Energy, Water, Food Nexus Decision-Making for Sustainable …
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resources for optimal resource management, environmental protection and enhanced
economic performance.
In this chapter, the importance of the EWF nexus in addressing resource management issues and food security will be highlighted. The focus will be on the decisionmaking tools and techniques that have demonstrated effectiveness in addressing food
security, with a major emphasis on the resilience and the risk alleviation component
as a means to maintain stability of the food system. First, simulation models will be
presented as they can realistically simulate the food sector and associated resource
sectors. Then, risk quantification techniques will be discussed to illustrate the importance of modelling uncertainty within resource systems. Finally, optimisation models
will be explained as a technique that utilises the output of the previous methods
to enhance the performance of the overall food sector and supporting resources
systems. Collectively, these tools can support informed decision-making related to
food security and can be tailored to specific cases across various temporal and spatial
applications and case studies.
2 Resources Management: Decision-Making Challenges
Food security, with all its associated pillars, is directly dependent on the security of
water and energy sectors. The availability of food, including domestic food production along with national and international supply chains, requires continuous resource
inflows from water and energy systems for regular operations. In fact, water withdrawal for agricultural activities accounts for 70% of the total freshwater extracted
globally, with an expected increase in the coming years to account for rising food
demands. This surge is estimated to reach 60% by 2050 to meet the ever-growing
population [6]. Similarly, accessibility of food products is highly influenced by
the affordability of water and energy resources, and any volatility in the prices of
these two commodities can disturb the food market prices. A study conducted by
Taghizadeh-Hesary et al. has proven a significant correlation between oil and food
prices, such that a change of 64.7% in food prices was recorded when oil prices were
fluctuating between 2000 and 2016. Results from this study advise the need to diversify the energy mix in the agricultural sector, by adopting renewables and reducing the
total reliance on non-renewable energy sources, to maintain a secure access to energy
and reduce the influence of volatility of fossil fuels on food prices [7]. In addition,
the stability and resilience of the food system, a crucial element for the achievement of a holistic food security, is significantly linked to the availability and stability
of other systems. For instance, food cultivation necessitates a continuous access to
arable lands and irrigation water to grow crops [8]. Similarly, the daily operations
of livestock farms are dependent on electricity [9], as it is needed for the cooling of
stables of lactating cows [10] and poultry; the storage of produced food in the case
of milk production [11]; and the drying of crops for animal feed and other cultivated
crops [12]. In regions characterised by arid and hot climate conditions, growing
food in the fields is extremely challenging due to the extremely high temperatures
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resources for optimal resource management, environmental protection and enhanced
economic performance.
In this chapter, the importance of the EWF nexus in addressing resource management issues and food security will be highlighted. The focus will be on the decisionmaking tools and techniques that have demonstrated effectiveness in addressing food
security, with a major emphasis on the resilience and the risk alleviation component
as a means to maintain stability of the food system. First, simulation models will be
presented as they can realistically simulate the food sector and associated resource
sectors. Then, risk quantification techniques will be discussed to illustrate the importance of modelling uncertainty within resource systems. Finally, optimisation models
will be explained as a technique that utilises the output of the previous methods
to enhance the performance of the overall food sector and supporting resources
systems. Collectively, these tools can support informed decision-making related to
food security and can be tailored to specific cases across various temporal and spatial
applications and case studies.
2 Resources Management: Decision-Making Challenges
Food security, with all its associated pillars, is directly dependent on the security of
water and energy sectors. The availability of food, including domestic food production along with national and international supply chains, requires continuous resource
inflows from water and energy systems for regular operations. In fact, water withdrawal for agricultural activities accounts for 70% of the total freshwater extracted
globally, with an expected increase in the coming years to account for rising food
demands. This surge is estimated to reach 60% by 2050 to meet the ever-growing
population [6]. Similarly, accessibility of food products is highly influenced by
the affordability of water and energy resources, and any volatility in the prices of
these two commodities can disturb the food market prices. A study conducted by
Taghizadeh-Hesary et al. has proven a significant correlation between oil and food
prices, such that a change of 64.7% in food prices was recorded when oil prices were
fluctuating between 2000 and 2016. Results from this study advise the need to diversify the energy mix in the agricultural sector, by adopting renewables and reducing the
total reliance on non-renewable energy sources, to maintain a secure access to energy
and reduce the influence of volatility of fossil fuels on food prices [7]. In addition,
the stability and resilience of the food system, a crucial element for the achievement of a holistic food security, is significantly linked to the availability and stability
of other systems. For instance, food cultivation necessitates a continuous access to
arable lands and irrigation water to grow crops [8]. Similarly, the daily operations
of livestock farms are dependent on electricity [9], as it is needed for the cooling of
stables of lactating cows [10] and poultry; the storage of produced food in the case
of milk production [11]; and the drying of crops for animal feed and other cultivated
crops [12]. In regions characterised by arid and hot climate conditions, growing
food in the fields is extremely challenging due to the extremely high temperatures