Your search found 108 records
1 Taguta, C.; Dirwai, T. L.; Senzanje, A.; Sikka, Alok; Mabhaudhi, Tafadzwanashe. 2022. Sustainable irrigation technologies: a water-energy-food (WEF) nexus perspective towards achieving more crop per drop per joule per hectare. Environmental Research Letters, 17(7):073003. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac7b39]
Irrigation systems ; Technology ; Water productivity ; Energy consumption ; Food production ; Nexus approaches ; Integrated management ; Sustainable agriculture ; Water management ; Water use efficiency ; Yields ; Irrigated farming ; Modernization ; Resilience ; Silos ; Furrow irrigation ; Sprinkler irrigation ; Drip irrigation ; Sustainable Development Goals
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051297)
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ac7b39/pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051297.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051297.pdf
(1.37 MB) (1.37 MB)
Sustainable agricultural intensification requires irrigation methods and strategies to minimize yield penalties while optimizing water, land and energy use efficiencies. We assessed, from a silo-based and integrated water-energy-food (WEF) nexus perspective, the performance of irrigation technologies in different agro-climatic regions. Secondary to this, we assessed the impact of adopting systematic approaches such as the WEF nexus on improving efficiency in irrigated agriculture through irrigation modernization. The evidence-based perspectives of silo-based performances individually considered the metrics of yield (Y), water use efficiency (WUE), and energy productivity (EP). The WEF nexus approach applied sustainability polygons to integrate the three metrics into a nexus index representing the holistic performance of the irrigation technologies. Silo-based performance in temperate regions suggests net gains for WUE (+1.10 kg m-3 ) and Y (+6.29 ton ha-1 ) when transitioning from furrow to sprinkler irrigation, with a net loss in EP (-3.82 ton MJ-1 ). There is potential for a net loss on EP (-3.33 ton MJ-1 ) when transitioning from furrow to drip system in temperate regions. The best performance of irrigation technologies in dry regions in water, energy and food silos was achieved by sprinkler, drip and furrow irrigation systems, respectively. Thus, appraising irrigation technologies from a silos perspective promotes individual silos, which renders an unsustainable picture of the performance of irrigation systems. The integrative WEF nexus approach successfully highlighted the trade-offs and synergies in the nexus of water, energy and food in irrigated agriculture. Drip irrigation led all irrigation technologies in WEF nexus performance in dry (21.44 unit2 ), tropical (23.98 unit2 ), and temperate regions (47.28 unit2 ). Overall, the irrigation modernization pathway to drip technology from either furrow or sprinkler systems improves irrigated agriculture’s WEF nexus performance in all three regions for more crop per drop per joule per hectare under climate change. This can promote inclusive and sustainable irrigation development within the planetary boundaries.
2 Nhamo, L.; Mpandeli, S.; Mabhaudhi, Tafadzwanashe. 2022. The power of nexus planning: achieving sustainability entails weighing trade-offs and collaborating among interconnected sectors. American Scientist, 110(4):234-236. (Special issue: Convergence Science) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1511/2022.110.4.232]
Water management ; Energy ; Food production ; Nexus approaches ; Planning ; Sustainability ; Sectoral development ; Resource management ; Collaboration ; Policies ; Sustainable Development Goals
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051299)
https://www.americanscientist.org/article/the-power-of-nexus-planning
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051299.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051299.pdf
(1.33 MB)
3 Rollason, E.; Sinha, P.; Bracken, L. J. 2022. Interbasin water transfer in a changing world: a new conceptual model. Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment, 46(3):371-397. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/03091333211065004]
Water transfer ; River basins ; Integrated water resources management ; Energy ; Food security ; Nexus approaches ; Socioeconomic development ; Ecological factors ; Water scarcity ; Water stress ; Water supply ; Water availability ; Hydropower ; Environmental impact ; Policies ; Stakeholders ; Decision making ; Developing countries ; Developed countries ; Models
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051214)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/03091333211065004
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051214.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051214.pdf
(1.89 MB) (1.89 MB)
Water scarcity is a global issue, affecting in excess of four billion people. Interbasin Water Transfer (IBWT) is an established method for increasing water supply by transferring excess water from one catchment to another, water-scarce catchment. The implementation of IBWT peaked in the 1980s and was accompanied by a robust academic debate of its impacts. A recent resurgence in the popularity of IBWT, and particularly the promotion of mega-scale schemes, warrants revisiting this technology. This paper provides an updated review, building on previously published work, but also incorporates learning from schemes developed since the 1980s. We examine the spatial and temporal distribution of schemes and their drivers, review the arguments for and against the implementation of IBWT schemes and examine conceptual models for assessing IBWT schemes. Our analysis suggests that IBWT is growing in popularity as a supply-side solution for water scarcity and is likely to represent a key tool for water managers into the future. However, we argue that IBWT cannot continue to be delivered through current approaches, which prioritise water-centric policies and practices at the expense of social and environmental concerns. We critically examine the Socio-Ecological Systems and Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus models as new conceptual models for conceptualising and assessing IBWT. We conclude that neither model offers a comprehensive solution. Instead, we propose an enhanced WEF model (eWEF) to facilitate a more holistic assessment of how these mega-scale engineering interventions are integrated into water management strategies. The proposed model will help water managers, decision-makers, IBWT funders and communities create more sustainable IBWT schemes.
4 Del Borghi, A.; Tacchino, V.; Moreschi, L.; Matarazzo, A.; Gallo, M.; Vazquez, D. A. 2022. Environmental assessment of vegetable crops towards the water-energy-food nexus: a combination of precision agriculture and life cycle assessment. Ecological Indicators, 140:109015. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.109015]
Precision agriculture ; Life cycle assessment ; Water resources ; Energy ; Food production ; Nexus approaches ; Sustainability ; Vegetable crops ; Beans ; Peas ; Sweet corn ; Environmental assessment ; Tomatoes ; Water use ; Case studies / Italy
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051253)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X22004861/pdfft?md5=b718f554f2084af51058ca068d0ff3f1&pid=1-s2.0-S1470160X22004861-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051253.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051253.pdf
(2.07 MB) (2.07 MB)
The increase in world population and the resulting demand for food, water and energy are exerting increasing pressure on soil, water resources and ecosystems. Identification of tools to minimise the related environmental impacts within the food–energy–water nexus is, therefore, crucial. The purpose of the study is to carry out an analysis of the agri-food sector in order to improve the energy-environmental performance of four vegetable crops (beans, peas, sweet corn, tomato) through a combination of precision agriculture (PA) and life cycle assessment (LCA). Thus, PA strategies were identified and a full LCA was performed on actual and future scenarios for all crops in order to evaluate the benefits of a potential combination of these two tools. In the case study analysed, a life cycle approach was able to target water consumption as a key parameter for the reduced water availability of future climate scenarios and to set a multi-objective function combining also such environmental aspects to the original goal of yield maximisation. As a result, the combination of PA with the LCA perspective potentially allowed the path for an optimal trade-off of all the parameters involved and an overall reduction of the expected environmental impacts in future climate scenarios.
5 David, L. O.; Nwulu, N. I.; Aigbavboa, C. O.; Adepoju, O. O. 2022. Integrating fourth industrial revolution (4IR) technologies into the water, energy & food nexus for sustainable security: a bibliometric analysis. Journal of Cleaner Production, 363:132522. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.132522]
Industrialization ; Technology ; Water security ; Energy ; Food security ; Nexus approaches ; Bibliometric analysis ; Economic growth ; Sustainability ; Artificial intelligence ; Blockchain technology ; Robots ; Urban planning
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051272)
(3.05 MB)
The technologies of the fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR/Industry 4.0) have been a technological catalyst for all fields of human endeavor, permeating the water, energy, and food (WEF) nexus. However, there is no empirical evidence of the extent of applications and the permeability level in ensuring the three resources’ security. This study explored the relationship of the fourth industrial revolution technologies and the water, energy, and food nexus by evaluating the applications of the various technologies of 4IR on WEF nexus and examined the effect of 4IR on WEF nexus. The objectives were achieved using the qualitative methodology and bibliometric analysis of content analysis. The result showed that most fourth industrial revolution technologies had not been integrated with the WEF nexus. The result showed that only the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data analytics had permeated the nexus, which shows that data of the resources will be the foundation of the nexus. The systematic collection, accuracy of data, and empirical analysis of data will determine the level of security of WEF nexus.
The qualitative results show that there are applications of the fourth industrial revolution technologies to the individual sectors of the nexus, birthing Water 4.0, Energy 4.0, and Food 4.0. The Bibliometric analysis result shows that the integration of the fourth industrial revolution with the WEF nexus will lead to cleaner production practices relating to the technological processes of water, energy, and food resources. These practices will ensure the environment's safety from WEF wastes and the water, energy, and food security in production processes. The empirical research and bibliometric analysis result, rooted in the concept of cleaner production, shows that the fourth industrial revolution affected the WEF nexus. The effects are; the birth of clean technologies & industrial applications, the catalyst for sustainability security of WEF nexus leveraging on life cycle thinking, enablement of technological transfer, enhancement of economic growth, and urban planning. The study concludes that the fourth industrial revolution technologies affect WEF nexus, ensuring the popularization of cleaner production strategies and processes of the resources during trade-offs and synergies. The study recommends the integration of a cleaner production concept in WEF processing. It should follow the innovation diffusion theory (IDT) and Technology acceptance theory (TAM) when applying 4IR technologies to the nexus of water, energy, and food resources, for their sustainable security.
The qualitative results show that there are applications of the fourth industrial revolution technologies to the individual sectors of the nexus, birthing Water 4.0, Energy 4.0, and Food 4.0. The Bibliometric analysis result shows that the integration of the fourth industrial revolution with the WEF nexus will lead to cleaner production practices relating to the technological processes of water, energy, and food resources. These practices will ensure the environment's safety from WEF wastes and the water, energy, and food security in production processes. The empirical research and bibliometric analysis result, rooted in the concept of cleaner production, shows that the fourth industrial revolution affected the WEF nexus. The effects are; the birth of clean technologies & industrial applications, the catalyst for sustainability security of WEF nexus leveraging on life cycle thinking, enablement of technological transfer, enhancement of economic growth, and urban planning. The study concludes that the fourth industrial revolution technologies affect WEF nexus, ensuring the popularization of cleaner production strategies and processes of the resources during trade-offs and synergies. The study recommends the integration of a cleaner production concept in WEF processing. It should follow the innovation diffusion theory (IDT) and Technology acceptance theory (TAM) when applying 4IR technologies to the nexus of water, energy, and food resources, for their sustainable security.
6 Hamidov, A.; Kasymov, U.; Djumaboev, Kakhramon; Paul, C. 2022. Rebound effects in irrigated agriculture in Uzbekistan: a stakeholder-based assessment. Sustainability, 14(14):8375. [doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148375]
Irrigated farming ; Rebound effects ; Stakeholders ; Water conservation ; Technology ; Sustainability ; Water resources ; Energy ; Food production ; Nexus approaches ; Irrigation efficiency ; Water use efficiency ; Irrigation systems ; Water availability ; Water demand ; Water deficit ; Irrigated land ; Irrigation water ; Economic growth ; Policies ; Gross national product ; Farmers / Central Asia / Uzbekistan
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051302)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/14/8375/pdf?version=1657277153
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051302.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051302.pdf
(1.83 MB) (1.83 MB)
There is wide consensus among scholars and practitioners that improved irrigation technologies increase farm productivity and improve resource use efficiency. However, there is also growing empirical evidence that efficiency improvements in irrigation water use may create rebound effects, i.e., they may trigger changes in farmers’ behavior that partly or fully offset the technical water savings expected under ceteris paribus conditions. In extreme cases, total water consumption may even increase. We studied the impacts of introducing water-saving irrigation technologies in Uzbekistan and used structured stakeholder interviews for an expert-based assessment of potential rebound effects. Our findings contribute to the understanding of impacts of technological and institutional responses to environmental and economic pressures in sustaining water resources. The study demonstrates that although the objective of increasing irrigation efficiency may be achieved, the actual water savings under Uzbek conditions are likely to be reduced due to rebound effects. Unless there are effective policy interventions, we expect rebound effects through an increase in water supply for crops that compensates for current shortages of irrigation water availability, an increase in irrigated area, a switch to more water-intensive crops, and overall economic growth. The findings of this paper provide a reference point for estimating the water-saving potential and for evaluating and adapting policies.
7 Khamidov, M.; Ishchanov, J.; Hamidov, A.; Donmez, C.; Djumaboev, Kakhramon. 2022. Assessment of soil salinity changes under the climate change in the Khorezm Region, Uzbekistan. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(14):8794. (Special issue: Effects of Climate Change on Soil and Water Environment) [doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19148794]
Soil salinity ; Assessment ; Climate change ; Soil salinization ; Forecasting ; Water resources ; Energy ; Food production ; Nexus approaches ; Air temperature ; Meteorological stations ; Irrigated land ; Soil chemicophysical properties / Uzbekistan / Khorezm Region
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051303)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/14/8794/pdf?version=1658284499
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051303.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051303.pdf
(2.07 MB) (2.07 MB)
Soil salinity negatively affects plant growth and leads to soil degradation. Saline lands result in low agricultural productivity, affecting the well-being of farmers and the economic situation in the region. The prediction of soil salinization dynamics plays a crucial role in sustainable development of agricultural regions, in preserving the ecosystems, and in improving irrigation management practices. Accurate information through monitoring and evaluating the changes in soil salinity is essential for the development of strategies for agriculture productivity and efficient soil management. As part of an ex-ante analysis, we presented a comprehensive statistical framework for predicting soil salinity dynamics using the Homogeneity test and linear regression model. The framework was operationalized in the context of the Khorezm region of Uzbekistan, which suffers from high levels of soil salinity. The soil salinity trends and levels were projected under the impact of climate change from 2021 to 2050 and 2051 to 2100. The results show that the slightly saline soils would generally decrease (from 55.4% in 2050 to 52.4% by 2100 based on the homogeneity test; from 55.9% in 2050 to 54.5% by 2100 according to the linear regression model), but moderately saline soils would increase (from 31.2% in 2050 to 32.5% by 2100 based on the homogeneity test; from 31.2% in 2050 to 32.4% by 2100 according to the linear regression model). Moreover, highly saline soils would increase (from 13.4% in 2050 to 15.1% by 2100 based on the homogeneity test; from 12.9% in 2050 to 13.1% by 2100 according to the linear regression model). The results of this study provide an understanding that soil salinity depends on climate change and help the government to better plan future management strategies for the region.
8 Zwane, N.; Tazvinga, H.; Botai, C.; Murambadoro, M.; Botai, J.; de Wit, J.; Mabasa, B.; Daniel, S.; Mabhaudhi, Tafadzwanashe. 2022. A bibliometric analysis of solar energy forecasting studies in Africa. Energies, 15(15):5520. [doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/en15155520]
Solar energy ; Forecasting ; Bibliometric analysis ; Research ; Trends ; Climate change ; Water ; Renewable energy ; Foods ; Nexus approaches ; Collaboration ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Models / Africa / Southern Africa / South Africa
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051306)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/15/5520/pdf?version=1659101594
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051306.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051306.pdf
(5.56 MB) (5.56 MB)
Solar energy forecasting is considered an essential scientific aspect in supporting efforts to integrate solar energy into power grids. Moreover, solar energy forecasting plays an essential role in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and conserving energy for future use. This study conducted a bibliometric analysis to assess solar energy forecasting research studies evolution at the continental (Africa) and southern Africa levels. Key aspects of analysis included (i) scientific research trends, (ii) nature of collaboration networks, (iii) co-occurrence of keywords and (iv) emerging themes in solar energy forecasting over the last two decades, between the years 2000–2021. The results indicate that solar energy forecasting research has, on average, expanded by 6.4% and 3.3% in Africa and southern Africa, respectively. Based on the study context, solar energy forecasting research only gained momentum in 2015, peaking in 2019, but it is generally still subtle. The scientific mapping illustrated that only South Africa ranks among the leading countries that have produced high numbers of published documents and also leads in contributions to the research area in both Africa and southern Africa. Three emerging topics were identified from the thematic map analysis— namely, “solar irradiance”, “artificial intelligence” and “clear sky”, which implies that researchers are paying attention to solar irradiance, using modelling techniques that incorporate machine learning techniques. Overall, this study contributes to scientific information on the potential bankability of renewable energy projects that could assist power utilities, governments and policymakers in Africa to enforce the green economy through accelerated decarbonisation of the energy systems and building relationships with developed countries for support and better transitioning to solar energy. From a Water–Energy–Food nexus perspective, the results of this work could assist the scientific community in Africa to take advantage of the inherent interconnectedness of water, energy and food resources, whilst also advancing the use of integrated solutions to shape the focus of solar energy research into a more systems thinking and transdisciplinary approach involving the interconnected primary resources and stakeholders pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals.
9 Feng, M.; Zhao, R.; Huang, H.; Xiao, L.; Xie, Z.; Zhang, L.; Sun, J.; Chuai, X. 2022. Water-energy-carbon nexus of different land use types: the case of Zhengzhou, China. Ecological Indicators, 141:109073. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.109073]
Water use ; Energy consumption ; Carbon ; Nexus approaches ; Land use change ; Emission reduction ; Forecasting ; Farmland ; Cultivated land ; Grasslands / China / Zhengzhou
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051284)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X22005441/pdfft?md5=606b6ab5b5570b0730dfb2db44dfe8a2&pid=1-s2.0-S1470160X22005441-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051284.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051284.pdf
(2.63 MB) (2.63 MB)
The rapid urban expansion of China has led to a large amount of water and energy consumption, and caused drastic growth of carbon emissions. Discovering the water–energy–carbon nexus of different land use types helps explain the interactions between resources capacity and environmental effects of land use activities, as well as provides reasonable options for land use management based on water–energy conservation and carbon emission reduction. In this paper, carbon emission/absorption of different land use types was estimated and the water–energy–carbon nexus of different land use types in Zhengzhou was analyzed. Through the SD model, the future carbon emissions of different scenarios were predicted under water, energy, and land constraints. It showed that total carbon emission increased and carbon absorption reduced along with the land use change during the rapid urbanization process of Zhengzhou city. The water and energy consumption and carbon emissions of different land use types were determined by the different intensities and their spatial patterns of human activities. Therefore, carbon emission and its intensity varied with land use types and water–energy–carbon nexus was closely related to land use types. The carbon emission prediction showed that the carbon emission reduction potential was the highest and the peak carbon emission (40.18 × 106 t) occurred in 2025 under a comprehensive scenario, which was designed with water–energy saving and optimization of land use structure. This study could provide references for policy–makers to formulate differentiated strategies for different land use activities, and contribute to realize water–energy saving and efficient utilization of land and the emission reduction of Zhengzhou city.
10 Chisadza, B.; Mashakani, B.-L.; Gwate, O.; Chiwara, P.; Choruma, D.; Gumindoga, W. 2022. Determination of groundwater potential zones using geographic information systems and remote sensing in Lupane District, Zimbabwe. Irrigation and Drainage, 13p. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/ird.2741]
Groundwater potential ; Geographical information systems ; Remote sensing ; Groundwater recharge ; Boreholes ; Energy ; Foods ; Nexus approaches ; Land cover ; Land use ; Soil types ; Slope ; Drainage ; Geology ; Models / Zimbabwe / Lupane
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051288)
(3.02 MB)
Groundwater is a vital natural resource for agricultural, domestic and industrial uses. Understanding the spatial distribution of groundwater resources is critical to improving the relationship between water, food and energy. This article uses GIS and remote sensing and the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) technique to map the potential groundwater zones in the Lupane district. Lineaments, drainage density, slope, soil type, geology and land use land cover (LULC) were used to create thematic maps in ArcMap. The thematic maps were weighted and ranked according to their influence on the movement and occurrence of groundwater. To validate the groundwater potential zones (GWPZs) model, we used LULC and 675 perennial and seasonal boreholes in the Lupane district. The LULC and borehole maps were overlaid on the modelled GWPZ map to highlight their distribution. The GWPZ results show that areas with good potential make up the majority of the district (41%), followed by areas with moderate potential (30%), poor potential (14%), very good potential (13%) and very poor potential (2%). The results showed that 74% (499) of perennial boreholes overlapped the zones with good, moderate and/or very good groundwater potential. The GWPZ map can therefore be used as a preliminary reference when selecting suitable sites for the exploitation of groundwater resources. Further testing of the model using both seasonal and year-round yields and depths from boreholes is recommended.
11 Salem, H. S.; Pudza, M. Y.; Yihdego, Y. 2022. Water strategies and water-food nexus: challenges and opportunities towards sustainable development in various regions of the world. Sustainable Water Resources Management, 8(4):114. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40899-022-00676-3]
Water resources ; Food security ; Renewable energy ; Nexus approaches ; Strategies ; Sustainable development ; Water security ; Water management ; Water shortage ; Water conservation ; Policies ; Governance ; Infrastructure ; Human rights ; Climate change ; Precipitation
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051289)
(2.66 MB)
The twenty-first century is witnessing an explosion in global population, environmental changes, agricultural land disintegration, hunger, and geopolitical instabilities. It is difficult to manage these conditions or standardize improvement systems without thinking of the three main elements or subsystems that are necessary for any meaningful development—namely water (W), energy (E), and food (F). These key elements form what is globally agreed upon as the “WEF Nexus.” While considering them, one should think about the other key factors that influence WEF Nexus, including population’s growth, impacts of environmental changes (including climate change), moderation and adaptation regimes to climate change and climate resilience, loss of biodiversity, and sustainable nature. Together, the WEF Nexus subsystems represent a framework to ensure environmental protection that should be seen as an ethical and socioeconomic obligation. Issues, such as protection of water resources, and strategies and management tools or mechanisms for the use of water assets and agricultural innovations under the obligations of sustainable use, are investigated in this paper. Attention is paid to the relationship between water and food (WF Nexus) or water for food security in various world regions, including the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Central Asia countries and the Caucasus, China, Africa, and Canada. This paper also presents analyses of a great number of up-to-date publications regarding the “Nexus” perspective and its applications and limitations. This paper suggests that the Nexus’ approach, in its different concepts (WEF, WE, WF and EF), can promote sustainable development and improve the quality of life of communities, while preserving natural, human, and social capital, addressing sustainability challenges, and protecting natural resources and the environment for long-term use.
12 Nika, C. E.; Vasilaki, V.; Renfrew, D.; Danishvar, M.; Echchelh, A.; Katsou, E. 2022. Assessing circularity of multi-sectoral systems under the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE) nexus. Water Research, 221:118842. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2022.118842]
Water ; Energy generation ; Foods ; Ecosystem services ; Nexus approaches ; Circular economy ; Indicators ; Nature-based solutions ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Wastewater treatment plants ; Recycling ; Agroforestry ; Biodiversity ; Assessment
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051291)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0043135422007916/pdfft?md5=8dd5f636bf2540c96fefdbc97c881393&pid=1-s2.0-S0043135422007916-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051291.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051291.pdf
(4.66 MB) (4.66 MB)
The Multi-Sectoral Water Circularity Assessment (MSWCA) is a methodological framework developed for circularity assessment of the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems nexus. It involves five methodological steps and includes an indicators list for the selection of case-specific indicators. This study expands the MSWCA to provide a systematic approach for selecting indicators, considering system's circular actions and multi-functionality, the capture of implemented changes, the three CE principles and the sustainable development goals. Furthermore, this study differentiates between benchmark and dynamic circularity assessment and applies the expanded MSWCA in a water system of the HYDROUSA H2020 project. The benchmark assessment indicates that the HYDROUSA system achieves a 75% increase of water circularity, 76–80% increase of nutrients circularity and 14% reduction of operational `carbon footprint compared to the baseline scenario. The dynamic assessment highlights that additional measures can improve the system's circularity performance (e.g. water circularity can reach 94%) and mitigate risks occurring from uncontrollable changes.
13 Hlahla, S.; Simatele, M. D.; Hill, T.; Mabhaudhi, Tafadzwanashe. 2022. Climate–urban nexus: a study of vulnerable women in urban areas of KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Weather, Climate, and Society, 14(3):933-948. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1175/WCAS-D-20-0180.1]
Climate variability ; Urban areas ; Nexus approaches ; Vulnerability ; Women ; Climate change adaptation ; Policies ; Coping strategies ; Resilience ; Gender mainstreaming ; Gender equality ; Decision making ; Marginalization ; Communities ; Livelihoods ; Households ; Socioeconomic aspects / South Africa / KwaZulu-Natal / Pietermaritzburg
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051371)
https://journals.ametsoc.org/downloadpdf/journals/wcas/14/3/WCAS-D-20-0180.1.xml
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051371.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051371.pdf
(1.28 MB) (1.28 MB)
The changes in climatic conditions and their associated impacts are contributing to a worsening of existing gender inequalities and a heightening of women’s socioeconomic vulnerabilities in South Africa. Using data collected by research methods inspired by the tradition of participatory appraisals, we systematically discuss the impacts of climate change on marginalized women and the ways in which they are actively responding to climate challenges and building their adaptive capacity and resilience in the urban areas of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. We argue that changes in climate have both direct and indirect negative impacts on women’s livelihoods and well-being. Less than one-half (37%) of the women reported implementing locally developed coping mechanisms to minimize the impacts of climate-related events, whereas 63% reported lacking any form of formal safety nets to deploy and reduce the impacts of climate-induced shocks and stresses. The lack of proactive and gender-sensitive local climate change policies and strategies creates socioeconomic and political barriers that limit the meaningful participation of women in issues that affect them and marginalize them in the climate change discourses and decision-making processes, thereby hampering their efforts to adapt and reduce existing vulnerabilities. Thus, we advocate for the creation of an enabling environment to develop and adopt progendered, cost-effective, transformative, and sustainable climate change policies and adaptation strategies that are responsive to the needs of vulnerable groups (women) of people in society. This will serve to build their adaptive capacity and resilience to climate variability and climate change–related risks and hazards.
14 Campana, P. E.; Lastanao, P.; Zainali, S.; Zhang, J.; Landelius, T.; Melton, F. 2022. Towards an operational irrigation management system for Sweden with a water–food–energy nexus perspective. Agricultural Water Management, 271:107734. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2022.107734]
Irrigation management ; Water productivity ; Foods ; Energy consumption ; Nexus approaches ; Drought ; Irrigation systems ; Irrigation water ; Water requirements ; Water conservation ; Crop yield ; Crop modelling ; Evapotranspiration ; Precipitation ; Parameters / Sweden
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051321)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377422002815/pdfft?md5=9d243b5d29ac81c719cb9f4c97532ec9&pid=1-s2.0-S0378377422002815-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051321.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051321.pdf
(10.80 MB) (10.8 MB)
The 2018 drought in Sweden prompted questions about climate-adaptation and -mitigation measures – especially in the agricultural sector, which suffered the most. This study applies a water–food–energy nexus modelling framework to evaluate drought impacts on irrigation and agriculture in Sweden using 2018 and 2019 as case studies. A previous water–food–energy nexus model was updated to facilitate an investigation of the benefits of data-driven irrigation scheduling as compared to existing irrigation guidelines. Moreover, the benefits of assimilating earth observation data in the crop model have been explored. The assimilation of leaf area index data from the Copernicus Global Land Service improves the crop yield estimation as compared to default crop model parameters. The results show that the irrigation water productivities of the proposed model are measurably improved compared to conventional and static irrigation guidelines for both 2018 and 2019. This is mostly due to the advantage of the proposed model in providing evapotranspiration in cultural condition (ETc)-driven guidelines by using spatially explicit data generated by mesoscale models from the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute. During the drought year 2018, the developed model showed no irrigation water savings as compared to irrigation scenarios based on conventional irrigation guidelines. Nevertheless, the crop yield increase from the proposed irrigation management system varied between 10% and 60% as compared to conventional irrigation scenarios. During a normal year, the proposed irrigation management system leads to significant water savings as compared to conventional irrigation guidelines. The modelling results show that temperature stress during the 2018 drought also played a key role in reducing crop yields, with yield reductions of up to 30%. From a water–food–energy nexus, this motivates the implementation of new technologies to reduce water and temperature stress to mitigate likely negative effects of climate change and extremes. By using an open-source package for Google Earth®, a demonstrator of cost-effective visualization platform is developed for helping farmers, and water- and energy-management agencies to better understand the connections between water and energy use, and food production. This can be significant, especially during the occurrence of extreme events, but also to adapt to the negative effects on agricultural production of climate changes.
15 Opoku, E. K.; Adjei, K. A.; Gyamf, C.; Vuu, C.; Appiah-Adjei, E. K.; Odai, S. N.; Siabi, E. K. 2022. Quantifying and analysing water trade-offs in the water-energy-food nexus: the case of Ghana. Water-Energy Nexus, 5:8-20. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wen.2022.06.001]
Water requirements ; Energy generation ; Food production ; Nexus approaches ; Freshwater ; Water extraction ; Water footprint ; Water demand ; Irrigation schemes ; Hydroelectric power generation ; Socioeconomic aspects ; Population growth / Ghana
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051322)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2588912522000017/pdfft?md5=993c979e630bbe627e75be4a498b09a9&pid=1-s2.0-S2588912522000017-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051322.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051322.pdf
(1.53 MB) (1.53 MB)
Water, Energy and Food (WEF) are inextricably linked, and the Water-Energy-Food nexus (WEF nexus) provides a comprehensive framework for addressing the complex and intricate interconnections in the development of these invaluable resources. Quantifying the interconnections among energy, water, and food sectors is a preliminary step to integrated WEF systems modelling, which will further contribute to robust WEF security management. However, the use of the WEF nexus concepts and approaches to systematically evaluate WEF interlinkages and support the development of socially and politically relevant resource policies in Ghana has been limited. This study sets the pace in the development of WEF nexus research in Ghana to facilitate policy and decision-making in the WEF sectors in the country. The study aimed at quantifying the existing water trade-offs in the WEF nexus and also model the trade-offs considering basic development scenarios. The water intensities of food production and energy generation in Ghana were found to be 990 m3/tonne and 2.05 m3/kWh respectively. Scenario analysis was done to project future annual water requirements for food production, energy generation as well as socio-domestic WEF demands based on two possible development scenarios. The analysis predicts that with business as usual, the annual water requirements for food production and energy generation as well as domestic sustenance in Ghana would increase by 34% in 2030. However, technological advancements and innovation in the energy and food sectors could reduce annual water requirements by over 26% even when 100% access to electricity is achieved nationwide.
16 van Koppen, Barbara. 2022. Living customary water tenure in rights-based water management in Sub-Saharan Africa. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 41p. (IWMI Research Report 183) [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2022.214]
Water tenure ; Customary tenure ; Water rights ; Water management ; Water law ; Customary law ; Water resources ; Water sharing ; Infrastructure ; Water supply ; Multiple use water services ; Rural communities ; Water allocation ; Sustainable Development Goals ; water, sanitation and hygiene ; Norms ; Policies ; Legislation ; Water governance ; Water quality ; Water distribution ; Water permits ; Conflicts ; Costs ; Gender ; Women ; Right to water ; Right to food ; Households ; Living standards ; Drinking water ; Domestic water ; Farmer-led irrigation ; Pastoralists ; Livestock ; Land ; Water security ; Nexus approaches / Africa South of Sahara
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H051372)
(1.10 MB)
Living customary water tenure is the most accepted socio-legal system among the large majority of rural people in sub-Saharan Africa. Based on literature, this report seeks to develop a grounded understanding of the ways in which rural people meet their domestic and productive water needs on homesteads, distant fields or other sites of use, largely outside the ambits of the state. Taking the rural farming or pastoralist community as the unit of analysis, three components are distinguished. The first component deals with the fundamental perceptions of the links between humankind and naturally available water resources as a commons to be shared by all, partially linked to communities’ collective land rights. The second component deals with the sharing of these finite and contested naturally available water resources, especially during dry seasons and droughts. Customary arrangements shape both the ‘sharing in’ of water resources within communities and the ‘sharing out’ with other customary communities or powerful third parties. Since colonial times, communities have been vulnerable to those third parties grabbing water resources and overriding customary uses and governance. The third component deals with infrastructure to store and convey water resources. Since time immemorial, communities have invested in infrastructure for self supply, ranging from micro-scale soil moisture retention techniques to large-scale collective deep wells. As increasingly recognized in both the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and irrigation sectors, this component of self supply is rapidly expanding. In all three components, local diversity is high, with gender, class and other social hierarchies intertwining with social safety nets, neighborliness and moral economies.
The study derives two sets of implications for state and non-state policies, laws and interventions. First, state legislation about the sharing of water resources should recognize and protect living customary water tenure, especially through due process in ‘sharing out’ water with powerful third parties. Remarkably, water law, which is dominated by permit systems in sub-Saharan Africa, lags behind other legislation in recognizing customary water tenure (see IWMI Research Report 182). Second, by taking communities’ self supply for multiple uses as a starting point for further water infrastructure development, the WASH, irrigation and other sectors can follow the priorities of communities, including the most vulnerable; identify cost-effective multi-purpose infrastructure; develop local skills; and, hence, contribute more sustainably to achieving more United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDGs 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 13. Further historical and interdisciplinary research to achieve these benefits is recommended.
The study derives two sets of implications for state and non-state policies, laws and interventions. First, state legislation about the sharing of water resources should recognize and protect living customary water tenure, especially through due process in ‘sharing out’ water with powerful third parties. Remarkably, water law, which is dominated by permit systems in sub-Saharan Africa, lags behind other legislation in recognizing customary water tenure (see IWMI Research Report 182). Second, by taking communities’ self supply for multiple uses as a starting point for further water infrastructure development, the WASH, irrigation and other sectors can follow the priorities of communities, including the most vulnerable; identify cost-effective multi-purpose infrastructure; develop local skills; and, hence, contribute more sustainably to achieving more United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDGs 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 13. Further historical and interdisciplinary research to achieve these benefits is recommended.
17 Troell, J.; Keene, S. 2022. Legal recognition of customary water tenure in Sub-Saharan Africa: unpacking the land-water nexus. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 33p. (IWMI Research Report 182) [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2022.215]
Water tenure ; Customary tenure ; Legislation ; Water law ; Customary law ; Land tenure ; Water resources ; Nexus approaches ; Freshwater ; Indigenous peoples' tenure rights ; Local communities ; Rural areas ; Water rights ; Land rights ; Forests ; Legal frameworks ; Water governance ; Human rights ; Gender ; Women ; Livelihoods ; Food security ; Sustainable development ; Government ; Regional organizations ; Constitution ; Policies ; Water user associations ; Participation ; Transboundary waters ; International law / Africa South of Sahara
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H051374)
(1.11 MB)
Despite the progress made in conceptualizing and advocating for secure community-based land and forest tenure rights, there is a critical lacuna in advocacy and policymaking processes pertaining to community-based freshwater tenure rights. Moreover, water tenure as a concept has only recently gained significant traction in global policy circles. This report analyzes national and international legal pathways for recognizing customary forms of community-based freshwater tenure rights held by Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) in sub-Saharan Africa. It employs a methodological framework and builds on an analysis of community-based water tenure systems that was developed and applied by the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) and the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) in the publication Whose Water? A Comparative Analysis of National Laws and Regulations Recognizing Indigenous Peoples’, Afro-Descendants’, and Local Communities’ Water Tenure. Based on the key findings of this analysis, in particular the frequent dependence of IPLCs’ legally recognized customary water tenure rights on their legally recognized land and/or forest rights, this report further analyzes national constitutions, national legislation governing water, land, forests, environmental protection and other related matters, international and national case law, and international and regional human rights laws, to explore how legal frameworks are recognizing and protecting customary water tenure rights across sub-Saharan Africa. The findings and recommendations provide a basis for analyzing the comparative effectiveness and potential drawbacks of these legal pathways for the recognition and protection of customary water tenure and ultimately for future work refining and improving legislation and assessing progress in its implementation and enforcement.
18 Mianabadi, A.; Davary, K.; Kolahi, M.; Fisher, J. 2021. Water/climate nexus environmental rural-urban migration and coping strategies. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 65(5):852-876. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2021.1915259]
Water resources ; Climate change ; Nexus approaches ; Rural urban migration ; Coping strategies ; Land degradation ; Environmental degradation ; Resilience ; Communities ; Villages ; Towns ; Socioeconomic aspects ; Policies / Iran / Sistan / Mashhad / Hirmand River Basin / Lake Hamoun
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051327)
(1.27 MB)
Rural-urban migration is a challenging issue for communities, and is influenced by interactions between numerous push and pull factors. To better understand the interacting drivers of rural-urban migration, the study investigates the factors which influence migration from rural areas in Sistan to Mashhad city in Iran. The investigation was conducted using questionnaires and deep interviews. The results show that the main reason for migration from Sistan to Mashhad is environmental degradation including drought and water scarcity, followed by economic and government operational plans for supporting rural people. However, some people stay in Sistan in spite of the current unpleasant environmental and economic conditions. The results demonstrated cultural and social factors as the main motivations for people remaining in villages. Since the factors could be more challenging under future global warming, adaptive participatory governance is needed to link civil society, authorities, scientists, and the land to develop nature-based and rural-urban migration solutions.
19 Behera, B.; Selvam, S. M.; Balasubramanian, P. 2022. Hydrothermal processing of microalgal biomass: circular bio-economy perspectives for addressing food-water-energy nexus. Bioresource Technology, 359:127443. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2022.127443]
Biomass ; Hydrothermal activity ; Circular economy ; Bioeconomy ; Foods ; Water ; Energy recovery ; Nexus approaches ; Thermochemical processes ; Technology ; Sustainability ; Biochemical processes ; Environmental impact ; Wastewater treatment ; Feedstocks ; Biofuels ; Greenhouse gas emissions
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051331)
(1.95 MB)
Hydrothermal processing of microalgae is regarded as a promising technology to generate multitude of energy based and value-added products. The niche of hydrothermal technologies is still under infancy in terms of the technical discrepancies related to research and development. Thus, the present review critically surveyed the recent advancements linked to the influencing factors governing the algal hydrothermal processing in terms of the product yield and quality. The sustainability of hydrothermal technologies as a standalone method and in broader aspects of circular bio-based economy for energy and value-added platform chemicals are comprehensively discussed. Process optimization and strategic integration of technologies has been suggested to improve efficiency, with reduced energy usage and environmental impacts for addressing the energy-food-water supply chains. Within the wider economic transition and sustainability debate, the knowledge gaps identified and the research hotspots fostering future perspective solutions proposed herewith would facilitate its real-time implementation.
20 Mitra, Archisman; Balasubramanya, Soumya; Brouwer, R. 2023. Can cash incentives modify groundwater pumping behaviors? Evidence from an experiment in Punjab. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 105(3):861-887. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/ajae.12340]
Groundwater level ; Pumping ; Incentives ; Agriculture ; Electricity supplies ; Energy consumption ; Irrigation ; Nexus approaches ; Pricing ; Farmers ; Groundwater extraction ; Rice ; Monsoons ; Pilot projects / India / Punjab / Fatehgarh Sahib / Hoshiarpur / Jalandhar
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051376)
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ajae.12340
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051376.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051376.pdf
(0.91 MB) (927 KB)
As groundwater levels steadily decline in India, authorities are concerned about reducing extraction for irrigation purposes without jeopardizing food security. Very low or zero prices for electricity and water in agriculture is partly responsible for overextraction, but charging higher prices is politically not feasible. In this study, we describe the results of a pilot scheme implemented in Punjab, India, where farmers who enrolled were allocated a monthly entitlement of electricity units and compensated for unused electricity. Eight hours of uninterrupted daytime electricity supply were also provided under the scheme instead of the usual mix of daytime and night-time supply. Analyzing data from a cross-sectional farm household survey and instrumenting for enrollment, we find that self-reported hours of irrigation for enrolled farmers were significantly lower than for non-enrolled ones, with no impact on rice yields. We also find a reduction in monthly electricity consumption at electricity-feeder level due to the pilot scheme using the synthetic control method. Our results suggest that the combination of daytime electricity provision and cash incentives for unused electricity has the potential to incentivize farmers to reduce electricity consumption and irrigation hours by at least 7.5% and up to 30% without impacting paddy yields.
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