Integrated Watershed Management Vis-a-Vis Water–Energy–Food Nexus
81
Fig. 5 Schematic illustration of various elements of the water–energy–food nexus (after [58])
Many studies have reported various attitudes of application on the WEF nexus,
but few researches have been reported about the application of the WEF nexus at
watershed scale. In this regard, a water–energy–nexus was application by Mayor
et al. [53] for Duero River Basin, Spain. According to their investigations, some
of the most critical subjects are limitations caused due to rise in energy prices for
irrigated agriculture resulted from modernization, water treatment, and the other
potential water demands for energy. A numbers of challenges exist within the WEF
nexus at the local and global scales in agricultural land use in the watershed for food
and biofuel productions. The first challenge is that high global energy prices cause
to increase demand for bioenergy crops. It therefore leads to the reinforcement of
completion for arable land and water with food crops. Another challenge is that the
distinction of gender functions in trade and the synergy is often ignored [60]. In this
respect, modeling the agricultural water–energy–food nexus in the Indus River Basin,
Pakistan, has been studied by Yang et al. [91]. The result of their study indicated
a growing trend in using water and energy under the government of hotter climate.
While more flexible water allocation policies can reduce the detrimental effects
of climate change on agricultural water and energy use, leading to more crops and
hydropower generation. Such policies may vary year to year due to increase the use of
resources. Karabulut et al. [36] compared the benefits of supporting the –food–energy
relationship by considering the environmental flow requirements for river ecosystems using the hydrological model of Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) in the
Danube River Basin. They showed that modeling is crucial for conducting an integrated analysis of the ecosystem–water–food–energy nexus. It was further showed
81
Fig. 5 Schematic illustration of various elements of the water–energy–food nexus (after [58])
Many studies have reported various attitudes of application on the WEF nexus,
but few researches have been reported about the application of the WEF nexus at
watershed scale. In this regard, a water–energy–nexus was application by Mayor
et al. [53] for Duero River Basin, Spain. According to their investigations, some
of the most critical subjects are limitations caused due to rise in energy prices for
irrigated agriculture resulted from modernization, water treatment, and the other
potential water demands for energy. A numbers of challenges exist within the WEF
nexus at the local and global scales in agricultural land use in the watershed for food
and biofuel productions. The first challenge is that high global energy prices cause
to increase demand for bioenergy crops. It therefore leads to the reinforcement of
completion for arable land and water with food crops. Another challenge is that the
distinction of gender functions in trade and the synergy is often ignored [60]. In this
respect, modeling the agricultural water–energy–food nexus in the Indus River Basin,
Pakistan, has been studied by Yang et al. [91]. The result of their study indicated
a growing trend in using water and energy under the government of hotter climate.
While more flexible water allocation policies can reduce the detrimental effects
of climate change on agricultural water and energy use, leading to more crops and
hydropower generation. Such policies may vary year to year due to increase the use of
resources. Karabulut et al. [36] compared the benefits of supporting the –food–energy
relationship by considering the environmental flow requirements for river ecosystems using the hydrological model of Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) in the
Danube River Basin. They showed that modeling is crucial for conducting an integrated analysis of the ecosystem–water–food–energy nexus. It was further showed