The project titled “The Water-Energy-Food Nexus: Global, Basin and Local Case Studies of Resource Use Efficiency under Growing Natural Resource Scarcity“ (2015-2018), which was supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany, and was undertaken as part of the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems. The project set out to develop research methodologies and insights globally as well as for the Eastern Nile Technical Regional Organization (ENTRO) of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) and Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to support efforts for enhanced water, energy and food security and environmental sustainability. The toolkit describes both qualitative and quantitative methods that have been used in the research project. It is not meant to be an exhaustive list of information and tools related to the analysis of the water, energy and food (WEF) nexus. The overall focus of the tools has been on economic analysis of the linkages across water, energy and food--to complement other studies and method developments that focus on biophysical linkages across the WEF nexus. The toolkit is aimed, primarily, at researchers interested in the analysis of the water, energy and food nexus. However, the studies summarized here also provide insights for practitioners implementing Nexus projects.

The project titled “The Water-Energy-Food Nexus: Global, Basin and Local Case Studies of Resource Use Efficiency under Growing Natural Resource Scarcity“ (2015-2018), which was supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany, and was undertaken as part of the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems. The project set out to develop research methodologies and insights globally as well as for the Eastern Nile Technical Regional Organization (ENTRO) of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) and Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to support efforts for enhanced water, energy and food security and environmental sustainability. The toolkit describes both qualitative and quantitative methods that have been used in the research project. It is not meant to be an exhaustive list of information and tools related to the analysis of the water, energy and food (WEF) nexus. The overall focus of the tools has been on economic analysis of the linkages across water, energy and food--to complement other studies and method developments that focus on biophysical linkages across the WEF nexus. The toolkit is aimed, primarily, at researchers interested in the analysis of the water, energy and food nexus. However, the studies summarized here also provide insights for practitioners implementing Nexus projects. | Non-PR | IFPRI1; CRP5; The Water Energy Food Nexus | EPTD; DSGD | CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE)

CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE) | Ringler Claudia et al., 'Research guide for water-energy-food nexus analysis', , IFPRI, 2018

The argument that economies that face acute water scarcity problems can and should meet their water demand for food through cereal imports from water-rich countries; and that virtual water trade can be used to achieve water securities has become dominant in global water discussions. Analysis of country level data on renewable freshwater availability and net virtual water trade of 146 nations across the world shows that a country's virtual water trade is not determined by its water situation. Some countries have the advantage of high "economic efficiency" in food production and have surplus water, but resort to food import, whereas some water scarce countries achieve high virtual water trade balances. Further analysis with a set of 131 countries showed that virtual water trade increased with increase in gross cropped area. This is because of two reasons: First, when access to arable land increases, the ability to utilize available blue water for irrigation increases. Second, increasing access to arable land improves the access to water held in the soil profile as "free good", a factor not taken into account in assessing water availability. Hence, many of the humid, water-rich countries will not be in a position to produce surplus food and feed the water scarce nations; and virtual water often flows out of water-poor, land rich countries to land-poor water-rich countries. This means that "distribution of scarcity" and "global water use efficiency", are goals that are difficult to achieve through virtual water trade in a practical sense. For a water-poor, but land rich country, virtual water import offer little scope as a sound water management strategy as what is often achieved through virtual water trade is improved "global land use efficiency". The important policy inferences emerging from the analyses are two: First, assessing the food security challenges posed to nations in future purely from a water resource perspective provides a distorted view of the food security scenario. National policies on food security should take into account "access to arable land" apart from water availability. Second, analysis of water challenges posed by nations purely from the point of view of renewable water availability and aggregate demands will be dangerous. Access to water in the soil profile, which is determined by access to arable land, would be an important determinant of effective water availability.

Jonathan Mockshell and Danielle Resnick, authors of a new Political Economy and Policy Analysis (PEPA) sourcebook, set out how governments can make use of a step-by-step guide to account for power dynamics, conflicting interests, coalitions and networks when developing agrifood policies. The book draws upon dozens of frameworks and tools to support policy development that addresses the dual challenges of food security and climate change. | Non-PR | IFPRI5; 5 Strengthening Institutions and Governance | Development Strategies and Governance (DSG); Transformation Strategies

Nearly 90% of farming households in Senegal rely on rainfed agriculture; in recent years, climate change-induced disruptions to rainfall patterns and the ensuing depletion of water resources have had adverse effects on agricultural production, livelihoods, and food security. Recent studies recommend further assessment of the viability of and potential for Flood Residual Water Cultivation (FRWC) as an alternative growing strategy (i.e., to supplement or extend natural growing seasons). This study utilizes satellite imagery, GIS mapping, and crop analysis to identify areas with high potential for FRWC in Senegal's Sédhiou and Tambacounda regions, and recommends key crops that can be grown using FRWC and support food security. By calculating the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) values based on historical data for the rainy season (September) and the first dry month after the rainy season (November) over a 9-year period, areas with flooding potential were identified and mapped. To assess the crop-growing potential for these mapped areas, we used crop reference evapotranspiration (ET) and determined daily water requirements for the select crops included in our analyses. indicated suitable FRWC areas along river valleys in both regions, with specific locations identified along the Gambia River, the Senegal River in the Bakel Department, and low-lying plains near Kidira and Gourel Bouri. It was observed that regions closer to the Sahara Desert required more water for crop production due to higher temperatures and evapotranspiration rates. Our study identified a total potential FRWC area of 20.7 km² and recommends short-duration crops like okra, French beans, and drought-tolerant crops such as sorghum for FRWC. The integration of FRWC with climate-smart management practices can aid in climate adaptation and economic empowerment in the studied regions, and in Sub-Saharan Africa at large.

This is the third volume of the proceedings of the national conference on ?Water for Food and Environment?, which was held from June 9 ?11, 2009 at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH). The volumes 1 and 2 have been produced as separate documents of this report series. In response to a call for abstracts, 81 abstracts were received from government institutes dealing with water resources and agriculture development, universities, other freelance researchers and researchers from the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). Forty seven of the eighty-one abstracts that were submitted were accepted for compiling full papers. | In the past couple of years the sharp increase in food prices worldwide has raised serious concerns about food security, especially in developing countries. To effectively address these concerns a holistic approach is required that encompasses improved agricultural water productivity, adaptation to climate change, targeted and appropriate institutional and financial measures, and a consideration of environmental issues. The main purpose of the conference was to share experiences in these areas and to find opportunities to improve farmers? incomes and food production, and to promote environmentally sustainable practices in Sri Lanka in the face of growing water scarcity and the challenges of climate change.

Agri-food systems face multiple challenges. They must deal with prevailing structural weaknesses, partly deepened by the disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic, civil conflicts, and climate change. Addressing structural weaknesses – such as inequitable access to healthy and nutritious food for all, loss of livelihoods and incomes, and increasing environmental shocks – requires not only technological, but also institutional innovations, as well as economic and policy responses. While development interventions often focus on technological innovations, they lack attention to the enabling policy environment and the political economy drivers necessary to achieve policy, economic, and social impact at the national level. In addition, solutions often fail to analyze the broader enabling environment in which policies are designed and implemented at the national level. A comprehensive understanding of the policy environment coupled with appropriate technological and institutional solutions can influence the success or failure of development interventions. However, political economy and policy analysis considerations are inadequately explored in the quest to transform food systems. Identifying the right policies and overcoming barriers to the implementation of development interventions fundamentally requires an understanding of the political economy and policy processes that shape policymaking. Despite numerous emerging approaches and frameworks for conducting political economy and policy analysis, practitioners and researchers working across food, land, and water systems lack a consolidated knowledge base. This Political Economy and Policy Analysis (PEPA) sourcebook aims to fill that knowledge gap.

Text retained for oral presentation during the 2012 African Econometrics Society (AES) Conference to be held in Kampala, from 25 to 27 of July 2012 | Economics is all about rationality in resource allocation rather than greedy maximization of profits. Water suppliers enjoy high water productivities under drought conditions but are unable to ensure supply sustainability to the expense of water users. This study attempted to explain food shortage in the water scarce Muooni Catchment in the course of climate change. It used operational research, and particularly hydro-economic inventory models to address three specific questions: (i) what anthropogenic and environmental factors undermine water storage in Muooni Dam? (ii) to what extent do fluctuations of the active water storage capacity of Muooni Dam affect agricultural water productivity and food security in the catchment? (iii) how can farmers optimize their water demands and supplies in this catchment under fluctuating rainfall regimes? Hydro-economic inventory models were specifically used to evaluate farmers’ water Economic Order Quantity (EOQ), Limit Average Cost (LAC) and Minimum Efficient Scale (MES). This approach enabled useful recommendation on the rationalization and optimization of crop water requirements and crop yields under three different rainfall regimes: Above Normal (ANOR), Normal (NOR), and Below Normal (BNOR) [JEL Classification Number: Q 25 ].