Energy, Water, Food Nexus
Decision-Making for Sustainable Food
Security
Sarah Namany and Tareq Al-Ansari
Abstract Natural resources and their constituting systems continue to experience
stresses attributed to expanding anthropogenic activities. Economic expenditures
on most sectors are heavily dependent on water, energy and food resources, the
utilisation of which contributes to resource depletion and environmental burdens.
The energy–water–food (EWF) nexus is a concept that harnesses the intrinsic relationships existing between resources and representative sub-systems in order to
support efficient resources management, develop resilience and enhance environmental consciousness. While the EWF nexus framework can provide preliminary
decision-making insights into resource sub-systems, it cannot alone address modernday multidimensional resource problems and their related economic and environmental challenges. Food insecurity, a global challenge for mankind, is a result of
various factors, of which is resource mismanagement. This chapter investigates the
possibility of understanding and alleviating food insecurity by means of the EWF
nexus approach. It highlights using case studies the possible analytical and modelling
decision-making tools that enable the characterisation and analysis of resources
systems across strategic, tactical and operational levels of decision-making in volatile
and risky environments. Example of studies involve optimisation, machine learning
and agent-based modelling, and illustrate the complementary nature of these tools
within decision frameworks, and how they can be utilised to alleviate food insecurity
and support sustainable and resilient resource management.
Keywords EWF nexus · Decision-making · Food security · Resource
management · Optimisation · Machine learning · Agent-based modelling
S. Namany · T. Al-Ansari (B)
Division of Sustainable Development, College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa
University, Doha, Qatar
e-mail: talansari@hbku.edu.qa
T. Al-Ansari
Division of Engineering Management and Decision Sciences, College of Science and
Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
S. S. Muthu (ed.), The Water–Energy–Food Nexus,
Environmental Footprints and Eco-design of Products and Processes,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-0239-9_7
191
Decision-Making for Sustainable Food
Security
Sarah Namany and Tareq Al-Ansari
Abstract Natural resources and their constituting systems continue to experience
stresses attributed to expanding anthropogenic activities. Economic expenditures
on most sectors are heavily dependent on water, energy and food resources, the
utilisation of which contributes to resource depletion and environmental burdens.
The energy–water–food (EWF) nexus is a concept that harnesses the intrinsic relationships existing between resources and representative sub-systems in order to
support efficient resources management, develop resilience and enhance environmental consciousness. While the EWF nexus framework can provide preliminary
decision-making insights into resource sub-systems, it cannot alone address modernday multidimensional resource problems and their related economic and environmental challenges. Food insecurity, a global challenge for mankind, is a result of
various factors, of which is resource mismanagement. This chapter investigates the
possibility of understanding and alleviating food insecurity by means of the EWF
nexus approach. It highlights using case studies the possible analytical and modelling
decision-making tools that enable the characterisation and analysis of resources
systems across strategic, tactical and operational levels of decision-making in volatile
and risky environments. Example of studies involve optimisation, machine learning
and agent-based modelling, and illustrate the complementary nature of these tools
within decision frameworks, and how they can be utilised to alleviate food insecurity
and support sustainable and resilient resource management.
Keywords EWF nexus · Decision-making · Food security · Resource
management · Optimisation · Machine learning · Agent-based modelling
S. Namany · T. Al-Ansari (B)
Division of Sustainable Development, College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa
University, Doha, Qatar
e-mail: talansari@hbku.edu.qa
T. Al-Ansari
Division of Engineering Management and Decision Sciences, College of Science and
Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
S. S. Muthu (ed.), The Water–Energy–Food Nexus,
Environmental Footprints and Eco-design of Products and Processes,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-0239-9_7
191