This study examined access to water, food, and nutrition programs among marginalized communities in Southern Punjab, Pakistan, and their effects on nutrition. Both qualitative and quantitative data were used in this study. We held two focus group discussions (one with 10 males and one with 10 females) and conducted in-depth interviews with 15 key stakeholders, including 20 mothers and 10 healthcare providers. A survey of 235 households was carried out to evaluate water and food insecurity, with the data analyzed using Wilcoxon&rsquo:s rank-sum test, t-test, and Pearson&rsquo:s chi-square test. The results revealed that 90% of households experienced moderate-to-severe water insecurity, and 73% faced moderate-to-severe food insecurity. Household water and food insecurity were positively correlated with each other (correlation coefficient = 0.205: p = 0.004). Greater household water (p = 0.028) and food insecurity (p &lt: 0.001) were both associated with higher perceived stress. Furthermore, lower socioeconomic status was strongly related to higher levels of water (p &lt: 0.001) and food insecurity (p &lt: 0.001). Qualitative findings highlight the impact of colonial and post-colonial policies, which have resulted in water injustice, supply issues, and corruption in water administration. Women face significant challenges in fetching water, including stigma, harassment, and gender vulnerabilities, leading to conflicts and injuries. Water scarcity and poor quality adversely affect sanitation, hygiene, and breastfeeding practices among lactating mothers. Structural adjustment policies have exacerbated inflation and reduced purchasing power. Respondents reported a widespread lack of dietary diversity and food quality. Nutrition programs face obstacles such as the exclusion of people with low social and cultural capital, underfunding, weak monitoring, health sector corruption, and the influence of formula milk companies allied with the medical community and bureaucracy. This study concludes that addressing the macro-political and economic causes of undernutrition should be prioritized to improve nutrition security in Pakistan.

IntroductionThe objective of this study is to investigate the impact of land use changes on the coupling coordination of the regional water-food-carbon system in Hebei Province. Moreover, the findings aim to offer insights for achieving comprehensive and coordinated development of regional resources.MethodsBy constructing an evaluation index system of the coupled coordinated development of the water-food-carbon system, using the coupled coordination model to study the coupled coordination of the water-food-carbon (WFC) system in Hebei Province from 2010 to 2020, and applying the Pearson correlation coefficient and ArcGIS to analyze the impacts of land-use changes on the degree of coupled coordination.ResultsThe results show that: (1) The most notable characteristics of land type changes include a decrease in cropland and an increase in construction land, primarily driven by the conversion of cropland to construction sites. The total area converted amounts to 8207.20 km2. (2) The degree of coupled coordination of the water-food-carbon system in the study area as a whole shows an upward and then downward trend, and shows a spatial distribution pattern of “high in the north-east and low in the south-west”; (3) In Hebei Province, the degree of coupling coordination within the water-food-carbon system exhibits a stable positive correlation with forest land, grassland, and water area. Additionally, the transfer of forest land and grassland are significant factors influencing the delineation of cold and hot spots within the region.DiscussionTherefore, in addressing the coordinated development of the water-food-carbon system, it is essential to consider the influence of land. Resources should be allocated judiciously based on regional advantages to promote sustainable development effectively.

Worldwide hundreds of millions of people suffer from water, food and energy insecurity in transboundary river basins, such as the Zambezi River Basin. The interconnected nature of nexus is often not recognized in investment planning and many regional policymakers lack adequate tools to tackle it. Future growing demands and climate change add an additional challenge. In this study, we combine policy relevant co-developed stakeholder scenarios and integrated nexus modeling tools to identify key solutions to achieve sustainable development in the Zambezi. Results show that siloed development without coordination achieves the least economic and social benefits in the long term. Prioritizing economic benefits by maximizing the use of available natural resources results in the expansion of irrigated areas by more than a million hectares and increase in hydropower production by 22,000 GWh/year in the coming decades, bringing significant economic benefits, up to $12.7 billion per year, but causes local water scarcity and negative impacts on the environment. Combining environmental protection policies with sustainable investments of $7.2 billion per year (e.g. groundwater pumping and wastewater treatment and reuse, irrigation efficiency improvements, and farmer support aimed to improve food security and productivity) results in significantly higher social benefits with economic benefits that still reach $11.7 billion per year.

Global environmental challenges have become more prevalent in the Anthropocene, with the cross-cutting nature of global challenges necessitating a unique way of looking at resource streams. The Water-Energy-Food Nexus (WEF Nexus) provides a conceptual framework for highlighting scarcity concerns and interdependencies between the three natural resource streams. However, stakeholders in the WEF nexus sectors tend to operate at different temporal and spatial scales and existing governance structures are plagued by disproportionate stakeholder contributions and unclear strategic goals. This thesis uses a systematic literature review and expert interviews to evaluate stakeholders' contribution in WEF nexus decision-making processes. A social-constructivist approach is adopted to conduct a thematic analysis of relevant articles and expert interviews with two main focuses. First, identifying the challenges of engaging public, private and civil society stakeholders in WEF nexus decision-making processes and second, developing counterstrategies to the identified challenges. The analysis shows that external influences, coordination challenges, process asymmetries, structural asymmetries and nexus cognition are challenges that underpin WEF decision-making processes. As a result of these challenges, decision-making processes are plagued by reduced trust, stakeholder fatigue, power imbalances and disproportionate nexus understanding. The analysis also develops solutions based on implemented practices and recommendations from prospective remedies. The discussion links the findings to broader debates on mainstream media communication, power asymmetries and participatory processes. Therefore, this thesis demonstrates that engagement challenges can be understood through collaborative governance and WEF nexus governance and that counterstrategies exist both in current practices and as future recommendations