification, or climate impacts in isolation, this study advances the literature by synthesizing these dynamics through an integrated SES–WEFE analytical lens, revealing reinforcing system feedbacks and governance constraints that are not visible within single-sector or descriptive syntheses.