One of the needs of a sustainable decision-making system in agriculture is to determine the role of energy in the food production cycle. Wind energy turbines can be built in agricultural fields for groundwater exploitation and reduce the cost of energy supply for the pumping system. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of wind energy and economics on sustainable planning of agricultural water resources. A multiobjective framework was developed based on the nondominated sorting principle and water cycle optimizer. Maximization of benefit per cost ratio for the total cropping pattern and minimization of energy consumption for the growing season were addressed as the objectives of the nonlinear problem. The prediction of biomass production was made by simulating a hybrid structure between the soil moisture balance in the root zone area and the development of the canopy cover of each crop. The results showed that the objectives of the problem have been met by irrigation planning using climatic constraints and drought stresses. About 35% of the total water requirement of plants with a higher harvest index (watermelon, melon, etc.) is in the maturing stage of the shade cover. HIGHLIGHTS The role of wind energy variables has been considered in the agricultural yield production.; A multiobjective framework was developed based on the nondominated sorting principle and water cycle optimizer.; The proposed optimization method showed that the total water productivity increased significantly by 38%.;

International water law, which regulates the uses of international watercourses that are situated partly in different States, is a highly topical sector of law. In 2014, two conventions covering the subject matter entered into force globally. At the same time, a water-food-energy nexus has become part and parcel of the development canon that emphasises the importance of the complex relationship between water, energy and food. In this article, it is discussed whether international water law supports the water-food-energy nexus approach, which aims to reconcile the different water uses in international basins. The analysis also covers the human rights to water and food from the nexus viewpoint. The legal regime of the Mekong River is used as an example of the possibilities and challenges of the nexus approach in international water law. It is concluded that despite its deficiencies international water law provides a very useful platform for the cooperation between States and different sectors that aim at guaranteeing water, food and energy security.

International water law, which regulates the uses of international watercourses that are situated partly in different States, is a highly topical sector of law. In 2014, two conventions covering the subject matter entered into force globally. At the same time, a water-food-energy nexus has become part and parcel of the development canon that emphasises the importance of the complex relationship between water, energy and food. In this article, it is discussed whether international water law supports the water-food-energy nexus approach, which aims to reconcile the different water uses in international basins. The analysis also covers the human rights to water and food from the nexus viewpoint. The legal regime of the Mekong River is used as an example of the possibilities and challenges of the nexus approach in international water law. It is concluded that despite its deficiencies international water law provides a very useful platform for the cooperation between States and different sectors that aim at guaranteeing water, food and energy security.

The role of water security in sustainable development and in the nexus of water, food, energy and climate interactions is examined from the starting point of the definition of water security offered by Grey and Sadoff. Much about the notion of security has to do with the presumption of scarcity in the resources required to meet human needs. The treatment of scarcity in mainstream economics is in turn examined, therefore, in relation to how each of us as individuals reconciles means with ends, a procedure at the core of the idea of sustainable development. According to the Grey-Sadoff definition, attaining water security amounts to achieving basic, single-sector water development as a precursor of more general, self-sustaining, multi-sectoral development. This is consistent with the way in which water is treated as “first among equals”, i.e. privileged, in thinking about what is key in achieving security around the nexus of water, food, energy and climate. Cities, of course, are locations where demands for these multiple resource-energy flows are increasingly being generated. The paper discusses two important facets of security, i.e., diversity of access to resources and services (such as sanitation) and resilience in the behavior of coupled human-built-natural systems. Eight quasi-operational principles, by which to gauge nexus security with respect to city buildings and infrastructure, are developed.

The water footprint assessment framework aims to illustrate the full impact of water consumption in the whole life cycle of a product, from direct water extraction to water pollution. The framework provides a comprehensive indicator for water resources which, if used with care, can provide detailed information about the different impacts of water consumption in order to aid with water stewardship in the agri-food sector. However, the framework suffers from considerable uncertainties caused by discrepancies in the selection of critical limit values, leaching fractions or models and defining the scale of the study. A case study of oat farming in southwestern Finland and two oat products, oat flakes and an oat drink, is used to illustrate difficulties and opportunities in the application of the framework. The water footprint accounting is done with an applied leaching model and watershed specific nutrient limits for Finland in order to show the importance of the selection of critical parameters. Especially the grey water footprint, a measurement of water pollution and serves as an indicator for water quality, is emphasized as a crucial component in the total embedded water of agri-food products. In this study phosphorus was selected as the critical nutrient in the grey water footprint calculations. Moreover, an alternate impact assessment deviated from the one presented in the water footprint manual is suggested to better illustrate the changes in assimilative capacity of the selected water body. The water footprint of oat is, in this study, calculated to be highly variable depending on the chosen watershed, the leaching model or fraction, and the natural and maximum phosphorus concentrations defined. The study shows that the water footprint assessment framework can only become valuable as an indicator if the parameters used are carefully selected, while reliable benchmarking can only follow if the parameters are standardized. If the assumptions and methodology used are clearly defined from the onset of the assessment, the framework can serve as a useful internal indicator to show trends in water use and quality. Finally, the study illustrates the importance of considering diffuse pollution when planning water stewardship in the agri-food sector.

Cities are complex and evolving systems with various factors playing key roles, e.g., population increase, the migration of population, the availability of resources, and the flexibility of policies. Consumers’ socioeconomic status is also an important aspect that needs to be studied in the context of a self-reliant urban city in its resource consumption. In this regard, the association between water–food and socio-economic attributes was analyzed based on the consumer-centric approach for the Hyderabad Metro Development Authority (HMDA) region, India. In this study, the embedded water content in food consumption was estimated and analyzed for nine food groups and twelve economic classes of the HMDA region. The middle economic classes were found to correspond to ~80% of embedded water content in the HMDA region, followed by the upper and lower economic classes. Except for cereals, per capita, the water consumption of all food groups increased with the spending power of the economic class. The green, blue, and grey consumption water footprints (WFs) suggested that much of the water that is being consumed in the HMDA region is precipitation-driven, followed by surface and groundwater resources. Limited water resources, water resource variability, climate change consequences including future climate projections, uncertainty in data, WF estimates, and region’s future growth imply a detailed study in drafting policies to become a self-reliant region.

Cities are complex and evolving systems with various factors playing key roles, e.g., population increase, the migration of population, the availability of resources, and the flexibility of policies. Consumers’ socioeconomic status is also an important aspect that needs to be studied in the context of a self-reliant urban city in its resource consumption. In this regard, the association between water–food and socio-economic attributes was analyzed based on the consumer-centric approach for the Hyderabad Metro Development Authority (HMDA) region, India. In this study, the embedded water content in food consumption was estimated and analyzed for nine food groups and twelve economic classes of the HMDA region. The middle economic classes were found to correspond to ~80% of embedded water content in the HMDA region, followed by the upper and lower economic classes. Except for cereals, per capita, the water consumption of all food groups increased with the spending power of the economic class. The green, blue, and grey consumption water footprints (WFs) suggested that much of the water that is being consumed in the HMDA region is precipitation-driven, followed by surface and groundwater resources. Limited water resources, water resource variability, climate change consequences including future climate projections, uncertainty in data, WF estimates, and region’s future growth imply a detailed study in drafting policies to become a self-reliant region.