5
1.2 Fundamental Challenges
The study of integrated food, energy, and water systems requires the application of
physical, biological, and social sciences; engineering; scholarship in policy, law,
and public health; and awareness of relevant aspects of arts and letters. It is not the
intention of the authors to prioritize the relative importance of different areas of
scholarship. All contribute significant value, and the absence of any one area can
result in unsuccessful outcomes in any particular situation. Just as the FEW nexus
results from the interaction of many biological, physical, and social systems, effective FEW scholarship results from the integration of the many relevant areas of
scholarly work.
Readers are urged to keep in mind throughout this book the many challenges to
scholarly work in this area. Food, energy, and water systems are challenging topics
in their own right. The integration of all three into a system of systems is still an
emerging field because it is especially scientifically challenging, requiring careful
consideration of the following:
1. The fundamental questions which drive all later scientific considerations and the
utility of outcomes.
2. The appropriate spatial and temporal scales to balance the requirements of science, geography, data, and the needs of decision-makers and other end-users of
results.
3. The choices and consequences of selecting metrics that have utility to end-users
of results and are capable of being addressed with available data, models, and
computational resources.
4. How to select and integrate multiple data sets with diverse attributes.
5. How to choose the right type of model and develop the specific model, based on
all relevant laws of nature, that is capable of integrating all aspects of an integrated system, recognizes all significant internal and external interactions, and
can produce results useful to end-users with available computational resources.
6. The human dimensions of FEW systems which are affected by perceptions, cultural and economic motivations, laws and policies operating at different scales,
and the conflicts that arise between various parties with different values, power,
and aspirations.
Communities of Practice that engage scientific and non-scientific stakeholders
are key to the successful application of nexus science to practical problems
(Chap. 17). This requires the engagement of a wide range of stakeholders (broadly
defined as anyone who is affected by a particular topic).
When all these factors are recognized, scholars can be tempted to throw their
hands up in despair. However, scientists working with stakeholders can help frame
research questions can help lead to more integrated work that leads to actual
implementation. Further, the development of better data sets, models, and computational resources combined with more sophisticated ways of connecting science
1 Introduction
1.2 Fundamental Challenges
The study of integrated food, energy, and water systems requires the application of
physical, biological, and social sciences; engineering; scholarship in policy, law,
and public health; and awareness of relevant aspects of arts and letters. It is not the
intention of the authors to prioritize the relative importance of different areas of
scholarship. All contribute significant value, and the absence of any one area can
result in unsuccessful outcomes in any particular situation. Just as the FEW nexus
results from the interaction of many biological, physical, and social systems, effective FEW scholarship results from the integration of the many relevant areas of
scholarly work.
Readers are urged to keep in mind throughout this book the many challenges to
scholarly work in this area. Food, energy, and water systems are challenging topics
in their own right. The integration of all three into a system of systems is still an
emerging field because it is especially scientifically challenging, requiring careful
consideration of the following:
1. The fundamental questions which drive all later scientific considerations and the
utility of outcomes.
2. The appropriate spatial and temporal scales to balance the requirements of science, geography, data, and the needs of decision-makers and other end-users of
results.
3. The choices and consequences of selecting metrics that have utility to end-users
of results and are capable of being addressed with available data, models, and
computational resources.
4. How to select and integrate multiple data sets with diverse attributes.
5. How to choose the right type of model and develop the specific model, based on
all relevant laws of nature, that is capable of integrating all aspects of an integrated system, recognizes all significant internal and external interactions, and
can produce results useful to end-users with available computational resources.
6. The human dimensions of FEW systems which are affected by perceptions, cultural and economic motivations, laws and policies operating at different scales,
and the conflicts that arise between various parties with different values, power,
and aspirations.
Communities of Practice that engage scientific and non-scientific stakeholders
are key to the successful application of nexus science to practical problems
(Chap. 17). This requires the engagement of a wide range of stakeholders (broadly
defined as anyone who is affected by a particular topic).
When all these factors are recognized, scholars can be tempted to throw their
hands up in despair. However, scientists working with stakeholders can help frame
research questions can help lead to more integrated work that leads to actual
implementation. Further, the development of better data sets, models, and computational resources combined with more sophisticated ways of connecting science
1 Introduction