In the last years, Singapore has set clear targets to transition towards a circular economy. To advance on those targets, the country has introduced policies and strategies to encourage businesses and society to adopt sustainable practices. In 2019, Singapore launched a Zero Waste Master Plan, which lays out strategies for waste and resource management within the context of the circular economy. With this plan, Singapore aims to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills by 30% by 2030. And it targets food, electronics, and packaging, including plastics, as priority waste streams. This report provides an overview of Singapore’s food waste management with special emphasis on food waste valorization strategies. Through an exploratory study and conducting interviews with different stakeholders, i.e., individuals, government, businesses, research institutes, key drivers and constraints to increasing food waste valorization were identified. The report also includes the view of food waste experts on valorization strategies that can be applied in the Singaporean context.

One possible approach for addressing water and food insecurity involves food production, trade, and water used elsewhere. In this study, we introduce a water footprint for Korean rice products and focus on the impacts of localized cultivation and water supply systems on the water footprint. In addition, we discuss several studies on the application of water footprint and virtual water trade in water and food management in Korea. Finally, we suggest the role of water footprint and virtual water trade in sustainable resource management through a water-energy-food nexus approach.

The project titled “The Water-Energy-Food Nexus: Global, Basin and Local Case Studies of Resource Use Efficiency under Growing Natural Resource Scarcity“ (2015-2018), which was supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany, and was undertaken as part of the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems. The project set out to develop research methodologies and insights globally as well as for the Eastern Nile Technical Regional Organization (ENTRO) of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) and Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to support efforts for enhanced water, energy and food security and environmental sustainability. The toolkit describes both qualitative and quantitative methods that have been used in the research project. It is not meant to be an exhaustive list of information and tools related to the analysis of the water, energy and food (WEF) nexus. The overall focus of the tools has been on economic analysis of the linkages across water, energy and food--to complement other studies and method developments that focus on biophysical linkages across the WEF nexus. The toolkit is aimed, primarily, at researchers interested in the analysis of the water, energy and food nexus. However, the studies summarized here also provide insights for practitioners implementing Nexus projects.

PR | IFPRI5 | EPTD | xv, 265 p. : col. ill. ; 24 cm.

The project titled “The Water-Energy-Food Nexus: Global, Basin and Local Case Studies of Resource Use Efficiency under Growing Natural Resource Scarcity“ (2015-2018), which was supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany, and was undertaken as part of the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems. The project set out to develop research methodologies and insights globally as well as for the Eastern Nile Technical Regional Organization (ENTRO) of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) and Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to support efforts for enhanced water, energy and food security and environmental sustainability. The toolkit describes both qualitative and quantitative methods that have been used in the research project. It is not meant to be an exhaustive list of information and tools related to the analysis of the water, energy and food (WEF) nexus. The overall focus of the tools has been on economic analysis of the linkages across water, energy and food--to complement other studies and method developments that focus on biophysical linkages across the WEF nexus. The toolkit is aimed, primarily, at researchers interested in the analysis of the water, energy and food nexus. However, the studies summarized here also provide insights for practitioners implementing Nexus projects. | Non-PR | IFPRI1; CRP5; The Water Energy Food Nexus | EPTD; DSGD | CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE)

Food, energy, and water (FEW) systems are inexorably linked. Earth's changing climate and increasing competition for finite land resources are creating and amplifying challenges at the FEW nexus. Managing FEW systems to mitigate these negative impacts and stresses is a pressing policy issue. The FEW interface is often managed as three independent systems, missing disruptive opportunities for streamlined integrated management. We contend that existing technologies can be reframed and emerging technologies can be harnessed for integrated FEW management, changing the way that each resource system operates within the broader system. We discuss solutions to three main challenges to integrating FEW system management: resolving spatiotemporal disconnections over multiple scales; closing resource loops; and creating actionable information. Sustainable resource management is critical for humanity, as well as for functioning trade systems and ecological health. Embracing integrated management in FEW systems would enable policy makers and managers to more efficiently and effectively secure critical resource systems in the face of global change.

CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE) | Ringler Claudia et al., 'Research guide for water-energy-food nexus analysis', , IFPRI, 2018