Activities in the food-energy-water nexus require ecosystem services to maintain productivity and prevent ecological degradation. This work applies techno-ecological synergy concepts in an optimization formulation to design a system for co-producing food and energy under constraints on ecological sustainability. The system includes land use activities and biomass conversion processes for the production of energy carriers, as well as supporting ecosystems that increase the supply of key ecosystem services. The co-production system was linearized and reduced to a mixed-integer linear program, which was optimized for single objectives under a variety of production and sustainability constraints. Results indicate that for the system considered to achieve high food and energy co-production, land use options should be balanced between food-producing crops and electricity-producing wind turbines and solar panels. Results also show that ecological sustainability can be achieved for this system with relatively small changes in land use patterns. The inclusion of nature in the design enables the system as a whole to achieve ecological sustainability for multiple ecosystem services with moderate sacrifices of food and energy productivity.

Since the Bonn 2011 Conference, the Food-Energy-Water (FEW) nexus has become one of the most popular global research topics. Understanding and addressing the complex interactions between the FEW components is essential for sustainable development. This study proposes an environmental impact minimization model, which considers the FEW nexus under four climate change scenarios, to optimize the spatial distribution of three energy crops (rice, corn, and sugarcane). Life cycle assessment (LCA), linear programming, and a climate change simulation model are integrated to analyze appropriate bioenergy production rates while comparing the benefits of bioenergy with the current renewable energy policy in Taiwan. The major findings of LCA in this study indicate that electricity generation using bio-coal produced from rice straw is very beneficial to the environment. Considering the spatial characteristics of Taiwan, simulations from the spatial optimization model suggested that (a) the rice and corn cultivation areas should be increased in southern Taiwan for bio-coal and bioethanol production, in accordance with the “food and feed priority policy”; and (b) the rice cultivation area should be decreased across Taiwan, based on the “water conservation policy”. In addition, compared to solar power, the development of bioenergy can simultaneously enhance food and energy self-sufficiency.

Water use and the cost of water are key factors when considering the net value of urban agriculture (UA). This systematic review critically evaluates past and recent UA yield research from the perspective of water use efficiency. A systematic literature search was conducted using the databases Scopus, ProQuest Agriculture and Environment, and Web of Science for references from 1975 to 2018, with 25 articles meeting the inclusion criteria. Of these, only five articles had actively collected UA water use data, all on purpose-built experimental gardens. Considering the scarcity of UA water use efficiency and water measurement literature, South Australia is presented as a case study to demonstrate the considerable diversity of water pricing, water sources and irrigation methods available to urban food growers. The practical challenges of garden placement and the wide variety of cultivation techniques, water sources and irrigation methods are reviewed. Four equations to calculate the water use efficiency (WUE) of UA are proposed and demonstrated. Collection of additional UA water use data would support more robust evaluations of the water use efficiency and economic implications of different cultivation techniques. Further work in this field will enable a realistic understanding of the current and future contribution of UA to our society.

Restoration of degraded freshwater ecosystems has gained considerable attention in the USA over the past decades. However, most projects focus almost entirely on the restoration of physical habitat or specific water quality parameters, while ignoring critical ecological processes related to food web re-establishment. In this study, we investigate the impact of riparian habitat in different stages of restoration on food availability for fish in four streams in Pennsylvania, USA. The riparian buffer habitats ranged from open meadow to mature forest and included new to long-term restoration sites. We quantified abundance and community composition of aquatic macroinvertebrates and riparian arthropods with aerial and ground-dwelling life history strategies. We found that riparian habitat and water temperature exert a strong influence over potential food resources for fish, with the open meadow habitat having highest abundance of terrestrial and aquatic insects, lowest taxa richness, and possible multivoltine aquatic insect life-history. Our results provide insight into the importance of riparian buffer habitat and water temperature on the composition of food availability for fish species of concern such as brook trout. The significant differences emphasize the need to include food web dynamics into riparian habitat restoration design to guide future rehabilitation projects focusing on fish conservation.

Food insecurity is a major challenge facing the rapidly growing population in the sub-Saharan Africa and it is a common feature in the northern region of Burkina Faso. The focus of this study was to investigate the prevalence of food insecurity in the northern region of Burkina Faso after many years of implementation of water and soil conservation techniques. A survey was carried out in six villages in the Northern Region of Burkina Faso involving 300 households to assess water and soil conservation techniques, and to examine the prevalence of food insecurity. The study was conducted between June and July 2015. Data collected was analyzed using logistic regression to identify factors influencing food insecurity in the study areas. The results also showed a high level of food insecurity affecting a large proportion of the population even during the post-harvest period when food was supposed to be available. Results showed that water and soil conservation techniques and household head education level were important factors in determining household food insecurity status. Despite the application of these techniques, food insecurity is still persistent, which raised questions about the efficiency of current agricultural production systems. In addressing food insecurity in the study area, it is necessary to reinforce the practice of combining stone bunds and inter-row ridges techniques along with proper use of fertilizer and manure. Given the persistent problem of water scarcity in Burkina Faso, and the relationship between water and food security, there is need to increase investment in water management infrastructures.

The EU and the international community is realising that the Water, Energy, Food and Ecosystem components are interlinked and require a joint planning in order to meet the daunting global challenges related to Water, Energy and Food security and maintaining the ecosystem health and in this way, reach the SDGs. If not dealt with, the world will not be able to meet the demand for water, energy and food in a not too far future and, in any case, in a not sustainable way. The strain on the ecosystems resulting from unsustainable single-sector planning will lead to increasing poverty, inequality and instability. The Nexus approach is fully aligned with and supportive of the EU Consensus on Development. Key elements of the Consensus will require collaborative efforts across sectors in ways that can be supported/implemented by a Nexus approach. In this way, transparent and accountable decision-making, involving the civil society is key and common to the European Consensus on Development and the Nexus approach. The Nexus approach will support the implementation of the SDG in particular SDG 2 (Food), SDG 6 (Water) and SDG 7 (Energy), but most SDGs have elements that link to food, water and energy in one or other way, and will benefit from a Nexus approach. The SDGs are designed to be cross-cutting and be implemented together, which is also reflected in a WEFE Nexus approach. A Nexus approach offers a sustainable way of addressing the effects of Climate Change and increase resilience. The WEFE Nexus has in it the main drivers of climate change (water, energy and food security) and the main affected sectors (water and the environment). Decisions around policy, infrastructure, … developed based on the WEFE Nexus assessments will be suitable as elements of climate change mitigation and adaptation. In fact, it is difficult to imagine solutions to the climate change issue that are not built on a form of Nexus approach. The Nexus approach is being implemented around the world, as examples in the literature demonstrate. These examples together with more examples from EU and member state development cooperation will help build experience that can be consolidated and become an important contribution to a Toolkit for WEFE Nexus Implementation. From the expert discussions, it appears that because of the novelty of the approach, a Toolkit will be an important element in getting the Nexus approach widely used. This should build on experiences from practical examples of NEXUS projects or similar inter-sectorial collaboration projects; and, there are already policy, regulation and practical experience to allow institutions and countries to start applying the Nexus concept. | JRC.D.2 - Water and Marine Resources

Sanou Sita, Ayantunde Augustine, Joseph Nianogo Aime, 'Water and soil conservation techniques and food security in the northern region of Burkina Faso', African Journal of Agricultural Research, vol. 13(42), pp.2329-2342, Academic Journals, 2018

This corrects the article entitled “Daphnia magna fitness during low food supply under different water temperature and brownification scenarios” by the authors Andrea Gall, Martin J. Kainz and Serena Rasconi, published with DOI 10.4081/jlimnol.2016.1450. The data on somatic growth rates reported in the results section, paragraph “Life history traits”, page 165, were incorrect and the rectified data are presented. Fig. 4 has also been corrected accordingly.

Microemulsions are thermodynamically stable systems that have attracted considerable attention in the food industry as delivery systems for many hydrophobic nutrients. These spontaneous systems are highly dependent on ingredients and composition. In this work phase diagrams were constructed using two surfactants (Kolliphor RH40 and ELP), water, sunflower oil, and ethanol as cosurfactant, evaluating their physicochemical properties. Stability of the systems was studied at 25 and 60 °C, monitoring turbidity at 550 nm for over a month to identify the microemulsion region. Conductivity was measured to classify between water-in-oil and oil-in-water microemulsions. The phase diagram constructed with Kolliphor RH40 exhibited a larger microemulsion area than that formulated with Kolliphor ELP. All formulations showed a monomodal droplet size distribution with low polydispersity index (<0.30) and a mean droplet size below 20 nm. Systems with higher water content presented a Newtonian behavior; increasing the dispersed phase content produced a weak gel-like structure with pseudoplastic behavior under flow conditions that was satisfactorily modeled to obtain structural parameters. | Fil: Mori Cortés, Noelia. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos; Argentina | Fil: Lorenzo, Gabriel. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos; Argentina | Fil: Califano, Alicia Noemi. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos; Argentina