Earthworks, such as embankments or excavations, because of their transient nature, usually do not play any important role in biodiversity protection and promotion in urban areas. However, the results of this study show that pits playing the role of infiltration basins, which are filled with water only in some periods, can provide bees with food resources and nesting sites. They are particularly important in habitats with simplified vegetation structures, e.g., in monoculture habitats. The attractiveness of infiltration basins and ditches as habitats for bees was assessed by comparing species richness and abundance of bee communities found there with those of coniferous forests—pine monocultures (where the reservoirs were created) and clearings. The species richness and abundance of bees in clearings, infiltration ditches, and basins were higher than in forests. Simultaneously, we found that an increase in woody vegetation coverage and the level of shading in the daytime had a negative effect on bee abundance. In contrast, it was positively affected by increasing the mean radius of a belt of predominantly open habitats around sampling sites (herbaceous plants and seedlings of woody plants <60%). In this case, food resources were not a limiting factor of bee occurrence in the study area.

The nexus approach offers an important heuristic tool for the sustainable management of resources by considering the links among different sectors. The food-energy-water (FEW) nexus corresponds to links among the three of seventeen United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely SDG2 (No Hungry), SDG6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), and SDG7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), and their interlinkages have a direct or indirect impact on other SDGs. However, there is still a lack of a systematic and quantitative analysis of how the nexus approach could promote achieving SDGs. Here, taking China as a case, we built an expanded FEW nexus framework from the lens of SDGs, which consists of six sectors, including food (SDG2), water (SDG6), energy (SDG7), economic (SDG8), consumption and production (SDG12), and forest (SDG15). We quantified the two-way interactions between the six sectors by the panel vector autoregressive (PVAR) model. Results indicate that sectors exhibit different response characteristics (positive or negative) in their interactions, and these responses could change over time. These results imply that changing the priorities of actions may be an effective measure to transform trade-offs into synergies. Moreover, the contribution of different sectors to each other varies considerably, with economic growth (SDG8) generally having a higher impact on changes in the FEW nexus than consumption and production patterns (SDG12). Our research suggests that strengthening the quantitative assessment of two-way interactions among the FEW nexus has crucial implications for leveraging nexus approaches effectively to achieve sustainable development for all.

Previous studies have confirmed that electrolyzed water had disinfection potential and enrich functional nutrients during seed germination. However, the effect of slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) on the quality and safety of peanut sprouts is poorly understood. In this study, the influence and mechanism of SAEW on the antibacterial, antioxidant capacity, and allergenicity of peanut sprouts were investigated. Although SAEW‐3 with 33.85 mg/L available chlorine concentration (ACC) showed better antibacterial effect, the SAEW‐2 (23.74 mg/L ACC) group has a 20% and 50% increase in phenolic acid and γ‐aminobutyric acid content, respectively. Moreover, SAEW‐2 induced peanut sprout has the best antioxidant capacity by eliminating free radicals and improving peroxidase activity. SAEW‐2 or SAEW‐3 treatment contributed to decreasing Ara h 1 and Ara h 2 content thus reduce allergenicity. Therefore, SAEW with appropriate ACC could be a promising application in food safety, nutrients enrichment, and health‐improvement of peanut products. NOVELTY IMPACT STATEMENT: Slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) with 23.74 mg/L available chlorine concentration (ACC) has a significant positive effect on the enrichment of phenolic and γ‐aminobutyric acid in germinated peanut. With the help of SAEW, the germination process can further reduce the content of Ara h 1 and Ara h 2, thereby reducing allergenicity. SAEW with appropriate ACC could be a promising application in food safety, nutrients enrichment, and health‐improvement of peanut products.

WEF (water–energy–food) nexus analyses have become a rapidly growing field since the Conference on Water, Energy and Food Security Nexus–Solutions for the Green Economy in Bonn in 2011. They have the potential to help stakeholders and policymakers to better understand the interlinkages between the different components of a nexus system and lead to solutions that are socially and environmentally beneficial. However, assembling wide-scope nexus has been challenged by issues such as proprietary considerations and data evolution over time, among others. Earth observations (EOs) have a huge offering of data sets that can provide data for most of the components of a nexus at a relatively low cost and various temporal and spatial resolutions. Furthermore, the advent of cloud computing has made possible the processing of massive information. This chapter introduces the Earth Observation for WEF nexus (EO-WEF), a multisectorial information system to visualize customizable data and generate time series data at any location. Google Earth Engine, a cloud computing platform that includes data archives of regularly updated EO and scientific data sets for a period of more than 40 years, powers this application. The capability of EO-WEF in generating spatial data was tested in the Songwe River Basin case study. Overall, the EO-WEF application provides data for key variables of a nexus that can be supplemented by other kinds of data that cannot be captured by EOs.

Selenium is a trace element essential for the proper functioning of human body. Since it can only be obtained through our diet, knowing its concentrations in different food products is of particular importance. The measurement of selenium content in complex food matrices has traditionally been a challenge due to the very low concentrations involved. Some of the difficulties may arise from the abundance of various compounds, which are additionally present in examined material at different concentration levels. The solution to this problem is the efficient separation/preconcentration of selenium from the analyzed matrix, followed by its reliable quantification. This review offers an insight into cloud point extraction, a separation technique that is often used in conjunction with spectrometric analysis. The method allows for collecting information on selenium levels in waters of different complexity (drinking water, river and lake waters), beverages (wine, juices), and a broad range of food (cereals, legumes, fresh fruits and vegetables, tea, mushrooms, nuts, etc.).

The United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs) set ambitious policy targets for 2030 to overcome poverty while preserving the planet. These goals are not perfectly aligned; trade-offs emerge during implementation at regional and local levels, such as in a river basin. Here, we quantify important trade-offs between water, energy, and food-related SDGs in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna River basin, a climate vulnerability hotspot, using multi-objective optimisation based on detailed water resources and crop production modelling and accounting for uncertainties in the costs of water, labour, and land. The trade-off between food production and agricultural profit is strong; the amount of people fed would be reduced by more than two-thirds, were profitability maximized. However, we do see the potential to achieve higher profitability in agriculture against limited loss of food and hydropower production and limited impact on downstream environmental flows, although continued reliance on groundwater and energy, currently unsustainable, needs to be mitigated.

Drought monitoring and early warning systems (DEWSs) are seen as helpful tools to tackle drought at an early stage and reduce the possibility of harm or loss. They usually include indices attributed to meteorological, agricultural and/or hydrological drought: physically based drought drivers. These indices are used to determine the onset, end and severity of a drought event. Drought impacts, like water and food securities, are less monitored or even not included in DEWSs. Therefore, the likelihood of experiencing these impacts is often simply linearly linked to drivers of drought. The aim of this study is to evaluate the validity of the assumed direct linkage between drivers of drought and water and food insecurity impacts of drought. We reviewed scientific literature on both drivers and impacts of drought. We conducted a bibliometric analysis based on 5000+ scientific studies in which selected drought indices (drivers) and drought-related water and food insecurities (impacts) were mentioned in relation to a geographic area. Our review shows that there is a tendency in scientific literature to focus on drivers of drought, with the preferred use of meteorological and remotely sensed drought indices. Studies reporting drought impacts are more localised, with relatively many studies focusing on sub-Saharan Africa and Australasia for impacts with regard to food security and water security, respectively. Our review further suggests that studies of food and water insecurity impacts related to drought are dependent on both the physical and human processes occurring in the geographic area, i.e. the local context. With the aim of increasing the relevance and utility of the information provided by DEWSs, we argue in favour of additional consideration of drought impact indices oriented towards sustainable development and human welfare.

The food self-sufficiency policy has always featured as an unquestionable policy objective for Egypt. This is understandable when one considers both the high population growth and the social and political vulnerability associated with a dependence on food imports and world market food prices such as wheat. Intensive agriculture has led to a growing subsidy burden for the Egyptian government. In addition, the agricultural fields in Egypt are commonly distributed with relatively small sizes parcels that usually reduce the reliability of the agricultural sector, particularly in the delta region, to meet the national food policy. On top of that, climate change, through changing weather patterns and increased temperatures, is affecting agricultural yields and thus farmers’ livelihoods. A water profitability analysis was conducted for three governorates in the Nile Delta in Egypt to establish a baseline and assess the net return per unit of water of the main crops in each of these governorates; this can act as a reference of the water profitability of different crops before they are affected by climate change and other internal and external factors. The analysis was based on extensive in-person surveys in each governorate in addition to workshop discussions with farmers. The study has highlighted the impact of a lack of extension services, which limits farmers’ ability to increase their land and water productivity. Farmers with more access to subsidized production inputs managed to achieve higher levels of water profitability even on smaller lands. Finally, we drew from our findings key policy actions to improve water profitability and land productivity for farmers in the Nile Delta to achieve higher levels of food security. This will help build resilient food production systems that are reliable in the face of climate change and other drivers. In addition, an integrated nexus strategy and plan for the inter- and intra-country is recommended to address the challenges related to food and climate security.

Food insecurity has profound nutritional and public health consequences. Water insecurity may exacerbate food insecurity, yet little is known about the association between water and food insecurity in the United States or other high-income countries. This study aimed to estimate how tap water avoidance, a proxy of water insecurity, covaries with food insecurity; examine how the probability of food insecurity changed by tap water avoidance between 2005 and 2018; and test how the association between tap water avoidance and food insecurity differed across income and housing statuses. This was a secondary analysis of the cross-sectional 2005-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Participants were 31,390 US adults 20 years and older. The main outcome was food insecurity, using the US Food Security Survey Module. Adjusted logistic regression models estimated how tap water avoidance was associated with the odds of food insecurity. Predicted probabilities of food insecurity over time and by income and housing status were plotted using marginal standardization. Adults who avoided tap water had 21% higher odds (95% CI 1.09 to 1.34) of food insecurity compared with those who drank tap water. The probability of any food insecurity doubled between 2005-2006 and 2017-2018 and was consistently higher for tap water avoiders. Food insecurity decreased across both tap water drinkers and avoiders as income increased, but was higher among tap water avoiders at all income levels. Likewise, food insecurity was higher among renters than among homeowners but was higher among tap water avoiders in both housing groups. Tap water avoidance is positively associated with food insecurity in the United States, and both insecurities have increased over time. Efforts to mitigate food insecurity should simultaneously address water insecurity issues, including tap water availability and quality, as these may be a modifiable contributors to food insecurity.