Water, Energy and Food Nexus

District heating networks are commonly addressed in the literature as one of the most effective solutions for decreasing the greenhouse gas emissions from the building sector. These systems require high investments which are returned through the heat sales. Due to the changed climate conditions and building renovation policies, heat demand in the future could decrease, prolonging the investment return period. The main scope of this paper is to assess the feasibility of using the heat demand – outdoor temperature function for heat demand forecast. The district of Alvalade, located in Lisbon (Portugal), was used as a case study. The district is consisted of 665 buildings that vary in both construction period and typology. Three weather scenarios (low, medium, high) and three district renovation scenarios were developed (shallow, intermediate, deep). To estimate the error, obtained heat demand values were compared with results from a dynamic heat demand model, previously developed and validated by the authors. The results showed that when only weather change is considered, the margin of error could be acceptable for some applications (the error in annual demand was lower than 20% for all weather scenarios considered). However, after introducing renovation scenarios, the error value increased up to 59.5% (depending on the weather and renovation scenarios combination considered). The value of slope coefficient increased on average within the range of 3.8% up to 8% per decade, that corresponds to the decrease in the number of heating hours of 22-139h during the heating season (depending on the combination of weather and renovation scenarios considered). On the other hand, function intercept increased for 7.8-12.7% per decade (depending on the coupled scenarios). The values suggested could be used to modify the function parameters for the scenarios considered, and improve the accuracy of heat demand estimations. Abstract This paper firstly reviews the current state of knowledge on sustainable cookery and the environmental impacts of the food consumption phase. It then uses the example of a dish of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding to explore energy use in food production and consumption. Part 1 of this paper conducts a meta-analysis of 33 roast beef and Yorkshire pudding recipes in order to create a representative recipe for analysis. Part 2 of this paper then uses life cycle assessment and energy use data is coupled with the representative recipe of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, to calculate the embodied energy of the meal. Seven interventions are modelled to illustrate how sustainable cookery can play a role as part of a sustainable food system. Interventions show that sustainable cookery has the potential to reduce cookery related energy use by 18%, and integrating sustainable cookery within a sustainable food system has the potential to reduce the total energy use by 55%. Finally, the paper discusses the issue of how the adoption of the sustainable cookery agenda may help or hinder attempts to shift consumers towards sustainable diets.

In what ways will society, technology and climate of the UK WEF nexus change by 2050? What are the implications for nexus-innovations? How do these changes affect the rate, scale and efficacy of innovation deployment? What can we learn about how to accelerate the scaling up of nexus-innovations?

This presentation reports the findings of Stepping Up's investigation of future water-energy-food scenarios.


Speaker: Claire Hoolohan. Date 17.1.19 Event: Stepping Up end of project meeting, Westminster, London

Water, energy, and food are lifelines for modern societies. The continuously rising world population, growing desires for higher living standards, and inextricable links among the three sectors make the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus a vibrant research pursuit. For the integrated delivery of WEF systems, quantifying WEF connections helps understand synergies and trade-offs across the water, energy, and food sectors, and thus is a critical initial step toward integrated WEF nexus modeling and management. However, current WEF interconnection quantifications encounter methodological hurdles. Also, existing calculation results are scattered across a wide collection of studies in multiple disciplines, which increases data collection and interpretation difficulties. To advance robust WEF nexus quantifications and further contribute to integrated WEF systems modeling and management, this study: (i) summarizes the estimate results to date on WEF interconnections; (ii) analyzes methodological and practical challenges associated with WEF interconnection calculations; and (iii) points out opportunities for enabling robust WEF nexus quantifications in the future.

Contribution to the book "Water, food security and human dignity" by Lundqvist, J., Grönwall, J. and Jägerskog, A. (2015). Water, food security and human dignity – a nutrition perspective. Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation, Swedish FAO Committee, Stockholm, Sweden.
Contribution co-authored by Jean-Marc Faures, Lucie Plusckhe, and Olivier Dubois

South Asia is energy-poor, water-stressed, and food-deficient, and
these problems are expected to intensify with high population
growth, rapid economic growth and industrialization, urbanization,
and changing climate. Although the water, energy, and food security
challenges are interconnected, they are dealt with in isolation, which
fails to address the challenge of trade-offs and exacerbates the
problems. The increased resource scarcity underlines the need for
integrated solutions which ensure optimal resource use and maximize
benefits. This article uses a nexus perspective to explore possible
integrated solutions that support multiple uses of water at
different scales and times. The analysis shows that the potential of
water resources is underdeveloped and synergies between water,
energy, and food are not fully harnessed. With proper coordination
and management, water resources can generate multiple benefits for
both upstream and downstream areas, including regional public
goods such as regional connectivity and flood and drought
management.

The goal of this paper is to provide a preliminary analysis of European ecovillages considered as rural grassroots experiments with the sustainable management of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus. The article presents empirical data on the management of basic resources in 60 European ecovillages collected with an online survey in 2020. The results show that a vast majority of ecovillages pursue some self-sufficiency in food, water or energy, and that 50% of them seek some self-sufficiency in all three of these resources. However, ecovillages do not try to be completely self-sufficient but rather aim at achieving feasible levels of self-sufficiency complemented with local and regional cooperation. While the role of ecovillages in driving conventional rural growth is limited, they can help in guiding sustainability transitions by illustrating opportunities and difficulties of reducing resource consumption of settlement units without reducing personal and communal well-being.

The Mekong River is the largest freshwater fishery and the third most bio-diverse river system in the world. Two of 11 planned mainstream hydropower projects, Xayaburi and Don Sahong, are nearly completed and a third project proposal, Pak Beng, has been submitted by the Lao PDR government for consideration. This paper builds on previous studies and examines the tradeoffs (between water use, food security supply and energy production) for the proposed mainstream hydropower projects in the Lower Mekong Basin (LMB). The paper concludes that the forecast loss of capture fisheries, sediment/nutrients and social mitigation costs measured as Net Present Value (NPV at 10% discount rate) are greater than the benefits from electricity generation, improved irrigation and flood control. The paper also forecasts huge negative economic impacts for Cambodia and Vietnam in contrast to previous Mekong River Commission's (MRC) conclusions that all countries will benefit from hydropower development. The paper recommends reassessing the economic impacts of hydropower development using full environmental cost accounting. It also recommends that a new LMB energy strategy be developed taking into account less hydropower income than previously anticipated, updated forecasts for LMB power demand and anticipated technology developments for improved energy efficiency & renewable energy (especially solar which is now competitive with hydropower).

Prinsloo, F.C. and Lombard, A. (2015). The Role of Floating Solar Energy Systems in the Energy-Land Use Nexus: A Case Study on the Potential for South African Wineries. 2nd Annual International Conference of the Journal of Green Economy and Development (JGED), Kloof, South Africa.

The South African Government are working on the introduction of a carbon tax (eco-tax, environmental tax) for implementation by the year 2017. Some of the latest changes expected in the final carbon tax is the inclusion of a formula to adjust the basic percentage tax-free threshold to reward over-performance (energy sold back into the Eskom-grid). It is believed that this carbon tax formula and associated incentives will provide the Agricultural Industry with the necessary incentives needed to push the Agricultural economy onto a low-carbon growth trajectory. However, interactions between agricultural produce, energy and preservation are driving potential land-use changes. The energy-land use nexus provides a framework for approaching policy to minimize points of conflict between energy goals on the one hand and agricultural land conservation/food production on the other. This study reports on issues around the land-use nexus in deploying floating solar systems in the vineyards of local wineries as part of bio-diversification, as well as on the socio-economic benefits and carbon tax implications for such developments. It also empasises aspects around social impact assesment. This research forms part of a larger study on the environmental, technological, economic and sustainability considerations in implementing floating solar systems in vineyards of the Western Cape Winelands, based on lessons learnt from the USA Napa valley wine region and other international floating solar projects.

Keywords: sustainable wine farming, winery vineyard floatovoltaics, floating solar systems, irrigation pond solar, pontoon solar, solar power energy, renewable energy, carbon footprint analysis, carbon tax

This chapter explores the applicability of the Water-Energy-Food nexus framework for the Indus Basin of Pakistan. It introduces the importance of linking water, energy, and food resources, and current sectoral gaps in Pakistan. To better understand these gaps and linkages, the chapter shows that the water-energy-food nexus is not an entirely new idea or practice in the Indus Basin. Although the terminology is new, integration of various sorts was common up to the mid-nineteenth century. The modern sectoral breaks arose with the development of large-scale colonial canal irrigation, administered under its own spatial jurisdictions, and further institutional gaps arose with the growth of electric power and fossil fuel programs. The chapter then lays out a framework for understanding the linkages among these sectors as a nexus that entails a broad range of perspectives, levels, and scales. This framework is used to characterise the problems associated with sectoral fragmentation, and then to identify ways forward in analytic, governance, and societal terms.

This document provides a set of policy codes and program descriptions framed within the context of the food-energy-water nexus and systemically-focused green infrastructure. The goal is to offer a roadmap of policy creation as seen through the interface between the environment and the food system, moving toward sustainable city creation, with Denver on the cutting edge of innovation.

Abstract In this study, we focus on water quality as a vehicle to illustrate the role that the water, energy, and food (WEF) Nexus perspective may have in promoting ecosystem services in agriculture. The mediation of water quality by terrestrial systems is a key ecosystem service
for a range of actors (municipalities, fishers, industries, and energy providers) and is reshaped radically by agricultural activity. To address these impacts, many programs exist to promote improved land-use practices in agriculture; however, where these practices incur a cost or other burden to the farmer, adoption can be low unless some form of incentive is provided (as in a payment for ecosystem services (PES) program). Provision of such incentives can be a challenge to sustain in the long term, if there is not a clear beneficiary or other actor willing to provide
them. Successfully closing the loop between impacts and incentives often requires identifying a measurable and valuable service with a clear central beneficiary that is impacted by the summative effects of the diffuse agricultural practices across the landscape. Drawing on cases from our own research, we demonstrate how the WEF Nexus perspective—by integrating non-point-source agricultural problems under well-defined energy issues—can highlight central beneficiaries of improved agricultural
practice, where none may have existed otherwise.

A casi diez años del surgimiento del concepto del Nexo Agua, Energía y Alimentos (Nexo AEA), el tema ha ido cobrando relevancia dentro de los diferentes sectores a nivel mundial. Académicos, gobiernos, empresas y organizaciones de la sociedad civil han trabajado alrededor del tema de manera teórica pero también práctica. El enfoque del Nexo es un concepto clave para lograr alcanzar los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS). Sin su aplicación y entendimiento, el desarrollo sostenible a nivel local, regional o global podría verse comprometido.

The disruption of nutrient cycles caused by human activities such as agriculture and burning fossil fuels is impacting ecosystem services on global and local scales. The increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere contributes to rising global temperatures and ocean acidification, whereas the accumulation of nutrients in water systems is leading to degradation of water quality and biodiversity. City populations play a major role in carbon dioxide and nutrient emissions as 'end consumers' of resources. The current challenge towards more resource­efficient cities is to transform urban metabolism from linear to cyclical. Discharged nutrients and carbon dioxide can be used as input for algae, which fixate carbon very efficiently into energetic storage compounds as starch or lipids. However, cities often lack the space to implement large­scale algae production. This article evaluates the potential of reusing nutrients and carbon dioxide to produce algae, food and biofuel on water nearby coastal and delta cities. First, nutrients and carbon dioxide discharge is estimated and two scenarios are developed. From the cities nutrient production, the potential algal yield is evaluated and translated into feed, food and oil yields. Two delta cities are chosen as case studies: Rotterdam and Metro Manila. The conclusion of this article is that Floating Production can help cities increasing their resilience in the field of food and energy. Floating Production can also contribute to a solution for global land shortage. The combination of food and energy production with floating urban development provides a climate­proof urban expansion in delta and coastal areas.

Improving the performance of water distribution systems in the agricultural sector is essential to increase arable crops production by considering surface water volume and energy consumption. Therefore, the main objective of the current research is to evaluate performance of practical alternatives in modernization projects in order to improve the performance of surface water distribution systems and to quantitatively evaluate their performance based on the water-food-energy nexus. The current operational management of the Rudasht Irrigation Network located in Isfahan, was simulated under normal and water shortage scenarios. Then the impact of two modernization methods including an improved manual operation and an automatic control system by using the Model Predictive Control (MPC) on the improvement of surface water distribution was investigated. In order to investigate the operational methods, eight indicators of surface water delivery, energy consumption, surface water productivity, food productivity, energy productivity, surface water economic productivity, energy economic productivity and food economic productivity were used. In the current status (Manual Method) under normal and water shortage scenarios, the values of water-food-energy nexus index were estimated 0.41 and 0.07, respectively. By improving the operational method to improved manual operation method, under normal and water shortage scenarios, the values of water-food-energy nexus index were estimated 0.46 and 0.09, respectively. The results of MPC method showed that this method has the best performance with 0.94 and 0.38 in normal and water shortage scenarios, respectively. The proposed evaluation approach can be used as an appropriate evaluation method to evaluate and prioritize modernization options of agricultural water distribution systems.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the blueprints for achieving a sustainable future, and understanding the interlinkages among social, economic, and environmental fields is a key factor in accomplishing them. The goal of this study was to analyze a framework for sustainable economic growth considering the trade-offs among economic inequality, resource security, and labor requirement through an industrial water, energy, and labor (I-WEL) nexus approach. We analyzed the economic intensity of industrial water, energy, and labor in 47 prefectures in Japan; we found that the more industrialized prefectures showed lower water but higher energy intensities than relatively less industrialized prefectures. We then classified four I-WEL nexus zones—high efficiency, labor-intensive, water-intensive, and water- and energy-intensive zones—based on their economic intensities and by using the K-means clustering method. Finally, we applied economic growth scenarios, weighted by I-WEL nexus zones, and quantified water, energy, and labor requirements by scenario at the local, regional, and national scales. The results show that, by using weighted economic growth in the high-efficiency I-WEL nexus zones and relative to the baseline scenario (which assigns equal ratios of increased economic growth to all prefectures), a potential savings of 337 Mm³/year of freshwater and 184 PJ/year of energy can be realized. However, as the more industrially developed prefectures were included in the high-efficiency zone, this scenario increased the Gini coefficient, i.e., the economic inequality among prefectures. In summary, this study shows that the application of the I-WEL nexus can be used as a framework for sustainable economic growth considering the trade-offs between efficiency of resource use and economic inequality.

TODAY, some 100 undergraduate students from seven Asian countries are meeting in Singapore to discuss the increasingly complex issue of how to manage three important resources of the world: food, energy and water. This discussion will take place within the framework of the first Asian Undergraduate Summit organised by the NUS Students' University Scholars Club.

If any rebuilding or post-disaster recovery makes a city resilient, to what end is the concept of resilience useful? Feedback from recent disasters shows that most of the affected territories have been rebuilt in some form.
The aim of this paper is to provide a framework to improve urban resilience independently of the nature of the disturbances. Recent disasters had a significant impact on critical infrastructures providing essential urban services such as energy, transportation, telecommunication, water and food supply or health care. Indeed, several natural and human-made hazards may lead to disruptions, and most critical infrastructures are networked and highly interdependent. Henceforth, resilience building remain focused on specific hazards (Resilience to what?) or on improving the resilience, separately, of single infrastructures (Resilience of what?). In order to enhance urban resilience, this paper is based on learnings from three case studies that are the 2001 WTC terrorist attack, hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 and the 2016 Seine river flood in Paris. These events highlight disruptions to urban services, but also some resilience options. In light of both the literature and our case studies, a framework of unspecific resilience is provided for improving some resilience principles, namely omnivory, redundancy, buffering, high flux, homeostasis and flatness within electric energy, water and food supply and transportation networks. Rebuilding resilience within this framework is further discussed with respect to all kinds of disruptive events.
Keywords: critical infrastructures ; hazards ; urban services ; disruptions ; interdependencies ; resilience modelling ; unspecific resilience ; all-hazards resilience ; WTC terrorist attack ; hurricanes Irma and Maria ; Paris flood

The increasing costs of energy and water, fossil fuel depletion, and food shortages caused by climate change challenge long-term sustainability of food, energy, and water (FEW) systems. In working toward sustainable development, a fundamental question for deciding on whether and how to invest in FEW systems is " how sustainable FEW systems are? ". In order to measure sustainability across the FEW systems, an integrated sustainability index (SI) is developed. The SI is comprised of three components; food, energy, and water. These components each consist of different sub-components (e.g. transportation fuel for energy component) that make up integrated FEW systems. The sustainability of an FEW system can be calculated using the integrated FEW SI, but a more thought provoking question is to understand how each sub-component affects overall sustainability of the system. This cannot be achieved without formulating the interconnections associated with FEW components. This study formulates in-terconnections associated with FEW components. In an effort to increase the degree to which the results would generalize to FEW systems with different scales, the calculations of the study are performed for a sustainable FEW system that can consistently yield food for a family of four (two adults and two children) and supply its own water and energy needs from sustainable sources. Also, the sustainability is measured for two systems located in two different climates; one is relatively cloudy and humid and the other is sunny and arid. The results show that the highest sustainability improvement in both climates is associated with irrigation sub-component. Not only a sustainable water supply for irrigation sub-component improves the sustainability of water component, it also improves food sustainability and consequently energy sustainability. This finding can be explained by the fact that the irrigation sub-component is a resource supplier for grain sub-component, and that is a resource supplier for transportation fuel sub-component.

The resolution adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 25 September 2015 is symptomatic of the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus. It postulates goals and related targets for 2030 that include (1) End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition , and promote sustainable agriculture (SDG2); (2) Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all (SDG6); and (3) Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all (SDG7). There will be tradeoffs between achieving these goals particularly in the wake of changing consumption patterns and rising demands from a growing population expected to reach more than nine billion by 2050. This paper uses global economic analysis tools to assess the impacts of long-term changes in fossil fuel prices, for example, as a result of a carbon tax under the UNFCCC or in response to new, large findings of fossil energy sources, on water and food outcomes. We find that a fossil fuel tax would not adversely affect food security and could be a boon to global food security if it reduces adverse climate change impacts.

The International Kick-off Workshop served as a starting point for the organisation of a future regular Nexus Conference to be held in Dresden. By bringing together experts from national and international academia, government entities, UN agencies and UNU institutes, the workshop aimed at providing an update on current initiatives advancing a nexus approach, focusing on research initiatives exploring the nexus of water, soil and waste. Besides research, issues of capacity development were considered, including education and training as well as institutional capacity development. Examples and case studies on research projects, best-practices and curriculum requirements were introduced and discussed and provided the participants with an up-to-date overview on the issue.

Over 80 participants from the United Nations, UNU institutes, Member States, German Ministries, Academia and NGOs were assembled to discuss over 40 presentations, case studies as well as introductory talks by leading scientists and experts.

WAAROM DIT PROJECT – Water-, voedsel- en energie-opgaven zijn onlosmakelijk met elkaar verbonden. Wij geloven daarom dat het belangrijk is om in samenhang naar water-, voedsel- en energieopgaven te kijken voor de toekomst van Zuid-Holland. HOE VERKENNEN WE DIT – We onderzoeken kansen en knelpunten in de samenwerking tussen professionals en in de samenhang van opgaven voor water, voedsel en energie in Zuid-Holland voor de lange termijn. We identificeren op basis daarvan handelingsopties in de regionale ‘nexus’ voor de korte tot middellange termijn. WAT DOEN WE DAARVOOR IN DEZE VERKENNING – Om tot concrete adviezen over acties voor het provinciaal bestuur en haar partners te komen zetten we een palet aan acties in: toekomstdialogen in verschillende gebieden met overheden, bedrijfsleven en kennisinstellingen, het ontwikkelen van een serious game, een innovatiewaaier en verdiepende gebiedsverkenningen. Na afloop van het project is het de bedoeling dat we als provincie in concrete projecten, programma’s en beleidsontwikkeling aan de slag gaan met de nexus-aanpak en/of -opgaven.

The Nile River is considered one of the most complex rivers in the world because of its transboundary nature and its significance for riparian countries. Currently, the basin experiences challenges stemming from a rapid population increase and the prospect of a significant economic growth, which in turn have sparked development plans aimed at meeting the growing demand for water, energy, and food. A System Dynamics approach provides a unique framework to integrate the physical system and the socioeconomic drivers with the ability to capture the interaction and feedback processes between different system components. A water resources model for the entire Nile basin using the System Dynamics approach was developed as a first step. The model results for the flows at gauge locations showed a good agreement with the historical flows measurements, which reflects the SDM ability to capture the dynamic behaviour of the river and reproduce the patterns and trends of the historical flows. A description of the model development process is presented along with simulation results at the key hydrological sites in the basin. The potential to integrate the developed model with food, energy and socioeconomic drivers in the basin is provided.

In order to ensure that India's economic growth and industrial developments continue, enough food and energy are available for an increasing population demanding steadily improved standards of living and quality of life, one resource is absolutely essential: water. However, its management practices are decades behind time.

h i g h l i g h t s Proposed optimization model presents trade-offs between biofuel and food production. Switchgrass (energy) production is more competitive than food production on cropland. Corn production and harvesting corn stover are not environment friendly. Order of total budget usage: production, harvesting, seeding, and transportation. Food security needs limitation of cropland use or CRP incentive on marginal land.: Biomass and biofuel production Multi-objective optimization Energy vs. food security Economic and environmental analysis Switchgrass and corn Sustainability and biodiversity a b s t r a c t Biofuel production from food crops leads to debates about the increase in food prices and security of the food supply. On the other hand, biofuels derived from cellulosic (energy) crops offer positive environmental impacts. In this study, we develop a multi-objective mixed-integer optimization model to investigate the trade-offs and competition between biofuel and food production using switchgrass and corn. This model maximizes total economic and environmental benefits and provides optimal decisions regarding land allocations to food and energy crops, seeding time, harvesting time and amount, and budget allocations to farm operations. A piecewise linear lower approximation is developed to linearize the nonlinear revenue curve of corn grain sales. Spatio-temporal environmental impacts such as soil erosion prevention, carbon sequestration and emissions, and nitrogen pollution are included in the model. The application of the model in Kansas indicates that switchgrass is more profitable than corn in cropland, while it requires Conservation Research Program (CRP) incentives for production on marginal land unless priority is given to the environment. In order to ensure food security, our study advises managers and policy makers to provide CRP incentives or to adjust the sustainability factor, which restricts cropland availability for biofuel production. Our spatio-temporal optimization model can also be adapted to different regions with alternative energy and food crops under various management scenarios. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Global agricultural research systems require reform and radical innovation and stronger linkages to syetsm appraoiches that take into account energy, water and social systems. This presentation explores some recent Australian examples of attempted reforms.