Water plays a crucial role in our food systems and food security. However, the essential role of water for a functioning food system and the impacts of food systems on water availability and quality have not yet been adequately recognized. Due to a lack of coordination among water and food systems actors, there are siloed water, food security, and nutrition strategies. This paper presents the case to make water pivotal in designing food systems, laying out action perspectives for different actors to move toward what we call “water-responsible food systems”. This paper is based on input from many participants during workshops and existing literature. A food systems approach provides an excellent entry point to link food with water considering climate change and energy. Moreover, collective and cross-cutting actions between actors in food systems are essential to make decisive progress, as well as a common language and insight into the trade-offs of the multiple values of water for a clear prioritization of water use and allocation.

Global food security (GFS) is challenged by increasing food demand due to population growth and climate change. International trade and globalization have underpinned GFS until the most recent public health, geopolitical and economic crises, when virtually overnight, the focus of governments has shifted towards domestically and locally produced foods. However, the agri-food sector has limited flexibility, and relatively long periods are needed for fundamental/sustainable changes. One of the crucial factors enabling GFS is the efficient water management, but the required knowledge and capabilities are often lacking regionally/locally. We propose the Centers for Optimizing Water Management in Agroecosystems as a long-term solution. The Centers would be the specialized hubs for promotion of research, innovation and technology transfer, raising the knowledge of stakeholders (farmers, extension and government officials, scholars, students, policymakers and other professionals) and their capacities in water management. These Centers would operate as research/education/technology demonstration entities tailored to the specifics of a particular country/region, aiming to address the most important and pertinent goals and outcomes with a high-spatial-resolution outreach. Finally, the Centers will improve farmers’ livelihoods, contribute to sustainable and efficient use of agro-environmental resources, and increase productivity and food quality, ultimately supporting GFS.

Sustainable and integrated management of water, energy, food, and ecosystems requires a coordinated and cross-sectoral approach to manage trade-offs and maximize synergies among these deeply interconnected resources. This line of action is called the water-energy-food-ecosystem (WEFE) nexus approach. This 5-day course provides an overview of WEFE nexus concepts, issues, and approaches to develop the capacities of early- to mid-career professionals in any WEFE or WEFE-adjacent sector, to foster the integrated, equitable, and sustainable management of WEFE resources. This course was co-developed under the umbrella of the CGIAR Initiative on NEXUS Gains by the Center for Water Resources Studies (CWRS), Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, in partnership with the Alliance of Bioversity international and CIAT, and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). It includes theory as well as practical applications and interactive elements.

The water-energy-food (WEF) nexus exemplifies the holistic, integrated, and interdisciplinary system approach, emphasizing mutual interactions between water, energy, and food resources. This study presents the first systematic review that critically evaluates the past progress of WEF nexus research from the evidence-based lens of resource interactions, in terms of quantifying the types and the number of interactions studied. Using a novel classification, this review first classifies 834 WEF nexus interaction studies into four classes based on two axes: (1) The type of study (theoretical or empirical) and (2) The extent of resource interactions examined (all six interactions as a 'full' WEF nexus study or fewer interactions as a 'partial' WEF nexus study). Despite the proliferation of WEF nexus studies since 2011, no significant progress has been made towards including more resource interactions over time in either theoretical studies or empirical applications. Moreover, this review shows that: the number of resource interactions examined in empirical applications is much lower than in theoretical studies; the study of physical resource interactions remains dominant; environmental considerations are biased towards water quality and carbon emissions; and there is a misalignment between research questions and empirical methodologies. Further, this review identifies future directions and provides concrete recommendations for aligning future research to jointly achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2, 6, and 7.

Attaining sustainable development is one of the most important challenges of the 21st century [...]

The water–energy–food (WEF) nexus is an integrated conceptual tool for achieving sustainable development especially for countries facing limitations in one or more of its three pillars. The approach relies on bringing different stakeholders from the water, food and energy sectors together to collaboratively plan and adopt a holistic approach to resources management. This enables them to address sector-specific issues and develop a comprehensive understanding of the connected sectors leading to better outcomes. However, WEF nexus implementation is currently in its infancy in many countries and stakeholders are in the process of learning how to effectively communicate and collaborate with each other. In this paper, we report the state of the WEF nexus in Jordan, a dry country grappling with water, energy and food production challenges in a changing climate. Stakeholders from line ministries, academics, private sector players and non-state actors were brought together to discuss the status of the WEF nexus and identify challenges that need to be overcome for full realization of the WEF nexus as an operational framework for integrated development at country level. Stakeholders identified 7 cardinal lessons in the process of WEF nexus implementation in Jordan. These are that (i) data/information sharing is vital (ii) WEF nexus requires funding, (iii) collaborations among actors is key, (iv) inclusivity in planning is necessary, (v) clear responsibilities and boundaries among stakeholders are needed, (vi) sustainability and cohesion are a must and (vii) building trust among and within organizations is a primary ingredient for success. A deeper understanding of the interrelated dynamics of these challenges is required to foster the WEF nexus in Jordan as the issues are grave but not insurmountable. It is therefore suggested that deliberate efforts are needed from a technical and policy angle to ensure full operationalization of the WEF nexus approach in Jordan and elsewhere.

In this study, starches were isolated from rhizomes and seeds of water lily (Nymphaea lotus) using cold distilled water. The structural and physicochemical properties of the isolated starches were compared with potato, rice, and maize starches. The amylose content (g/100 g) of rhizome, seed, potato, rice, and maize was 23.03, 24.5. 25.17, 21.26, and 19.83, respectively. The SEM granule size (µm) of rhizome, seed, potato, and maize starches were 11.19±3.69, 3.56±0.92, 30.63±11.09, and 7.97±1.48, respectively. The X-ray diffraction polymorph of rhizome, seed, rice, and maize demonstrated type A, whereas potato exhibited B-type. The deconvoluted ATR-FTIR indicates low level of ordered structure in the external region of rhizome starch. The RVA pasting temperature (71.9 °C) and setback viscosity (1292.5 cP) of rhizome was lower than seed (78.3 °C and 3228.5 cP, respectively). However, peak viscosity (7201 cP) of rhizome was higher than seed (4105 cP). Rhizome and seed starches can be used where high viscosifying than rice and maize starches and better shear breakdown resistance than potato starches are required. This study indicated starches of N. lotus have medium amylose%, small granular size, hydrophillic nature, and high peak viscosity of potential to promote for development of products in food and non-food industries.