A near-zero waste treatment system for food processing wastewater was developed and studied. The wastewater was treated using an anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR), polished using an outdoor photobioreactor for microalgae cultivation (three species were studied), and excess sludge was treated using hydrothermal carbonization. The study was conducted under arid climate conditions for one year (four seasons). The AnMBR reduced the total organic carbon by 97%, which was mostly recovered as methane (~57%) and hydrochar (~4%). Microalgal biomass productivity in the AnMBR effluent ranged from 0.25 to 0.8 g·L⁻¹·day⁻¹. Nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) uptake varied seasonally, from 18 to 45 mg·L⁻¹·day⁻¹ and up to 5 mg·L⁻¹·day⁻¹, respectively. N and P mass balance analysis demonstrated that the process was highly efficient in the recovery of nitrogen (~77%), and phosphorus (~91%). The performance of the microalgal culture changed among seasons because of climatic variation, as a result of variation in the wastewater chemistry, and possibly due to differences among the microalgal species. Effluent standards for irrigation use were met throughout the year and were achieved within two days in summer and 4.5 days in winter. Overall, the study demonstrated a near-zero waste discharge system capable of producing high-quality effluent, achieving nutrient and carbon recovery into microalgae biomass, and energy production as biogas and hydrochar.

Water security is a powerful concept that is still in its early days in the field of nutrition. Given the prevalence and severity of water issues and the many interconnections between water and nutrition, we argue that water security deserves attention commensurate with its importance to human nutrition and health. To this end, we first give a brief introduction to water insecurity and discuss its conceptualization in terms of availability, access, use, and stability. We then lay out the empirical grounding for its assessment. Parallels to the food-security literature are drawn throughout, both because the concepts are analogous and food security is familiar to the nutrition community. Specifically, we review the evolution of scales to measure water and food security and compare select characteristics. We then review the burgeoning evidence for the causes and consequences of water insecurity and conclude with 4 recommendations: 1) collect more water-insecurity data (i.e., on prevalence, causes, consequences, and intervention impacts); 2) collect better data on water insecurity (i.e., measure it concurrently with food security and other nutritional indicators, measure intrahousehold variation, and establish baseline indicators of both water and nutrition before interventions are implemented); 3) consider food and water issues jointly in policy and practice (e.g., establish linkages and possibilities for joint interventions, recognize the environmental footprint of nutritional guidelines, strengthen the nutrition sensitivity of water-management practices, and use experience-based scales for improving governance and regulation across food and water systems); and 4) make findings easily available so that they can be used by the media, community organizations, and other scientists for advocacy and in governance (e.g., tracking progress towards development goals and holding implementers accountable). As recognition of the importance of water security grows, we hope that so too will the prioritization of water in nutrition research, funding, and policy.

Through advancements in technology humans have cultivated more food, used more fossil fuel reserves, polluted the environment, and caused climate change. This was not the case some few decades ago where indigenous technologies were used in exploiting natural resources. Unfortunately, the effects of climate change on the planet are no more distant reality. The melting of glaciers, rising sea levels, extreme rainfall, and prolonged drought are already being experienced. These have affected water resources, land, and food security across the world. The limits of conventional climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies call for the integration of indigenous knowledge and technologies for tackling climate change issues. This is because of the importance that indigenous knowledge and technologies have for identifying the impacts and as well providing effective adaption and mitigation strategies to climate change. Thus, this chapter explores the potential of indigenous knowledge and technologies for the sustainable management of water, land, and food security amidst climate change. The applications of indigenous technologies and knowledge such as agroforestry, the use of sacred groves to conserve water, land, and biodiversity resources, and the practising of conservation-agriculture are discussed as solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, water shortages, land degradation, and pollution. However, these indigenous technologies will be less useful in today's world if not harnessed. Thus also in this chapter, the scientific know-how available to improve the effectiveness of indigenous technologies for the sustainable use of water, land, and food resources have been identified (Robotics, sensors/detectors, internet of things) and discussed.

Socioeconomic and climatic changes and limited water resources pose various challenges to water, energy, and food sectors across the globe. The inevitable interactions between water, energy, and food systems bring about trade-offs but also synergies under different decisions and policies. To gain insights into these issues, we developed a water-energy-food (WEF) nexus model that incorporates both production (supply) and demands sides of WEF systems into a single system-of-systems model using the system dynamics (SD) approach. The model is applied to Saskatchewan, Canada, and so is named WEF-Sask. The model results reveal the various levels of sensitivities of water, energy, and food (and feed) sectors to the socioeconomic and climatic drivers. The analysis of trade-offs and synergies shows that the proposed large irrigation expansion (400%) boosts food production by 1.6% while reducing hydropower production by 2.7% in Saskatchewan. Wind energy expansion strategy (from 5% to 30% of total capacity) makes synergies that not only contribute to electricity supply but also reduce greenhouse gas emissions, industrial water demand, and groundwater use by 2.0, 5.7, and 3.8%, respectively. Biofuel use (blending mandate: 10% ethanol and 5% biodiesel) in transportation cuts GHG emissions by 1.2% but reduces the potential food export (food surplus) by 5.0%. The WEF-Sask model allows for scenario analysis toward integrated resources management, and its generic model structure can be expanded to other regions.

Food, land, and water systems underpin the health of societies and the environment, yet they are facing pressure from climate change, population growth, urbanization, and the overexploitation of natural resources. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have the potential to support food, land, and water systems in response to these challenges. This report explores issues of inclusivity and equity of ICTs and how these technologies might be better used to their full potential.

The focus of this study is to show that by understanding the food-energy-water nexus, potential unforeseen negative outcomes can be avoided in the pursuit of sustainable development. To do this, this paper uses a novel approach to compare a combined farm and short rotation coppice willow system, in which the willow was planted as a riparian buffer, with a food-only and an energy only system. The impact of each system was investigated through the lens of the food-energy-water nexus using life cycle assessment techniques. Data from previous research was adapted in order to quantify the impacts for a typical Irish dairy farm, which is indicative of intensive agriculture across Europe. On a typical Irish dairy farm, the implementation of a short rotation coppice willow riparian buffer strip could reduce total nitrogen and phosphorus leachate by 14% and 9% respectively. Total CO₂eq emissions could be reduced by 16.5% if energy from the willow displaces fossil fuels, while the impact on milk production and profit is minimal. Thus, the use of short rotation coppice willow as a riparian buffer strip has the potential to reduce strain on the entire food-energy-water nexus. By considering the food-energy-water nexus, the negative impacts of the food-only and energy-only systems were also highlighted.The paper also shows how a better understanding of the food-energy-water nexus supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and could help ameliorate the impact of climate change on the food-energy-water ecosystem.

ABSTRACT Global agricultural production is expected to double by 2050 due to both global population increase and changes in diets as a consequence of growing incomes. This also means more pressure on water resources, as agriculture accounts for 70 % of global water withdrawal and for energy production as the entire food supply chain accounts for about 30 % of total global energy consumption. Although there are ongoing discussions related to the sustainability of food, water, and energy sectors, integrating these sectors is still rare and challenging. We investigated the effects of agricultural practices on the Food, Water and Energy (F-W-E) nexus security systems by evaluating the results reported in scientific literature. Focusing on the Brazilian Atlantic Forest biome as a study case, our main goals were 1) to elucidate the impacts of rural conservation practices on food, water, and energy production based on literature analysis, 2) to propose F-W-E attributes and evaluate how they are addressed by rural practices. Our findings demonstrated, in general, a positive impact of agricultural conservation practices on F-W-E security attributes. Indeed, 76 % of the combination between a conservational practice with a F-W-E attribute was positive. Some agricultural practices, such as no tillage are very well documented (45 % of all combinations), especially regarding their effects on soil quality parameters. We found few results connecting agricultural practice and energy aspects. These results are key elements that corroborate with the agriculture multifunctionality approach, and the results can better guide the planning of strategies in the agricultural sector and subsidize decision making.

Water security is a powerful concept that is still in its early days in the field of nutrition. Given the prevalence and severity of water issues and the many interconnections between water and nutrition, we argue that water security deserves attention commensurate with its importance to human nutrition and health. To this end, we first give a brief introduction to water insecurity and discuss its conceptualization in terms of availability, access, use, and stability. We then lay out the empirical grounding for its assessment. Parallels to the food-security literature are drawn throughout, both because the concepts are analogous and food security is familiar to the nutrition community. Specifically, we review the evolution of scales to measure water and food security and compare select characteristics. We then review the burgeoning evidence for the causes and consequences of water insecurity and conclude with 4 recommendations: 1) collect more water-insecurity data (i.e., on prevalence, causes, consequences, and intervention impacts); 2) collect better data on water insecurity (i.e., measure it concurrently with food security and other nutritional indicators, measure intrahousehold variation, and establish baseline indicators of both water and nutrition before interventions are implemented); 3) consider food and water issues jointly in policy and practice (e.g., establish linkages and possibilities for joint interventions, recognize the environmental footprint of nutritional guidelines, strengthen the nutrition sensitivity of water-management practices, and use experience-based scales for improving governance and regulation across food and water systems); and 4) make findings easily available so that they can be used by the media, community organizations, and other scientists for advocacy and in governance (e.g., tracking progress towards development goals and holding implementers accountable). As recognition of the importance of water security grows, we hope that so too will the prioritization of water in nutrition research, funding, and policy. | PR | IFPRI3; CRP5; 1 Fostering Climate-Resilient and Sustainable Food Supply; ISI; Feed the Future Initiative | EPTD | CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE)

The water-food-energy (WFE) nexus is about balancing competing interests to secure the sustainability of services provided by interconnected sectors. Ignoring the interconnections could cause serious consequences. For example, eutrophication caused by overemphasizing on food production maximization could threaten water security. Worldwide eutrophication intensification is one of the most important causes of the lake water quality deteriorations. Water quality models are usually important decision making tools for policy makers. This study attempts to explore the possibilities of applying the WFE nexus concept into water quality models. We propose the most significant challenge is lack of a common modelling framework to streamline connections between up- and downstream models. As the most important water quality issue, eutrophication modeling should increase its visibility in the United Nations Sustainable Develop Goals.