The Evolution of the Water–Energy–Food Nexus …
63
practical and operational decision support tool that provides evidence and basis for
sustainable resource management strategies based on integrated quantification of
water, energy, and food resources simultaneously. Of note is the development of a
WEF nexus integrative and analytical model that simplifies the understanding of the
complex linkages among the WEF resources, vividly showing how resources are
managed and indicating priority areas for intervention. The analytical model has,
thus, managed to quantify interlinkages for the three interlinked resources, reduce
trade-offs and enhance synergies for optimum resource use and development, enable
an assessment of the sustainability of water, energy, and food systems, and apply
different scenarios across ecological and socio-economic zones and spatial scales.
These innovations have managed to provide evidence and drive policy changes that
facilitate the transitioning of the WEF nexus into a practical and operational framework essential to build resilience for sustainable development. More research is
needed on developing context-based scenarios that eliminate uncertainty brought
about the present sector-based approaches in resource management.
References
1. Adeyemi O, Grove I, Peets S, Norton T (2017) Advanced monitoring and management systems
for improving sustainability in precision irrigation. Sustainability 9(3):353
2. Allen T, Prosperi P (2016) Modeling sustainable food systems. Environ Manage 57(5):956–975
3. Alvino A, Marino S (2017) Remote sensing for irrigation of horticultural crops. Horticulturae
3(2):40
4. Amarnath G, Simons GWH, Alahacoon N, Smakhtin V, Sharma B, Gismalla Y, Mohammed
Y, Andriessen MCM (2018) Using smart ICT to provide weather and water information to
smallholders in Africa: the case of the Gash River Basin, Sudan. Clim Risk Manag 22:52–66
5. Bellard C, Bertelsmeier C, Leadley P, Thuiller W, Courchamp F (2012) Impacts of climate
change on the future of biodiversity. Ecol Lett 15(4):365–377
6. Béné C, Oosterveer P, Lamotte L, Brouwer ID, de Haan S, Prager SD, Talsma EF, Khoury
CK (2019) When food systems meet sustainability—current narratives and implications for
actions. World Dev 113:116–130
7. Benson D, Gain AK, Rouillard JJ (2015) Water governance in a comparative perspective: from
IWRM to a ‘nexus’ approach? Water Altern 8(1)
8. Besada H, Werner K (2015) An assessment of the effects of Africa’s water crisis on food
security and management. Int J Water Resour Dev 31(1):120–133
9. Bieber N, Ker JH, Wang X, Triantafyllidis C, van Dam KH, Koppelaar RHEM, Shah N (2018)
Sustainable planning of the energy-water-food nexus using decision-making tools. Energy
Policy 113:584–607
10. Biggs EM, Bruce E, Boruff B, Duncan JMA, Horsley J, Pauli N, McNeill K, Neef A, Van Ogtrop
F, Curnow J (2015) Sustainable development and the water-energy-food nexus: a perspective
on livelihoods. Environ Sci Policy 54:389–397
11. Binder CR, Hinkel J, Bots PWG, Pahl-Wostl C (2013) Comparison of frameworks for analyzing
social-ecological systems. Ecol Soc 18(4)
12. Bizikova L, Roy D, Swanson D, Venema HD, McCandless M (2013) The water-energy-food
security nexus: towards a practical planning and decision-support framework for landscape
investment and risk management. International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD),
Winnipeg
63
practical and operational decision support tool that provides evidence and basis for
sustainable resource management strategies based on integrated quantification of
water, energy, and food resources simultaneously. Of note is the development of a
WEF nexus integrative and analytical model that simplifies the understanding of the
complex linkages among the WEF resources, vividly showing how resources are
managed and indicating priority areas for intervention. The analytical model has,
thus, managed to quantify interlinkages for the three interlinked resources, reduce
trade-offs and enhance synergies for optimum resource use and development, enable
an assessment of the sustainability of water, energy, and food systems, and apply
different scenarios across ecological and socio-economic zones and spatial scales.
These innovations have managed to provide evidence and drive policy changes that
facilitate the transitioning of the WEF nexus into a practical and operational framework essential to build resilience for sustainable development. More research is
needed on developing context-based scenarios that eliminate uncertainty brought
about the present sector-based approaches in resource management.
References
1. Adeyemi O, Grove I, Peets S, Norton T (2017) Advanced monitoring and management systems
for improving sustainability in precision irrigation. Sustainability 9(3):353
2. Allen T, Prosperi P (2016) Modeling sustainable food systems. Environ Manage 57(5):956–975
3. Alvino A, Marino S (2017) Remote sensing for irrigation of horticultural crops. Horticulturae
3(2):40
4. Amarnath G, Simons GWH, Alahacoon N, Smakhtin V, Sharma B, Gismalla Y, Mohammed
Y, Andriessen MCM (2018) Using smart ICT to provide weather and water information to
smallholders in Africa: the case of the Gash River Basin, Sudan. Clim Risk Manag 22:52–66
5. Bellard C, Bertelsmeier C, Leadley P, Thuiller W, Courchamp F (2012) Impacts of climate
change on the future of biodiversity. Ecol Lett 15(4):365–377
6. Béné C, Oosterveer P, Lamotte L, Brouwer ID, de Haan S, Prager SD, Talsma EF, Khoury
CK (2019) When food systems meet sustainability—current narratives and implications for
actions. World Dev 113:116–130
7. Benson D, Gain AK, Rouillard JJ (2015) Water governance in a comparative perspective: from
IWRM to a ‘nexus’ approach? Water Altern 8(1)
8. Besada H, Werner K (2015) An assessment of the effects of Africa’s water crisis on food
security and management. Int J Water Resour Dev 31(1):120–133
9. Bieber N, Ker JH, Wang X, Triantafyllidis C, van Dam KH, Koppelaar RHEM, Shah N (2018)
Sustainable planning of the energy-water-food nexus using decision-making tools. Energy
Policy 113:584–607
10. Biggs EM, Bruce E, Boruff B, Duncan JMA, Horsley J, Pauli N, McNeill K, Neef A, Van Ogtrop
F, Curnow J (2015) Sustainable development and the water-energy-food nexus: a perspective
on livelihoods. Environ Sci Policy 54:389–397
11. Binder CR, Hinkel J, Bots PWG, Pahl-Wostl C (2013) Comparison of frameworks for analyzing
social-ecological systems. Ecol Soc 18(4)
12. Bizikova L, Roy D, Swanson D, Venema HD, McCandless M (2013) The water-energy-food
security nexus: towards a practical planning and decision-support framework for landscape
investment and risk management. International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD),
Winnipeg