Water-energy-food nexus as a new approach for watershed resources management: a review

Abstract

The Water-Energy-Food nexus (WEF) has been initially introduced in the international community as an adaptive management approach in response to climate change. This study aims to review and analyze the existing literature on WEF nexus approach at different scales and to suggest supplementary ideas for better applicability of WEF nexus framework in integrated watershed management. In terms of geographical distribution, the study covers Asia (Central, South, Southeast, and East), Australia, Africa (North, South, and East), North America (USA, Mexico, and Canada), South America (Brazil), Europe (UK, Italy, Germany, Spain, Sweden, and Greece), and Oceania.For this, 203 articles and documents were found dealing with WEF nexus. Interest over time in WEF nexus was examined from 2011 to 2019 in these regions. The review showed 10 articles had a close linkage with water–food, 49 with water-energy, 119 with water-energy-food, six with water-food-energy-ecosystems, five with water-energy-land-food, three with food-energy-environment, three with water-soil-waste and eight with climate. We propose ecosystem services and other important commodities like soil be considered in future nexus relevant studies. Towards this, the soil-water-energy-food (SWEF) nexus is introduced as a useful approach towards higher sustainability and adaptive management at the watershed scale.

Keywords

• adaptive management
• integrated watershed management
• soil-water-energy-food nexus
• trade-offs
• watershed ecosystem