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Interlinkage between water-energy-food for oil palm cultivation in Thailand Texto completo
2020
Jaroenkietkajorn, Ukrit | Gheewala, Shabbir H.
Biofuels for use in on-road transportation have been promoted in Thailand over the past decade to reduce dependence on imported fossil resources as well as possibly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This has led to an increase in production of biodiesel which is produced from palm oil. However, as palm oil is also used for food, it is important to take this into consideration as well. Also, oil palm cultivation is rather water-intensive. Hence, it is necessary to analyze the interlinkage between water, food, and energy to have a holistic understanding and prevent trade-offs when addressing one issue in isolation. The water-energy-food nexus for oil palm cultivation in Thailand has been conducted following two widely used methods, the Water-Food-Energy Nexus (WFEN) and Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus assessment method. The results are demonstrated as a single score, which is easier for suggesting a suitable area for oil palm plantation. The assessment indicates the southern region of Thailand is the most suitable for oil palm plantation. The recommendation is consistent with the suggestion of the government, based on land and climate suitability. However, this study considers more comprehensive aspects including various other environmental aspects. Oil palm cultivation mainly relates to the amount of freshwater consumption, leading to the increment of fuel consumption for pumping water. On the other hand, the effectiveness of fresh fruit bunch yield (for food and energy production) should be developed in the future. Besides, the results recommend the central region for the expansion of oil palm cultivation in the future because of the availability of a good irrigation infrastructure.
Mostrar más [+] Menos [-]Hindbrain Double-Negative Feedback Mediates Palatability-Guided Food and Water Consumption Texto completo
2020
Gong, Rong | Xu, Shengjin | Hermundstad, Ann | Yu, Yang | Sternson, Scott M.
Hunger and thirst have distinct goals but control similar ingestive behaviors, and little is known about neural processes that are shared between these behavioral states. We identify glutamatergic neurons in the peri-locus coeruleus (periLCⱽᴳᴸᵁᵀ² neurons) as a polysynaptic convergence node from separate energy-sensitive and hydration-sensitive cell populations. We develop methods for stable hindbrain calcium imaging in free-moving mice, which show that periLCⱽᴳᴸᵁᵀ² neurons are tuned to ingestive behaviors and respond similarly to food or water consumption. PeriLCⱽᴳᴸᵁᵀ² neurons are scalably inhibited by palatability and homeostatic need during consumption. Inhibition of periLCⱽᴳᴸᵁᵀ² neurons is rewarding and increases consumption by enhancing palatability and prolonging ingestion duration. These properties comprise a double-negative feedback relationship that sustains food or water consumption without affecting food- or water-seeking. PeriLCⱽᴳᴸᵁᵀ² neurons are a hub between hunger and thirst that specifically controls motivation for food and water ingestion, which is a factor that contributes to hedonic overeating and obesity.
Mostrar más [+] Menos [-]Simulations of the Water Food Energy Nexus for policy driven intervention Texto completo
2020
Teitelbaum, Y. | Yakirevich, A. | Gross, A. | Śoreḳ, S.
Water-Food-Energy (WFE) resources exert mutual influences upon each other and thus cannot be managed separately. Information on household WFE expenditures addresses knowledge that distinguishes between geospatial districts' social welfare. Social welfare and investment in districts' WFE resources are interconnected. District (node) product of WFE normalized expenditures (Volume) is considered as a representative WFE Nexus holistic quantity. This Volume is assumed to be a function of residents' knowledge of welfare level across districts. We prove that the Volume rate conforms to Boltzmann entropy, and this is the premise of our hypothesis for directed information from high to low welfare between network nodes. Welfare mass (WM) represents the district's Volume combined with its income and population density. This WM is used as input into a model balancing between all domain nodes that allows policymakers to simulate the effects of potential quantifiable policy decisions targeted to individual districts at a domain level while also considering influences between districts. Based on existing historic data, the established tool exemplifies its potential by providing outcomes for Israel districts showing the influence of imposing different temporal allocation/deallocation actions as managerial regulations to prescribed districts. It is found that districts with a high WM do not suffer when a defund is applied, but districts that have a low WM gain from subsidies.
Mostrar más [+] Menos [-]Toward sustainable dietary patterns under a water-energy-food nexus life cycle thinking approach | Towards sustainable dietary patterns under a water-energy-food nexus life cycle thinking approach Texto completo
2020
Batlle Bayer, Laura | Aldaco García, Rubén | Bala Gala, Alba | Fullana i Palmer, Pere | Universidad de Cantabria
Toward sustainable dietary patterns under a water-energy-food nexus life cycle thinking approach | Towards sustainable dietary patterns under a water-energy-food nexus life cycle thinking approach Texto completo
2020
Batlle Bayer, Laura | Aldaco García, Rubén | Bala Gala, Alba | Fullana i Palmer, Pere | Universidad de Cantabria
The big challenge of the next decades is meeting the global nutritional demand, while reducing the pressure on food resources and the GHG emissions. In this regard, the overall goal consists of redesigning the food systems and promoting sustainable dietary patterns is a crucial aspect. This article focuses on reviewing the state-of-the-art of the combined Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus approach in assessing the effects of diet transitions. Diet LCAs differ in methodology, design, and assessed environmental impacts. The WEF nexus, which aims at finding synergies and trade-offs between the water, energy, and food resources systems, has been applied to different contexts and levels. However, a limited number of nexus methods have been developed at the food and diet levels, and no commonly recognizable methodology for the nexus assessment has been achieved. An integrated LCA and WEF Nexus approach can be a decisive tool to improve the understanding of the interconnections in the nexus, as it enables the consideration of entire supply chains. | This study is part of the Ceres-Procon Project: Food production and consumption strategies for climate change mitigation (CTM2016-76176-C2-2-R) (AEI/FEDER, UE), financed by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, which aims to determine strategies to improve the sustainability of current food production and consumption.
Mostrar más [+] Menos [-]Toward sustainable dietary patterns under a water–energy–food nexus life cycle thinking approach Texto completo
2020
Batlle-Bayer, Laura | Aldaco, Rubén | Bala, Alba | Fullana-i-Palmer, Pere
The big challenge of the next decades is meeting the global nutritional demand, while reducing the pressure on food resources and the GHG emissions. In this regard, the overall goal consists of redesigning the food systems and promoting sustainable dietary patterns is a crucial aspect. This article focuses on reviewing the state-of-the-art of the combined Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and the Water–Energy–Food (WEF) Nexus approach in assessing the effects of diet transitions. Diet LCAs differ in methodology, design, and assessed environmental impacts. The WEF nexus, which aims at finding synergies and trade-offs between the water, energy, and food resources systems, has been applied to different contexts and levels. However, a limited number of nexus methods have been developed at the food and diet levels, and no commonly recognizable methodology for the nexus assessment has been achieved. An integrated LCA and WEF Nexus approach can be a decisive tool to improve the understanding of the interconnections in the nexus, as it enables the consideration of entire supply chains.
Mostrar más [+] Menos [-]Energy–Water Management System Based on Predictive Control Applied to the Water–Food–Energy Nexus in Rural Communities Texto completo
2020
Tomislav Roje | Doris Sáez | Carlos Muñoz | Linda Daniele
Generating strategies and techniques to feed the increasing world population is a significant challenge under climate change effects such as drought. Rural areas are especially sensitive to such effects as they are unable to overcome the lack of water with new agricultural production techniques. In developing countries, rural communities commonly do not have access to high-quality electricity supplies. In some cases, these communities lack electricity in their homes, which affects the opportunity to improve food production through the incorporation of new technologies. This work proposes an integrated optimizer based on model predictive control (MPC) that combines a water management system, which handles the medium-term water requirements for irrigation, with an energy management system, which handles short-term energy requirements. The proposed approach is based on predictive phenomenological models of evapotranspiration and electricity consumption considering climate conditions such as temperature, precipitation, solar radiation, and wind speed, and aims to optimize the use of energy and water and the relative yields of crops. The integrated energy–water management system (EWMS) improves water resource sustainability according to energy availability/costs and water use requirements. Simulation results using real data from a rural community in southern Chile show that the integrated EWMS based on an MPC optimizer successfully determines and satisfies the water and energy requirements under aquifer sustainability constraints.
Mostrar más [+] Menos [-]Water, Energy, Food Nexus Approach Impact on Integrated Water Resources Management in Sefid-Rud Irrigation and Drainage Network Texto completo
2020
Eslami, Zeinab | جنت رستمی, سمیه | Ashrafzadeh, Afshin | Pourmohamad, Yavar
Water, Energy, Food Nexus Approach Impact on Integrated Water Resources Management in Sefid-Rud Irrigation and Drainage Network Texto completo
2020
Eslami, Zeinab | جنت رستمی, سمیه | Ashrafzadeh, Afshin | Pourmohamad, Yavar
Introduction: Implementing Integrated Water Resources Management requires balancing conflicting goals, and the effects on developing countries, which have a poor institutional capacity for change, and suggests a slower pace of integrated water resources management. The growing population of the world, especially in developing countries on one hand, and the need to provide food for this population, on the other hand, have not been the result of overreaching of resources. In this manner, the continuation of an untapped harvest of resources will endanger the sustainability of the region in the near future. Food production is largely depending on the water so that 70 to 80 percent of the water extracted from resources is consumed for irrigation, which is the reason why irrigated cultivation is regarded as inefficient consumers. Understanding how to extract, manage and consume water is the key to solve this problem. On the other hand, the health and safety of communities and agricultural production require energy. Principally in irrigation, it is not possible to extract water without consuming energy. Seeking to establish the goals of the third millennium of the United Nations, researchers have presented a variety of interdisciplinary approaches to achieve a dynamic balance in the food production and consumption of resources, most notably the approach of Water, Energy and Food (WEF) Nexus. Considering the limitation of the resources which is increasing day by day. This approach causes productivity increase by integrating water, energy and food cycles. Managing water, energy and food, despite the inherent systemic differences, are very similar, due to the close relationship between the system perspective and their interaction with each other, a new concept is now called a Nexus approach. This viewpoint describes the interconnected nature and the interplay of the three sectors.Materials and Methods: This research was carried out in Sefid-Rud dam Irrigation and Drainage Network. Sefid-Rud basin is located in the Guilan province, which is benefits from high precipitation, but factors such as dams construction in the upper reaches of the Sefid-Rud dam, the timely inconvenient precipitation and the lack of infrastructure to harvest the runoff, causes water shortages in the area. It is worth mentioning that 50% of the Guilan households have engaged in rice cultivation and more than 70% of the lands are located in the irrigation and drainage network of the Sefid-Rud dam. Hence, reducing rice cultivation in this region will have a great impact on economic and social life. Managing a Nexus approach to provide WEF security requires integrated and analytical approaches that can identify cross-sectoral exchanges, cost-effective planning, policy, and strategy management. Therefore, in this study, WEAP and LEAP software were used for managing water and food resources and managing the energy sector in Sefid-Rud irrigation and drainage network, respectively. Then, the integrated water resources management in the area was addressed by establishing a linkage between these two applications. In the first part of this study, the parameters output such as net water demand, water resources share for each demand node, unmet demand and the coverage regardless of the energy sector were compared.Results and Discussion: The results reveal that the annual water requirement of the Sefid-Rud irrigation and drainage network in 2016 with the NEXUS approach estimated about 8 million cubic meters more than the non-NEXUS approach. Agriculture is the most water-consuming node in the region and there are lots of dependencies on rice cultivation as the most water-consuming crop in the Guilan region. The next step aims to balance the supply and demand, the unmet demand at the agricultural section in the Foomanat, Central and East areas under various management scenarios. These scenarios are including dredging, increase the efficiency of transmission and distribution channels of irrigation and drainage networks, and eliminating unauthorized wells were evaluated.Conclusion: By examining the results of the applied management scenarios mentioned above, the 30% increase in the efficiency of transmission and distribution channels of irrigation and drainage networks in Sefid-Rud has the greatest impact on meeting the demand and reducing the unmet demands of triple areas. As a result of the 30% efficiency improvement scenario, decrease the agricultural demands of the Foomanat area, the central area, and the east (about 29.1, 84.5 and 62.1 million cubic meters, respectively) more than the reference scenario.
Mostrar más [+] Menos [-]تأثیر رویکرد پیوندی آب، انرژی و غذا در مدیریت یکپارچه منابع آب شبکه آبیاری و زهکشی سفیدرود Texto completo
2020
زینب اسلامی | سمیه جنت رستمی | افشین اشرف زاده | یاور پورمحمد
جمعیت رو به افزایش جهان بهخصوص کشورهای در حال توسعه از یک سو و نیاز به تأمین غذا برای این جمعیت از سوی دیگر، نتیجهای جز برداشت بیرویه از منابع را به دنبال نداشته است. به دنبال تعیین اهداف هزاره سوم سازمان ملل متحد، پژوهشگران رویکردهای میانرشتهای متنوعی را برای دستیابی به نوعی تعادل پویا در تولید و مصرف منابع ارائه دادهاند که از مهمترین آنها رویکرد پیوند آب، انرژی و غذا است. با توجه به محدودیتهای منابع موجود که روز به روز تشدید میگردد، این رویکرد با استفاده از یکپارچهسازی چرخه آب، انرژی و غذا سبب افزایش بهرهوری میگردد. آب، انرژی و غذا علیرغم داشتن تفاوتهای ذاتی از دیدگاه سیستمی، شباهتهای فراوانی دارند، که به دلیل این ارتباط سیستمی و اثر متقابل آنها بر یکدیگر، امروزه مفهوم جدیدی به نام رویکرد پیوندی مطرح شده است. با توجه به اهمیت این رویکرد در مدیریت یکپارچه منابع آب در این پژوهش، بهمنظور مدیریت شبکه آبیاری و زهکشی سفیدرود واقع در استان گیلان، یکی از استانهای واقع در حوضهی آبریز سفیدرود از این رویکرد استفاده شده است. در این راستا، از نرمافزارهای WEAP برای مدیریت منابع آب و غذا و نرمافزار LEAP برای مدیریت بخش انرژی در شبکه آّبیاری و زهکشی سفیدرود استفاده شد. سپس با برقراری ارتباط بین این دو نرمافزار، به مدیریت یکپارچه منابع آب این منطقه پرداخته شد. سپس پارامترهای خروجی مدل ارتباطی توسعه داده شد، مانند نیاز خالص آب در منطقه، نقطه نیاز به منابع آبی، آب عرضه نشده و درصد تأمین نیاز بدون در نظر گرفتن بخش انرژی و با در نظر گرفتن انرژی مقایسه شدند. نتایج این مطالعه نشان داد نیاز خالص آبی و آب عرضه شده به شبکه آبیاری و زهکشی سفیدرود در سال 2016 با رویکرد پیوندی، بهترتیب 6/8 و 7/8 میلیون متر مکعب بیشتر از حالت بدون رویکرد پیوندی بهدست آمد. بنابراین بخش قابل توجهی از مقادیر عرضه و تقاضا در مدیریت غیرپیوندی در نظر گرفته نمیشود. در حالیکه، هر چه این مقادیر به واقعیت نزدیکتر باشد، برنامهریزیهای مدیریتی منطقیتر و درصد اجرای آنها نیز افزایش مییابد.
Mostrar más [+] Menos [-]An MCDM-based social network analysis of water governance to determine actors’ power in water-food-energy nexus Texto completo
2020
Ghafoori Kharanagh, Samaneh | Banihabib, Mohammad Ebrahim | Javadi, Saman
A major water governance concern is how to coordinate the complex relationships of the water, food, and energy sectors and the resulting economic, social, and environmental consequences. Focusing on the challenges in one sector (e.g. water shortage in the water sector) and making decisions without considering other sectors will not solve these problems; rather, it will create a new problem (the decline of food production) in the food sectors. The nexus approach is a novel method to represent the interrelated challenges of the water, food, and energy sectors by considering the sectors’ policies to achieve sustainable development. The present study analyzes the social network of nexus actors in the Yazd-Ardakan aquifer, Yazd province, Iran. For this purpose, 54 partners in the nexus network were first identified in various public, private, semi-private and non-governmental organizations. Three types of interactions (knowledge and information exchange, budget transfer, and collaboration) were analyzed among the actors. The actor-network was, then, assessed at the levels of the entire network and individual actors. Then, a coherence analysis was performed by the density index at the entire network level, and the power analysis was carried out using in-degree, out-degree, betweenness, closeness, and eigenvector centrality indices at the individual actor level. Social network analysis criteria were, then, incorporated with the multi-criteria decision-making model ELECTRE I to select the key and powerful actors in the nexus network. Next, the powerful actors were identified and introduced with respect to 15 criteria employed in the social network analysis. According to the results, the power structure in the nexus network of the research area is not at equilibrium. Most of the power lies with the public sector. The water, food, and energy sectors act alone and they do not exploit their maximum organizational capacities to establish relationships with one another.
Mostrar más [+] Menos [-]A Methodological Integrated Approach to Analyse Climate Change Effects in Agri-Food Sector: The TIMES Water-Energy-Food Module Texto completo
2020
Maria Maddalena Tortorella | Senatro Di Leo | Carmelina Cosmi | Patrícia Fortes | Mauro Viccaro | Mario Cozzi | Filomena Pietrapertosa | Monica Salvia | Severino Romano
The European Union&rsquo:s 2030 climate and energy policy and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development underline the commitment to mitigate climate change and reduce its impacts by supporting sustainable use of resources. This commitment has become stricter in light of the ambitious climate neutrality target set by the European Green Deal for 2050. Water, Energy and Food are the key variables of the &ldquo:Nexus Thinking&rdquo: which face the sustainability challenge with a multi-sectoral approach. The aim of the paper is to show the methodological path toward the implementation of an integrated modeling platform based on the Nexus approach and consolidated energy system analysis methods to represent the agri-food system in a circular economy perspective (from the use of water, energy, biomass, and land to food production). The final aim is to support decision-making connected to climate change mitigation. The IEA-The Integrated MARKAL-EFOM System (TIMES) model generator was used to build up the Basilicata Water, Energy and Food model (TIMES-WEF model), which allows users a comprehensive evaluation of the impacts of climate change on the Basilicata agri-food system in terms of land use, yields and water availability and a critical comparison of these indicators in different scenarios. The paper focuses on the construction of the model&rsquo:s Reference Energy and Material System of the TIMES model, which integrates water and agricultural commodities into the energy framework, and on the results obtained through the calibration of the model &beta: version to statistical data on agricultural activities.
Mostrar más [+] Menos [-]Applications of Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) in Food Processing and Water Treatment Texto completo
2020
Prasad, Amritha | Du, Lihui | Zubair, Muhammad | Subedi, Samir | Ullah, Aman | Roopesh, M. S.
Light-emitting diode (LED) technology is an emerging nonthermal food processing technique that utilizes light energy with wavelengths ranging from 200 to 780 nm. Inactivation of bacteria, viruses, and fungi in water by LED treatment has been studied extensively. LED technology has also shown antimicrobial efficacy in food systems. This review provides an overview of recent studies of LED decontamination of water and food. LEDs produce an antibacterial effect by photodynamic inactivation due to photosensitization of light absorbing compounds in the presence of oxygen and DNA damage; however, such inactivation is dependent on the wavelength of light energy used. Commercial applications of LED treatment include air ventilation systems in office spaces, curing, medical applications, water treatment, and algaculture. As low penetration depth and high-intensity usage can challenge optimal LED treatment, optimization studies are required to select the right light wavelength for the application and to standardize measurements of light energy dosage.
Mostrar más [+] Menos [-]Quantifying Direct and Indirect Spatial Food–Energy–Water (FEW) Nexus in China Texto completo
2020
Liang, Yuhan | Li, Yumeng | Liang, Sai | Feng, Cuiyang | Xu, Lixiao | Qi, Jianchuan | Yang, Xuechun | Wang, Yafei | Zhang, Chao | Li, Ke | Li, Hui | Yang, Zhifeng
Food, energy, and water resources, which are interconnected with one another, are essential to human beings and sustainable development goals. Existing studies have quantified direct interconnections of food, energy, and water (FEW) systems in China but overlooked their indirect and spatial interconnections through production systems of other products. Quantifying both the direct and indirect spatial interconnections of food, energy, and water systems is the basis of holistic FEW resource management. The spatial interconnections of the FEW systems within China’s economic supply chains at the provincial level were quantified from both demand-driven and supply-push perspectives in this study. Results show that food and energy subsystems have tighter coupling relations than the other relationships in the FEW nexus from the demand perspective, and food and water subsystems have tighter coupling relations from the supply perspective. Findings of this study highlight the necessity of demand-side and supply-side measures by identifying critical final consumers and primary suppliers. For example, primary inputs of energy extraction sectors in Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, and Heilongjiang are crucial for national water withdrawals. Sustainable management of FEW resources in China can be better achieved through strengthening the interdepartmental and interregional cooperation from both the demand and supply sides.
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