Urban agriculture has the potential to contribute to urban sustainability through its interactions with food, water, and energy (FEW) resource flows, and thus needs to be evaluated and analyzed through an integrative rather than a siloed approach. This publication provides an overview of the concept of FEW nexuses in the urban context and describes the role of urban agriculture and its sustainability implications for FEW nexuses and resources. Specific local case studies provide examples. This publication provides a holistic, interdisciplinary lens to understand the crucial role and sustainability implications of urban agriculture, currently gaining momentum in the global research and policy agenda. The fact sheet should be useful to urban and regional planners and policy-makers engaged in the development of urban agriculture, as well as to Extension agents seeking to communicate the sustainability implications of urban agriculture.

This reviewed summarized the research status of water content detection methods of plant-based food materials, analyzed the water content detection devices, advantages, disadvantages and applications, and discussed the application of water content detection in different types of plant-based food materials. The advantages of hot air drying, microwave method, Karl Fischer method, absolute dry nitrogen purge method, spectral technology and imaging technology were highlighted, and the future development direction of water content detection of plant-based food materials was prospected.

This article applies the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus to explore the relationships between Iraq's water (demand and supply), energy (oil, gas and electricity), and food production, moving beyond sector-specific studies. Thus, this is a WEF analysis of a country that is emerging from years of conflict and instability and is among the first WEF applications to Iraq at the national (as opposed to regional or metropolitan) level. We utilize various open-source data, peer reviewed and grey literature to survey environmental conditions, setting the ground for the study of WEF interrelationships. We note the decline in the quality and availability of water, focusing on it as a key input into both agricultural and oil production. We argue that the declining quality and availability of water over many decades is unable to sustain both present agricultural practices and rising oil output, highlighting the difficulty of increasing the outputs of these sectors. As such, the article underlines the need for a multi-sectoral approach in dealing with the present challenges of water, energy and food production and argues that a radical restructuring of the relations between the sectors is required. We offer policy recommendations that seek to overcome internal barriers, constraints that exist and are potentially solvable within Iraq, and other measures geared towards external barriers, including the actions of neighbors.

This comprehensive review explores aquaponics as an environmentally friendly solution aligned with SDGs and food sovereignty, assessing various aspects from system design to automation, and weighing social, economic, and environmental benefits through literature and case studies. However, challenges persist in obtaining organic certification and legislative recognition, hindering its growth. Achieving remarkable water use efficiency, up to 90%, relies on adaptable fish species like Nile tilapia and carp. Nutrient-rich fish feeds notably benefit low-nutrient-demanding greens. Ensuring water quality and efficient nitrification are pivotal, supported by IoT systems. Despite its efficiency, integrating Industry 4.0 involves complexity and cost barriers, necessitating ongoing innovation. Economies of scale and supportive horticultural policies can bolster its viability. Aquaponics, known for its efficiency in enhancing crop yields while minimizing water use and waste, is expanding globally, especially in water-scarce regions. Aquaponics, pioneered by the University of the Virgin Islands, is expanding in Europe, notably in Spain, Denmark, Italy, and Germany. Asia and Africa also recognize its potential for sustainable food production, especially in water-limited areas. While it offers fresh produce and cost savings, challenges arise in scaling up, managing water quality, and meeting energy demands, particularly for indoor systems. Egypt’s interest in desert and coastal regions highlights aquaponics’ eco-friendly food production potential. Despite the associated high costs, there is a quest for practical and affordable designs for everyday integration. Research in arid regions and industry advancements are crucial for aquaponics’ global food production potential. Deeper exploration of intelligent systems and automation, particularly in large-scale setups, is essential, highlighting the industry’s promise. Practical application, driven by ongoing research and local adaptations, is a key to fully harnessing aquaponics for sustainable food production worldwide.

In less than one year the Niger Basin Authority, an intergovernmental body tasked with the sustainable development of the Niger waters and associated resources, passed the first ever nexus policy in a transboundary river basin, contributing to a true acceleration of change for improved water and associated development in the Niger River Basin. The guidelines were developed in close collaboration with the nine basin countries and complemented by a large capacity building program. Using the guidelines can reduce the threat of adverse impacts on the Basin’s shared water and land resources and save millions of dollars of investment funds, while meeting various Shared Vision objectives. Doing so can also help strengthen positive impacts, reduce crosssectoral constraints of single-sector solutions, and identify multisector solutions. Application of the nexus guidelines will increase the efficiency of natural resources use and support implementation and monitoring of (multipurpose) investments. If this can be achieved, the River of Rivers—thought to be the original meaning of the name Niger—will continue to enhance water, food and energy security, and environmental sustainability for generations to come. To support the application of the guidelines, the study team developed an online, simplified nexus assessment tool that is summarized in Appendix 4. | Non-PR | IFPRI5; DCA; Capacity Strengthening; 1 Fostering Climate-Resilient and Sustainable Food Supply; 5 Strengthening Institutions and Governance | Natural Resources and Resilience (NRR); Transformation Strategies

To achieve climate neutrality in the food sector, there is an urgent need for eco-friendly steam boilers. The absorption-compression heat pumps (ACHP) using an ammonia-water mixture as working fluid can provide a high heat sink temperature at low discharge pressure levels and with temperature glides in absorption and desorption. The present study aims to investigate the performance of the ACHP for hot water and steam production. The simulation model was established based on an ACHP prototype in a NTNU lab. A case of 150 kW heating capacity was simulated with a high pressure of 23.65 bar and a low pressure of 4 bar. The system COP was 2.85 for a pressurized hot water supply temperature of 105 °C. The system performance at different temperature lifts with different heat source inlet temperatures was investigated. In addition, the effects of rich solution composition and compressor intercooling on the system performance were also analyzed. | publishedVersion

A lack of equitable access to water among marginalized populations is a key constraint to the transformative agri-food system in Bangladesh. A centralized approach to managing water, persistent contextual socioecological barriers and the dominance of the powerful elite at multiple levels in the water governance systems have led to the exclusion of women, the poor, fishers and the landless from equitably accessing water resources. These challenges contradict national policy guidelines on participatory water management. The Asia Mega-Deltas initiative, in partnership with the Oxfam-led Transboundary Rivers of South Asia (TROSA)—Rivers, Rights and Resilience Project, plans to implement participatory research using a transdisciplinary approach that involves multiple sectors and stakeholders in water management to identify actionable pathways to addressing complex water issues. The TROSA second phase (2023–2026) will continue to work with evidence-based advocacy on inclusive water resources governance while addressing impacts of climate change on riparian communities through incorporating a citizen science approach for river health, supporting youth initiatives in the water sector, facilitating bilateral dialogues, strengthening resilience of livelihoods and ensuring people’s rights over river with special focus on women and Indigenous communities.

The deep sea is amongst the most food-limited habitats on Earth, as only a small fraction (<4%) of the surface primary production is exported below 200 m water depth. Here, cold-water coral (CWC) reefs form oases of life: their biodiversity compares with tropical coral reefs, their biomass and metabolic activity exceed other deep-sea ecosystems by far. We critically assess the paradox of thriving CWC reefs in the food-limited deep sea, by reviewing the literature and open-access data on CWC habitats. This review shows firstly that CWCs typically occur in areas where the food supply is not constantly low, but undergoes pronounced temporal variation. High currents, downwelling and/or vertically migrating zooplankton temporally boost the export of surface organic matter to the seabed, creating ‘feast’ conditions, interspersed with ‘famine’ periods during the non-productive season. Secondly, CWCs, particularly the most common reef-builder Desmophyllum pertusum (formerly known as Lophelia pertusa), are well adapted to these fluctuations in food availability. Laboratory and in situ measurements revealed their dietary flexibility, tissue reserves, and temporal variation in growth and energy allocation. Thirdly, the high structural and functional diversity of CWC reefs increases resource retention: acting as giant filters and sustaining complex food webs with diverse recycling pathways, the reefs optimise resource gains over losses. Anthropogenic pressures, including climate change and ocean acidification, threaten this fragile equilibrium through decreased resource supply, increased energy costs, and dissolution of the calcium-carbonate reef framework. Based on this review, we suggest additional criteria to judge the health of CWC reefs and their chance to persist in the future. | publishedVersion

La FAO menciona que aproximadamente 1,000 millones de personas viven en lo que se define como pobreza absoluta, con ingresos diarios inferiores a un dólar estadounidense.

O presente trabalho apresenta os principais resultados do desenvolvimento de uma metodologia para avaliação do nexus A-A-E, que teve como caso de estudo o município de Rio Claro, no estado do Rio de Janeiro.