Energy, Water, Food Nexus Decision-Making for Sustainable …
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strategic and operational strategies that can be undertaken in the selected ports to
enhance the supply chain system [78].
4.1.2 System Dynamics
EWF nexus sectors are complex systems involving multifaceted interactions that
require advanced decision-making process. Furthermore, such systems are subject to
multiple changes over time due to the variations in their subsystems and surrounding
environments. While the DES can accommodate the changes in the system by simulating disruptive events and proposing enhancement scenarios and strategies, it can
only simulate the response of the system with events occurring in some specific
instances in time. Resource systems, including the food sector, require continuous
managerial and policy involvements governed by unending disturbances that should
be captured continuously over time. In order to accommodate for such aspects in the
system, the System Dynamic (SD) approach is a simulation technique that allows for
the continuous decision-making. In fact, the focus of SD goes beyond the analysis
of individual events, instead, it analyses the dynamic rules and patterns governing
them. In an SD model, the emphasis is not on the events and the discrete decisions
they engender, however, the major focus is on the founding policies constructing
such decisions [79, 80]. In other words, events along with their derivative decisions are considered a superficial result of a convoluted interaction between the
system’s elements. It is also worth mentioning that in dynamic problems where
DS is deployed, variability consists of a causality relationship represented by feedback loops that constitute the interactions between variables/entities, and which are
reflected in the behaviour of the entire system. Typically, SD models are used to
simulate challenging and large-scale systems governed by socio-economic variabilities [81]. The EWF nexus resource systems are a suitable case where SD modelling
can be applied, as the latter can be used to capture the dynamics amongst and within
the three systems as means to improve managerial decisions and hence the system
performance [82]. In this regard, SD was heavily used to enhance the food security
issue through investigating the dynamics within the food sector’s systems. Tsolakis
and Srai developed a holistic methodology based on a SD model to study the impact
of smallholder farming on sustainability issues and particularly on food security. The
framework considers the self-sufficiency as a metric for food security. Findings of the
scenarios generated by the model indicate that improving the policy and governance
in smallholding farming, in addition to the fostering of short supply chains of food
products could lead to a further increase in self-sufficiency leading to an improved
food security [83]. With emerging concerns for increasing environmental impacts
associated with the utilisation of resource systems; sustainability and EWF nexus
literature have shifted the attention to technologies and inventions that would reduce
stresses on the environment. In this regard, Martínez-Jaramillo et al. investigated the
impact of investing in biofuel production as an alternative fuel to reduce emissions
caused by the transportation sector. A SD model was used to assess the influence
of such decisions on food security. The model simulates the relationship between
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strategic and operational strategies that can be undertaken in the selected ports to
enhance the supply chain system [78].
4.1.2 System Dynamics
EWF nexus sectors are complex systems involving multifaceted interactions that
require advanced decision-making process. Furthermore, such systems are subject to
multiple changes over time due to the variations in their subsystems and surrounding
environments. While the DES can accommodate the changes in the system by simulating disruptive events and proposing enhancement scenarios and strategies, it can
only simulate the response of the system with events occurring in some specific
instances in time. Resource systems, including the food sector, require continuous
managerial and policy involvements governed by unending disturbances that should
be captured continuously over time. In order to accommodate for such aspects in the
system, the System Dynamic (SD) approach is a simulation technique that allows for
the continuous decision-making. In fact, the focus of SD goes beyond the analysis
of individual events, instead, it analyses the dynamic rules and patterns governing
them. In an SD model, the emphasis is not on the events and the discrete decisions
they engender, however, the major focus is on the founding policies constructing
such decisions [79, 80]. In other words, events along with their derivative decisions are considered a superficial result of a convoluted interaction between the
system’s elements. It is also worth mentioning that in dynamic problems where
DS is deployed, variability consists of a causality relationship represented by feedback loops that constitute the interactions between variables/entities, and which are
reflected in the behaviour of the entire system. Typically, SD models are used to
simulate challenging and large-scale systems governed by socio-economic variabilities [81]. The EWF nexus resource systems are a suitable case where SD modelling
can be applied, as the latter can be used to capture the dynamics amongst and within
the three systems as means to improve managerial decisions and hence the system
performance [82]. In this regard, SD was heavily used to enhance the food security
issue through investigating the dynamics within the food sector’s systems. Tsolakis
and Srai developed a holistic methodology based on a SD model to study the impact
of smallholder farming on sustainability issues and particularly on food security. The
framework considers the self-sufficiency as a metric for food security. Findings of the
scenarios generated by the model indicate that improving the policy and governance
in smallholding farming, in addition to the fostering of short supply chains of food
products could lead to a further increase in self-sufficiency leading to an improved
food security [83]. With emerging concerns for increasing environmental impacts
associated with the utilisation of resource systems; sustainability and EWF nexus
literature have shifted the attention to technologies and inventions that would reduce
stresses on the environment. In this regard, Martínez-Jaramillo et al. investigated the
impact of investing in biofuel production as an alternative fuel to reduce emissions
caused by the transportation sector. A SD model was used to assess the influence
of such decisions on food security. The model simulates the relationship between