Food-energy-water (FEW) resources are necessary for the function of multiple socionatural systems. Understanding the synergies and trade-offs in the FEW nexus, and how these interconnections impact earth's systems, is critical to ensure adequate access to these resources in the future; an essential component for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (Scanlon et al., 2017). Although, over the last decade, the identification of FEW nexus complexities has increased at a global (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC], 2018; D'Odorico et al., 2018), national (Lant et al., 2019), and city scale (Rushforth and Ruddell, 2018), these findings are yet to be adequately translated into "on the ground" action due a lack of technical and political capacity (Weitz et al., 2017). Specifically, local FEW systems have been overlooked in these analyses (Scanlon et al., 2017; Lant et al., 2019), thus leaving small and medium towns vulnerable due to a lack of data and inadequate FEW system management. Building on 3 years of field-tested FEW nexus research in the Ruddell Lab, we argue that participatory citizen science projects, such as our FEWSION for Community Resilience initiative, can bridge the data-policy gaps that exist within local FEW system management by: (1) providing last mile data on the FEW system, and (2) translating local data into evidence-based solutions at a grassroots level. Thus, we present a broadly applicable framework and call to action for local scale participatory citizen science to solve complex FEW nexus issues at a local, regional, and national scale.

Local business leaders, policy makers, elected officials, city planners, emergency managers, and private citizens are responsible for, and deeply affected by, the performance of critical supply chains and related infrastructures. At the center of critical supply chains is the food-energy-water nexus (FEW); a nexus that is key to a community’s wellbeing, resilience, and sustainability. In the 21st century, managing a local FEW nexus requires accurate data describing the function and structure of a community’s supply chains. However, data is not enough; we need data-informed conversation and technical and social capacity building among local stakeholders to utilize the data effectively. There are some resources available at the mesoscale and for food, energy, or water, but many communities lack the data and tools needed to understand connections and bridge the gaps between these scales and systems. As a result, we currently lack the capacity to manage these systems in small and medium sized communities where the vast majority of people, decisions, and problems reside. This study develops and validates a participatory citizen science process for FEW nexus capacity building and data-driven problem solving in small communities at the grassroots level. The FEWSION for Community Resilience (F4R) process applies a Public Participation in Scientific Research (PPSR) framework to map supply chain data for a community’s FEW nexus, to identify the social network that manages the nexus, and then to generate a data-informed conversation among stakeholders. F4R was piloted and co-developed with participants over a 2-year study, using a design-based research process to make evidence-based adjustments as needed. Results show that the F4R model was successful at improving volunteers’ awareness about nexus and supply chain issues, at creating a network of connections and communication with stakeholders across state, regional, and local organizations, and in facilitating data-informed discussion about improvements to the system. In this paper we describe the design and implementation of F4R and discuss four recommendations for the successful application of the F4R model in other communities: 1) embed opportunities for co-created PPSR, 2) build social capital, 3) integrate active learning strategies with user-friendly digital tools, and 4) adopt existing materials and structure.

In the UK, the management of air quality presents a complex socio-political problem. Low-income communities disproportionately experience higher exposure to air pollution; in London, almost half of the most deprived neighbourhoods experience NO 2 levels which exceed EU limits, compared with only 2% of the capital's richest (European Environmental Agency 2018). Adequate solutions must engage with these socio-political problems to meaningfully address structural inequalities of pollution. Whilst the Mayor of London has enforced stricter regulations to improve air quality, which have been extended in response to the pandemic to include car-free zones in central London, definitive action at the local level has stumbled. In response, grassroots clean air advocacy groups have emerged to hold local authorities accountable and ensure that air pollution remains on political agendas. However, progress is varied as local politics continues to complicate the effective management of air quality.COVID-19 has drawn attention to two prominent components of urban air pollution, which have both been central to multiple clean air campaigns. Firstly, social distancing rules highlight the complex relationship between traffic and urban air pollution. From 16 March 2020 to 20 April 2020, the Greater London Authority reported a 50% reduction in traffic across London, and a 26% reduction in hourly average nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) concentrations across central London (GLA, 2020). In London, 50% of NO 2 is emitted from vehicle exhausts, and long-term exposure contributes to an individual's susceptibility to severe respiratory diseases. Although NO 2 levels have fallen across the capital, in the same time period, other pollutants such as ozone (O 3 ) and fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 and PM 10 ) have increased compared to hourly average concentrations from 1 January to