Integrated Watershed Management Vis-a-Vis Water–Energy–Food Nexus
87
3 IWM and SWEF Nexus
The use of integrated watershed management (IWM) is now gaining more attention
with the development of watershed management. IWM also provides basic watershed
management ideas to combine different social, technical, and institutional dimensions, conservation, social, and economic goals [25, 82]. The IWM strategy illustrates the significance of viewing at various uses of watershed resources. It protects
ecosystem services and biodiversity and tries to balance human and environmental
requirements [7]. Wang et al. [82] described IWM as an adaptive, multicultural, and
multidisciplinary systems framework control which proposes to store efficiency and
ecosystem sincerity about the water, soil, plants, and animals across a watershed,
through preserving and recovering ecosystem services for environmental, social,
and economic benefit. Plans for IWM can have purely positive social effects on all
characters of the water, energy, and food nexus [30]. Water, energy, ecosystems,
and agriculture have always been recognized as the key sectors and related to an
IWM approach. Nowadays, it is essential for all scientists and managers to discuss
the changes occurred in the world and the regions, and consider water, energy, and
food in an integrated manner [72]. In contrast, soil connects climate change, the
deterioration in biodiversity, water, energy, and food security, and is a basic element
of environmental sustainability problems [29]. To incorporate soil into the food,
energy, water nexus, the concept of soil function should be developed to connect with
ecosystem functions [2]. In this regard, Gebremeskel et al. [24] studied the impact of
IWM on soil health in northern Ethiopia. They confirmed that a presentation of the
IWM applications has positively modified soil health. Furthermore, IWM applications showed more effectiveness on soil health in comparison with other management
practices performed. Teka et al. [79] also reported assessing the influence of IWM on
decreasing soil erosion and shifts in the livelihoods of rural households in Ethiopia so
that the rate of soil erosion was halved. In addition, increasing rates of crop productivity, availability of water for irrigation and domestic uses, availability of fodder and
household income were 22, 33, 10, and 56%, respectively. IWM can be utilized as
an approach point activity for developing livelihood for rural societies, an improvement in water availability, rehabilitation of ecological balance in the depraved rainfed ecosystems by greening these regions, and diversification of cropping farming
systems [12]. Hence, the soil–water–energy–food (SWEF) nexus can be introduced
as a useful framework for higher sustainability and adaptive management at the
watershed scale.
4 Water–Energy–Food Nexus: Examples from Iran
A review of the literature on the water–food–energy nexus pointed that most studies
reporting the WEF nexus from developed countries and limited cases from developing countries such as Iran. Few studies have been reported on application of WEF
87
3 IWM and SWEF Nexus
The use of integrated watershed management (IWM) is now gaining more attention
with the development of watershed management. IWM also provides basic watershed
management ideas to combine different social, technical, and institutional dimensions, conservation, social, and economic goals [25, 82]. The IWM strategy illustrates the significance of viewing at various uses of watershed resources. It protects
ecosystem services and biodiversity and tries to balance human and environmental
requirements [7]. Wang et al. [82] described IWM as an adaptive, multicultural, and
multidisciplinary systems framework control which proposes to store efficiency and
ecosystem sincerity about the water, soil, plants, and animals across a watershed,
through preserving and recovering ecosystem services for environmental, social,
and economic benefit. Plans for IWM can have purely positive social effects on all
characters of the water, energy, and food nexus [30]. Water, energy, ecosystems,
and agriculture have always been recognized as the key sectors and related to an
IWM approach. Nowadays, it is essential for all scientists and managers to discuss
the changes occurred in the world and the regions, and consider water, energy, and
food in an integrated manner [72]. In contrast, soil connects climate change, the
deterioration in biodiversity, water, energy, and food security, and is a basic element
of environmental sustainability problems [29]. To incorporate soil into the food,
energy, water nexus, the concept of soil function should be developed to connect with
ecosystem functions [2]. In this regard, Gebremeskel et al. [24] studied the impact of
IWM on soil health in northern Ethiopia. They confirmed that a presentation of the
IWM applications has positively modified soil health. Furthermore, IWM applications showed more effectiveness on soil health in comparison with other management
practices performed. Teka et al. [79] also reported assessing the influence of IWM on
decreasing soil erosion and shifts in the livelihoods of rural households in Ethiopia so
that the rate of soil erosion was halved. In addition, increasing rates of crop productivity, availability of water for irrigation and domestic uses, availability of fodder and
household income were 22, 33, 10, and 56%, respectively. IWM can be utilized as
an approach point activity for developing livelihood for rural societies, an improvement in water availability, rehabilitation of ecological balance in the depraved rainfed ecosystems by greening these regions, and diversification of cropping farming
systems [12]. Hence, the soil–water–energy–food (SWEF) nexus can be introduced
as a useful framework for higher sustainability and adaptive management at the
watershed scale.
4 Water–Energy–Food Nexus: Examples from Iran
A review of the literature on the water–food–energy nexus pointed that most studies
reporting the WEF nexus from developed countries and limited cases from developing countries such as Iran. Few studies have been reported on application of WEF