The water food energy nexus is central to sustainable development. Improved water, energy, and food security on a global level can be achieved through a nexus approachan approach that integrates management and governance across sectors and scales. The food energy water nexus few nexus has emerged as a new way of understanding the interdependencies among food, energy and water systems, and as a new approach to integrating management and governance across sectors biggs et al. Innovations at the nexus of food, energy, and water systems fy16. The waterenergyfood wef nexus approach is an expression of tradeoffs, 1 synergies and resource optimization potential that is a function of the relationship between environmental resources, public service delivery and institutional and environmental risks kurian and ardakanian, 2015. The waterenergyfood wef nexus builds on the close linkages between these. Debates about the foodenergywater nexus need to recognises that global priorities may not reflect local concerns, and resource allocations are always political. The waterenergyfood wef nexus is rapidly expanding in. Introduction to the waterenergy food wef security nexus 2. One phd student will focus on the water energy nexus.
Economic forum focused on the waterenergyfood wef nexus. The waterenergyfood nexus food and agriculture organization. Water, food and energy nexus challenges 5 impact on water by 2050, irrigated agriculture on 16% of the total cultivated area is expected to be responsible for 44% of total crop production. Unless all three elements of the system are in balance, communities cannot flourish. The water and food strands of the nexus are inherently linked and have a longstanding record of codependency, resulting in cooperation but it is in the energy strand where the challenges for the uk and the balance for the nexus are going to be under most scrutiny. Water, energy, food nexus thinking explained youtube.
Position paper on water, energy, food and ecosystems wefe nexus and sustainable development goals sdgs 12 2. But while some private enterprises in the agrifood sector understand the significance of the nexus and some have already seen competitive advantages in nexusdriven solutions for sustainable crop management, processing, distribution and retailing most do not. Wef nexus case studies from europe and germany the workshop participants learn about different perspectives, needs, priorities and values of other sectors and their interconnections in an interactive and participatory way. A new approach in support of food security and sustainable agriculture. Innovations at the nexus of food, energy, and water systems. This report examines the current state of knowledge about the ewf nexus. Food and agriculture organization fao approach to the waterenergyfood nexus 1. The water energy food nexus has been promoted by a number of prominent and influential global policy actors over the last couple of years. The water, energy and food security nexus approach, as advanced by the bonn2011 conference 2012a, b. Pdf the water food energy nexus download ebook for free. Understanding and managing the complex interactions between water, energy and food water, energy and food are essential for human wellbeing, poverty reduction and sustainable development. Through a comprehensive search of the literature vetted by industry, government, the energy water food nexus.
Water, energy and food pillars of global security, prosperity and equity perspectives water perspective food and energy systems are users of resources food perspective water and energy are inputs energy perspective water is the input and food is the output vast individual areas. This infographic presents typical values of water and energy consumed in the production of selected food items. One example is the use of water to irrigate crops which might promote food production but it can also reduce river flow and hydropower potential. Demand for all three is increasing, driven by a rising global population, rapid urbanization, changing diets and economic growth. The waterenergyfood nexus is about understanding and managing these oftencompeting interests while also ensuring the integrity of ecosystems. Agrivoltaics provide mutual benefits across the foodenergywater nexus in drylands article pdf available september 2019 with 1,666 reads how we measure reads. The power of food, water and energy nexus thinking forbes. The food energy water nexus understanding south africas.
Interdependencies between food, energy and water systems figure 5. Discussion on the water, energy and food security nexus, the challenges of meeting future demands and maintaining the services provided by the environment was central to the recent bonn2011. Of all natural resources, energy, water and food are most needed to sustain. The waterfoodenergy nexus has emerged as one of the most important management challenges facing the sustainability agenda. The world economic forum wef in switzerland this year highlighted the need to shift current silo thinking about food, water or energy individually to a nexus approach which takes into. The approach to the energy, water, and food efw nexus normally depends on the perspective of the policymaker. Resources managment human and environmental change, resource scarcity, and global risk population growth is a major external stress on three primary resources. Nsf opportunities for support of research bruce hamilton nsf engineering directorate, and. The waterenergyfood wef nexus builds on the close linkages.
An interdisciplinary research effort on foodenergywater systems, including safety and security of these systems, presents a unique opportunity for nsf to work, within both a national and an international. If it is a water perspective, then food and energy systems are users of the resource see hellegers, et al. From silos to nexus water security, energy security, and food security are intimately linked. Innovations at the nexus of food, energy, and water. The food energy water nexus in south africa youtube. Water, food and energy nexus in asia and the pacific. However, information about the waterenergy nexus is often fragmented, weak and incomplete, difficult to compare, and filled with jargon.
World economic forum 2011, the bonn 2011 nexus conference, the sixth world water forum, and world water week 2012, have urged an integrated approach to food, water, and. The forgotten piece of the water, food, energy nexus. Trends in the development of waterenergyfood nexus methods. Waterenergyfood nexus sustainable development the united. Analysis the waterfoodenergy nexus is the first step to assess the decision maker in developing and evaluating national strategies that take into account the nexus. Water is required to meet the demands of our growing population, to maintain and improve environmental health, and to support the production of food. The water food energy nexus has emerged as one of the most important management challenges facing the sustainability agenda. A system dynamics approach to integrated water and energy resources management. Water is expressed in litres, nutritional energy is expressed in calories, and energy is expressed as the number of hours a 20watt bulb can run on an equal amount of energy. The q nexus model is a practical and mathematicallybased quantitative wef nexus assessment framework that serves as platform to quantify, planning, simulate and optimize water, energy and food as. Understanding waterenergyfood interlinkages and managing them holistically is critical to sustainability in the sector. The availability of fresh water is a major driver in food production. Feb 20, 20 nexus thinking is a new way of thinking that recognises the crucial interdependence of water, energy and food a relationship that forms the core of the environment nexus project.
New perspectives on the water energy food nexus forum background note water, food and energy security are crucial for sustainable longterm economic growth and human wellbeing and there are strong linkages between all three. The past few years have seen increasing awareness of energy water food nexus challenges, as marked by the growth in publications shown in figure 6. Activities in one sector may influence or even constrain economic growth in the others. Apr 01, 2014 the food, energy water nexus is central to the sustainability of south africas future. The water food energy nexus is emerging as a critical issue in asia and the pacific. The nexus between food and water is made even more complex by the globalization of agriculture and rapid growth in food trade, which results in a massive virtual transfer of water among regions and plays an important role in the food and water security of some regions. The water, energy and foodsecurity nexus approach, as advanced by the bonn2011 conference 2012a, b. The nexus of food, energy and water already more than one billion people lack access to clean drinking water, sufficient food and electricity, and the global population is growing by some 80 million people every year. The fao approach to the water energy food nexus source. The waterfoodenergy nexus is emerging as a critical issue in asia and the pacific. New perspectives on the waterenergyfood nexus forum background note water, food and energy security are crucial for sustainable longterm economic growth and human wellbeing and there are strong linkages between all three. The aim of the game is thus to provide an opportunity for practicing how different water management policies can lead to sustainable development of society in harmony with nature. The main objective of the current research is providing a method for the decision makers to analysis the waterfoodenergy nexus of the crop production system at the national level and carrying out a quantitative. Human development within the limits of the planet many studies have emphasised that to attain a more sustainable development path there must be a.
A complete list of opportunities for future work on nanotechnology are found in appendix a. Considering the energy, water, and food security nexus. Waterenergy linkages water and energy are interdependent as they are major consumers of one another. Inaccuracies in media reports are common because of gaps in understanding of the dynamics of the interaction between water and energy.
A comprehensive analysis of water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in energy production will be made, considering the water and carbon footprints of different forms of fuels and electricity and of energy transformation and storage. Global projections indicate that demand for freshwater, energy and food will increase significantly over. Water, food and energy are all basic resources underpinning development, not just in terms of poverty alleviation but also more sustained economic growth and social development. Water is the nexus between food, energy, and people. Pdf water food and energy sustainability nexus researchgate. Food and agriculture organization of the united nations.
This helps to identify common objectives and entry points for. This waterfoodenergy nexus looks at the debate on resource scarcity, with new. The qnexus model is a practical and mathematicallybased quantitative wef nexus assessment framework that serves as platform to quantify, planning, simulate and optimize water, energy and food as. The potential of nanotechnology to improve sustainability at the. Present and future of the waterenergyfood nexus and the. A nexus is the place where points intersect, linking many different parts of a system together. This paper shows up the development of a systemdynamics model of the water energy food climate nexus in greece. Nexus thinking is a new way of thinking that recognises the crucial interdependence of water, energy and food a relationship that forms the core of the environment nexus project. Agriculture is the largest consumer of the worlds freshwater resources, and more than onequarter of the energy used globally is expended on food.
The waterenergyfood nexus has been promoted by a number of prominent and influential global policy actors over the last couple of years. The water system is an energy user mainly through electricity consumption for pumping fresh water, drainage and water table management, desalination, water treatment, and water distribution in farms and cities. Feb 12, 2014 the world economic forum wef in switzerland this year highlighted the need to shift current silo thinking about food, water or energy individually to a nexus approach which takes into. It is clear that solutions must be found to assure water security, thereby eliminating the immediate and increasing risk to food security, energy security, and economic growth and stability. A system dynamics approach to integrated water and energy.
Subject pages or overlays are like filtered subject journals helping you discover your community within the wider multidisciplinary peerj venues. Thus food, water, and energy are inextricably linked and must be considered together as a system. Hoff, 2011, attempts for a new perspective on problems of nonsustainable developments that have supposedly put humanity at the brink of extinction. The water, food, energy nexus has prompted sustainability concerns as interactions between these interdependent human needs are degrading natural resources required for a secure future world. Although use of the nexus concept in research has been growing rapidly, little consideration has been afforded to determining how best to implement and assess it in practice endo et al. The food, energy water nexus is central to the sustainability of south africas future.
Water, food and energy are all basic resources underpinning development, not just in terms of poverty alleviation but also. By 2030, the nine billion people living on earth will need 30% more water, 40% more energy and 50% more food to survive. It is clear that solutions must be found to assure water security, thereby eliminating the immediateand increasingrisk to food security, energy security, and economic growth and stability. Enable research that will lead to innovative system and technological solutions to critical foodenergywater problems design decision support tools for cyber, social, andor physical systems develop realtime, cyberenabled interfaces and visualizations that improve understanding of the behavior of foodenergywater systems and increase. The foodenergywater nexus few nexus has emerged as a new way of understanding the interdependencies among food, energy and water systems, and as a new approach to integrating management and governance across sectors biggs et al. Through a comprehensive search of the literature vetted by industry, government, the energywaterfood nexus. This will inform research organizations and future solicitations for research at the food water energy nexus.
The results of these discussions are summarized in this white paper. This waterfoodenergy nexus looks at the debate on resource scarcity, with new scientific findings that suggested humanity has exceeded the planetary boundaries, threatening its own safety. The nexus game gives participants a unique opportunity to get an insight into challenges of water management for energy and food production, at the same time sustaining environmental flows. The model aims to reveal strong resource interlinkages and nexus hotspots by implementation of illustrative chord plots. The fao approach to the waterenergyfood nexus source. Of all natural resources, energy, water and food are most needed to sustain life on earth. Finally, both energy and food production can significantly affect the quality of water bodies. Debates about the food energy water nexus need to recognises that global priorities may not reflect local concerns, and resource allocations are always political. Pdf climate change and social changes such as population growth, globalization, economic growth and urbanization represent a stress on. Belcham a 2015 manual of environmental management oxford. Food energy water nsf innovations at the nexus of food. A nexus approach can support the transition to a green economy, which aims, among other things, at resource use efficiency and greater policy coherence.
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