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S. Namany and T. Al-Ansari
raising of livestock, establishing cooled or shaded shelters can alleviate the risk of
temperature variations and extreme climates [26]. While predictable climate risks can
be mitigated by the aforementioned adaptation techniques, natural disasters which are
difficult to envisage can expose vulnerabilities and pose a threat to the stability of food
systems and resource sub-systems. For instance, in turkey, the extreme droughts that
occurred in 2007 resulted in a significant decrease in agricultural production resulting
in a 15.3% reduction in crop yields [27]. According to the United States Department
of Agriculture (USDA), Hurricane Harvey that impacted the states of Texas and
Louisiana in 2017 caused drastic damage to the railway infrastructure leading to
supply chain disruptions that affected regional grain exports [28]. Pandemics, which
are not necessarily only a result of natural disasters, are a source for unpredictable
risks and may result in similar catastrophic impacts on the food sector as with the
case of conventional environmentally driven natural disasters. In fact, the recent
Covid-19 pandemic has engendered an unforeseen global recession impacting all
vital economic sectors and has been cause for much suffering. While some regions
of the world suffer from famine and undernourishment due to poverty and other sociopolitical issues, in many cases the spread of the virus has further undermined food
systems, supply chains and ultimately food security. City-wide lockdowns, coupled
with movement and transportation restrictions between countries and cities, have
engendered disruptions in food supply chains threatening the availability, stability,
and accessibility of food products. Furthermore, economic and social outcomes as
a result of lockdowns and economy shutdowns have an impact on the purchasing
power, and income of individuals due to health complications and safety protocols
that have reduced manpower along the supply chain. Expectedly, there are impacts
on the utilisation pillar of the food security as the access to nutritious food would be
more difficult [29, 30].
Within the myriad of internal and external challenges that can affect processes
within EWF resource sub-systems, there is an imminent need to develop strategies
and flexible decision-making schemes that can reduce their impact and reduce uncertainties. Positively harnessing the interlinkages existing between the food, water, and
energy systems in the context of the EWF nexus system approach can support holistic
understanding of the weaknesses and strengths within each system and promote
collective system performance enhancements. Section 3 provides an overview of
the EWF nexus approach as an analytical tool and its ability to mitigate the previously highlighted challenges focusing on the holistic nexus system. Section 4 details
specific modelling challenges that arise when solving resources management problems, along with insight into the methods that can overcome these challenges, with
a major focus on food security cases.
S. Namany and T. Al-Ansari
raising of livestock, establishing cooled or shaded shelters can alleviate the risk of
temperature variations and extreme climates [26]. While predictable climate risks can
be mitigated by the aforementioned adaptation techniques, natural disasters which are
difficult to envisage can expose vulnerabilities and pose a threat to the stability of food
systems and resource sub-systems. For instance, in turkey, the extreme droughts that
occurred in 2007 resulted in a significant decrease in agricultural production resulting
in a 15.3% reduction in crop yields [27]. According to the United States Department
of Agriculture (USDA), Hurricane Harvey that impacted the states of Texas and
Louisiana in 2017 caused drastic damage to the railway infrastructure leading to
supply chain disruptions that affected regional grain exports [28]. Pandemics, which
are not necessarily only a result of natural disasters, are a source for unpredictable
risks and may result in similar catastrophic impacts on the food sector as with the
case of conventional environmentally driven natural disasters. In fact, the recent
Covid-19 pandemic has engendered an unforeseen global recession impacting all
vital economic sectors and has been cause for much suffering. While some regions
of the world suffer from famine and undernourishment due to poverty and other sociopolitical issues, in many cases the spread of the virus has further undermined food
systems, supply chains and ultimately food security. City-wide lockdowns, coupled
with movement and transportation restrictions between countries and cities, have
engendered disruptions in food supply chains threatening the availability, stability,
and accessibility of food products. Furthermore, economic and social outcomes as
a result of lockdowns and economy shutdowns have an impact on the purchasing
power, and income of individuals due to health complications and safety protocols
that have reduced manpower along the supply chain. Expectedly, there are impacts
on the utilisation pillar of the food security as the access to nutritious food would be
more difficult [29, 30].
Within the myriad of internal and external challenges that can affect processes
within EWF resource sub-systems, there is an imminent need to develop strategies
and flexible decision-making schemes that can reduce their impact and reduce uncertainties. Positively harnessing the interlinkages existing between the food, water, and
energy systems in the context of the EWF nexus system approach can support holistic
understanding of the weaknesses and strengths within each system and promote
collective system performance enhancements. Section 3 provides an overview of
the EWF nexus approach as an analytical tool and its ability to mitigate the previously highlighted challenges focusing on the holistic nexus system. Section 4 details
specific modelling challenges that arise when solving resources management problems, along with insight into the methods that can overcome these challenges, with
a major focus on food security cases.