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The global nexus of food–trade–water sustaining environmental flows by 2050 Full text
2019
Pastor, Amandine | Palazzo, A. | Havlik, P. | Biemans, H. | Wada, Y. | Obersteiner, M. | Kabat, P. | Ludwig, F. | International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis [Laxenburg] (IIASA) | Wageningen University and Research [Wageningen] (WUR) | Centre for Ecology - Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c) ; Universidade de Lisboa = University of Lisbon = Université de Lisbonne (ULISBOA)
International audience
Show more [+] Less [-]Nexus assessment for Sudan: Synergies of the water, energy and food sectors Full text
2019
Babiker, Babiker | Salih, Ali | Siddig, Khalid | Ringler, Claudia
This report presents the main findings of the Nexus assessment study for Sudan. It identified Water-Energy-Food Nexus priority issues in Sudan, suggested operational guidance to align national strategies, policies and implementation plans within a national Nexus framework, identified opportunities to apply the Nexus approach, including institutional settings and capacity building needs, and suggested a series of Water-Energy-Food Nexus projects in Sudan.
Show more [+] Less [-]The global nexus of food–trade–water sustaining environmental flows by 2050 Full text
2019
Pastor, Amandine | Palazzo, A. | Havlik, P. | Biemans, H. | Wada, Y. | Obersteiner, M. | Kabat, P. | Ludwig, F.
Water-energy-food nexus: A case study on medicinal and aromatic plants Full text
2019
Litskas, Vassilis | Chrysargyris, Antonios | Stavrinides, Menelaos | Tzortzakis, Nikolaos
Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs) are broadly cultivated in the Mediterranean but their environmental footprint is not very well studied. In this paper, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was applied to determine the energy balance, carbon and water footprints (CF and WF, respectively) in 50 farms, organic and conventional, where four MAP species were cultivated; spearmint (Mentha spicata), oregano (Oreganum vulgare), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) and Damask rose (Rosa damascena). The lowest value for energy intensity (EI) was observed for organic spearmint (0.18 MJ/kg fresh weight; f.w.) while the highest for conventional Damask rose (5.80 MJ/kg f.w.). Statistically significant differences were observed in EI between organic and conventional farms for spearmint and Damask rose while no differences were found for oregano and rosemary. The lowest CF was observed for organic rosemary (0.051 kg CO₂-eq/kg f.w.) while the highest for conventional Damask rose (0.463 kg CO₂-eq/kg f.w.). Statistical differences in the CF between organic and conventional farms for the four species followed the same pattern as for EI. Conventional spearmint had the lowest WF (61.5 L of water/kg f.w.) and organic Damask rose the highest (1522 L of water/kg f.w.). Statistical differences between the two management systems were observed only for Damask rose. The 50 farms were grouped according to the values of three indicators (EI, CF and WF) using cluster analysis. Four clusters were identified with 68% of the farms (34) belonging to the low footprint cluster which contained organic and conventional spearmint, oregano and rosemary farms. The other three clusters contained the (16) Damask rose farms, where the inputs were higher in comparison to the other three species and the highest footprint clusters contained conventional rose farms. Our work suggests that MAPs are viable candidates for the implementation of sustainable agriculture in the Mediterranean.
Show more [+] Less [-]Comprehensive assessment of regional food-energy-water nexus with GIS-based tool Full text
2019
Integration of the food, energy, and water (FEW) nexus thinking is expected to enhance cross-sectoral discussion during the process of policy development. This process can be improved with comprehensive assessment tools to provide quantitative information regarding the interdependence of the FEW nexus. A comprehensive framework of the regional FEW nexus quantitative assessment was proposed in this study. Life cycle assessment (LCA) was the core method used to evaluate the FEW inter-linkages. Land use data which can further imply the resources consumption or requirement was introduced to estimate potential changes in the nexus in future time periods. In order to display the practicality of the FEW nexus approach, a user-friendly nexus platform, a GIS-based Regional Environmental Assessment Tool for Food-Energy-Water nexus (GREAT for FEW) (http://greatforfew.enve.ntu.edu.tw/FEW/), was developed with a solid conceptual model, a database, and calculation methods. The usability of the tool was demonstrated using a Taiwanese case study. The results of the Taiwanese case showed that Scenario 1 (non-nuclear homeland policy) caused the lowest environmental impacts as compared to both Scenario 0 (baseline) and Scenario 2 (non-nuclear homeland policy with National Spatial Plan) due to better energy structures and maintenance of agricultural lands. These outcomes indicate that the selection of indicators does affect the results. Therefore, it is suggested that additional indicators should be designed based on the characteristics of the case study area and concerns of stakeholders.
Show more [+] Less [-]Virtual water flow in food trade systems of two West African cities Full text
2019
Akoto-Danso, Edmund K. | Karg, H. | Drechsel, Pay | Nyarko, G. | Buerkert, Andreas
Virtual water flow in food trade systems of two West African cities Full text
2019
Akoto-Danso, Edmund K. | Karg, H. | Drechsel, Pay | Nyarko, G. | Buerkert, Andreas
Rapid urban growth in sub-Saharan Africa challenges food supply of cities. As food and other organic matter are transported from production areas to consumption points, water, which has been used for their production, is transported virtually. This study aimed at determining the magnitude and sources of virtual water flows in food trade of two West African cities, in order to better assess food provisioning risks and water resource use and planning. To this end, flows of unprocessed food from local, regional, national and international sources were systematically recorded at all roads leading to Tamale, Ghana and Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The survey was conducted within two years covering the peak (November - December) and lean season (March - April), respectively, for six days in a row. Virtual water flows were computed by multiplying the flow quantities (t yr-1) by their respective virtual water contents (m3 t-1). Results showed that virtual water of all food commodities imported to Tamale and Ouagadougou were 514 and 2105 million m3 yr-1 respectively, out of which 68% and 40% were re-exported to other regions of the country. The data also showed major seasonal variation in virtual water flows across the year. Reflecting their dominating role in local diets, cereals contributed most to the total virtual water inflows in both cities. Southern Ghana is the major net virtual water importer from Tamale through cereals, legumes, vegetables, and livestock. The Northern Region of Ghana, on the other hand, is a net exporter of virtual water in all food groups apart from fruits. In Ouagadougou, large flows of virtual water were imported in cereals, specifically rice from Asian countries, via Ivory Coast.
Show more [+] Less [-]Virtual water flow in food trade systems of two West African cities Full text
2019
Akoto-Danso, Edmund Kyei | Karg, Hanna | Drechsel, Pay | Nyarko, George | Buerkert, Andreas
Rapid urban growth in sub-Saharan Africa challenges food supply of cities. As food and other organic matter are transported from production areas to consumption points, water, which has been used for their production, is transported virtually. This study aimed at determining the magnitude and sources of virtual water flows in food trade of two West African cities, in order to better assess food provisioning risks and water resource use and planning. To this end, flows of unprocessed food from local, regional, national and international sources were systematically recorded at all roads leading to Tamale, Ghana and Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The survey was conducted within two years covering the peak (November - December) and lean season (March - April), respectively, for six days in a row. Virtual water flows were computed by multiplying the flow quantities (t yr⁻¹) by their respective virtual water contents (m³ t⁻¹). Results showed that virtual water of all food commodities imported to Tamale and Ouagadougou were 514 and 2105 million m³ yr⁻¹ respectively, out of which 68% and 40% were re-exported to other regions of the country. The data also showed major seasonal variation in virtual water flows across the year. Reflecting their dominating role in local diets, cereals contributed most to the total virtual water inflows in both cities. Southern Ghana is the major net virtual water importer from Tamale through cereals, legumes, vegetables, and livestock. The Northern Region of Ghana, on the other hand, is a net exporter of virtual water in all food groups apart from fruits. In Ouagadougou, large flows of virtual water were imported in cereals, specifically rice from Asian countries, via Ivory Coast.
Show more [+] Less [-]Virtual water flow in food trade systems of two West African cities Full text
2019
Akoto-Danso, Edmund K. | Karg, H. | Drechsel, Pay | Nyarko, G. | Buerkert, Andreas
Rapid urban growth in sub-Saharan Africa challenges food supply of cities. As food and other organic matter are transported from production areas to consumption points, water, which has been used for their production, is transported virtually. This study aimed at determining the magnitude and sources of virtual water flows in food trade of two West African cities, in order to better assess food provisioning risks and water resource use and planning. To this end, flows of unprocessed food from local, regional, national and international sources were systematically recorded at all roads leading to Tamale, Ghana and Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The survey was conducted within two years covering the peak (November - December) and lean season (March - April), respectively, for six days in a row. Virtual water flows were computed by multiplying the flow quantities (t yr-1) by their respective virtual water contents (m3 t-1). Results showed that virtual water of all food commodities imported to Tamale and Ouagadougou were 514 and 2105 million m3 yr-1 respectively, out of which 68% and 40% were re-exported to other regions of the country. The data also showed major seasonal variation in virtual water flows across the year. Reflecting their dominating role in local diets, cereals contributed most to the total virtual water inflows in both cities. Southern Ghana is the major net virtual water importer from Tamale through cereals, legumes, vegetables, and livestock. The Northern Region of Ghana, on the other hand, is a net exporter of virtual water in all food groups apart from fruits. In Ouagadougou, large flows of virtual water were imported in cereals, specifically rice from Asian countries, via Ivory Coast.
Show more [+] Less [-]Business of composting food waste by using hydrothermal decomposition (Subcritical water) technology
2019
Suzuki, K.
Safety of Food and Water Supplies in the Landscape of Changing Climate Full text
2019
Fouladkhah, Aliyar Cyrus | Thompson, Brian | Camp, Janey Smith
Safety of Food and Water Supplies in the Landscape of Changing Climate Full text
2019
Fouladkhah, Aliyar Cyrus | Thompson, Brian | Camp, Janey Smith
In response to evolving environmental, production, and processing conditions, microbial communities have tremendous abilities to move toward increased diversity and fitness by various pathways such as vertical and horizontal gene transfer mechanisms, biofilm formation, and quorum sensing [...]
Show more [+] Less [-]Safety of Food and Water Supplies in the Landscape of Changing Climate Full text
2019
Aliyar Cyrus Fouladkhah | Brian Thompson | Janey Smith Camp
In response to evolving environmental, production, and processing conditions, microbial communities have tremendous abilities to move toward increased diversity and fitness by various pathways such as vertical and horizontal gene transfer mechanisms, biofilm formation, and quorum sensing [...]
Show more [+] Less [-]Scaling the nexus: towards integrated frameworks for analysing water, energy and food Full text
2019
McGrane, S. J. | Acuto, M. | Artioli, F. | Chen, P.-Y. | Coomber, R. | Cottee, J. | Farr-Wharton, G. | Green, N. | Helfgott, A. | Larcom, S. | McCann, J. A. | O'Reilly, P. | Salmoral, G. | Scott, M. | Todman, Lindsay C. | van Gevelt, T. | Yan, X.
The emergence of the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus concept following the 2011 Bonn Nexus Conference has resulted in a change to the way we perceive our natural resources. Global pressures such as climate change, and population growth have highlighted the fragility of our WEF systems, necessitating integrated solutions across multiple scales and levels. Whilst a number of frameworks and analytical tools have been developed since 2011, a comprehensive WEF nexus tool remains elusive, hindered in part by our limited data and understanding of the interdependencies and connections across the WEF systems. To achieve this, the community of academics, practitioners and policy-makers invested in WEF nexus research are addressing several critical areas that currently remain as barriers. Firstly, the plurality of scales (e.g., spatial, temporal, institutional, jurisdictional) necessitates a more comprehensive effort to assess interdependencies between water, energy and food, from household to institutional and national levels. Secondly, and closely related to scale, a lack of available data often hinders our ability to quantify physical stocks and flows of resources. In this paper, we elucidate many of the challenges that have arisen across nexus research, including the impact of multiple scales in operation across the nexus, and concomitantly, what impact these scales have on data accessibility. We review some of the critical frameworks and tools that are applied by nexus researchers and discuss some of the steps required to develop from nexus thinking to an operationalizable concept, with a consistent focus on scale and data availability.
Show more [+] Less [-]The vulnerabilities of agricultural land and food production to future water scarcity Full text
2019
Fitton, N. | Alexander, P. | Arnell, N. | Bajzelj, B. | Calvin, K. | Doelman, J. | Gerber, J. S. | Havlik, P. | Hasegawa, T. | Herrero, M. | Krisztin, T. | van Meijl, H. | Powell, T. | Sands, R. | Stehfest, E. | West, P. C. | Smith, P.
The vulnerabilities of agricultural land and food production to future water scarcity Full text
2019
Fitton, N. | Alexander, P. | Arnell, N. | Bajzelj, B. | Calvin, K. | Doelman, J. | Gerber, J. S. | Havlik, P. | Hasegawa, T. | Herrero, M. | Krisztin, T. | van Meijl, H. | Powell, T. | Sands, R. | Stehfest, E. | West, P. C. | Smith, P.
Rapidly increasing populations coupled with increased food demand requires either an expansion of agriculturalland or sufficient production gains from current resources. However, in a changing world, reduced wateravailability might undermine improvements in crop and grass productivity and may disproportionately affectdifferent parts of the world. Using multi-model studies, the potential trends, risks and uncertainties to land useand land availability that may arise from reductions in water availability are examined here. In addition, theimpacts of different policy interventions on pressures from emerging risks are examined.Results indicate that globally, approximately 11% and 10% of current crop- and grass-lands could be vul-nerable to reduction in water availability and may lose some productive capacity, with Africa and the MiddleEast, China, Europe and Asia particularly at risk. While uncertainties remain, reduction in agricultural land areaassociated with dietary changes (reduction of food waste and decreased meat consumption) offers the greatestbuffer against land loss and food insecurity.
Show more [+] Less [-]The vulnerabilities of agricultural land and food production to future water scarcity Full text
2019
Fitton, N. | Alexander, P. | Arnell, N. | Bajzelj, B. | Calvin, K. | Doelman, J. | Gerber, J.S. | Havlik, P. | Hasegawa, T. | Herrero, M. | Krisztin, T. | van Meijl, H. | Powell, T. | Sands, R. | Stehfest, E. | West, P.C. | Smith, P.
Rapidly increasing populations coupled with increased food demand requires either an expansion of agricultural land or sufficient production gains from current resources. However, in a changing world, reduced water availability might undermine improvements in crop and grass productivity and may disproportionately affect different parts of the world. Using multi-model studies, the potential trends, risks and uncertainties to land use and land availability that may arise from reductions in water availability are examined here. In addition, the impacts of different policy interventions on pressures from emerging risks are examined.Results indicate that globally, approximately 11% and 10% of current crop- and grass-lands could be vulnerable to reduction in water availability and may lose some productive capacity, with Africa and the Middle East, China, Europe and Asia particularly at risk. While uncertainties remain, reduction in agricultural land area associated with dietary changes (reduction of food waste and decreased meat consumption) offers the greatest buffer against land loss and food insecurity.
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