Citizen-Led Community Innovation for Food Energy Water Nexus Resilience

Abstract

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.

The FEWSION for Community Resilience (F4R) Process: Building Local Technical and Social Capacity for Critical Supply Chain Resilience

“…In the face of increasing climate uncertainty and potential scarcity of ecosystem services on which people's lives depend, scientists, citizens, commodity providers, and decision makers must better understand and manage the complex interactions between humans and the food-energy-water (FEW) nexus (Scanlon et al, 2017). The FEW nexus is a dynamic, coupled naturalhuman system that operates on multiple geographic scales, and is managed through private, government, and non-profit providers across many different service areas and jurisdictions (McGrane et al, 2019;Hibbett et al, 2020). The FEW nexus lies at the core of critical lifeline supply chains that support community functions and survival, but also underlies a community's public health, economic development, sustainability, and emergency management (FEMA, 2019;NASEM, 2020).…”

“…Despite the urgent need to understand and manage the nexus, action at the local scale, especially in small cities and rural areas, has lagged due to a lack of technical and social capacity at the community level (Weitz et al, 2017). Capacity issues are compounded at a local level, as existing research projects which identify, map, and manage the FEW nexus currently focus on the national and regional scale (Hibbett et al, 2020). Understanding the local FEW nexus is critical for both scientists and citizens, as most FEW goods and services originate in, and are managed by, rural and small communities (Rushforth and Ruddell, 2016), which are integrally connected to the national FEW network (Kennedy et al, 2007).…”

“…Significant scalar issues pertain to both the technical and social capacity issues in FEW research and management (Hibbett et al, 2020). The majority of FEW research is focused at a global (D'Odorico et al, 2018), national (Lant et al, 2019), or largecity scale (Rushforth and Ruddell, 2016).…”

“…The "last mile" concept provides the supply chain link between the global/meso and the local scale in the FEW nexus, connecting regional distribution centers to neighborhoods, consumers, and retailers (Kennedy et al, 2007). Yet small communities typically lack understanding of the large scale FEW nexus as well as sufficient technical and social capacity to manage their FEW nexus and supply chains at this critical last mile scale (Piontak and Schulman, 2014;Hibbett et al, 2020). These local gaps are compounded by traditional resource management structures that favor top-down approaches to environmental governance (Bulkeley and Mol, 2003;Sperling and Berke, 2017).…”

“…Thus, there is a pressing need to improve two capacity issues prevalent for the FEW nexus and local supply chains: 1) improve local technical capacity by generating "last mile" local FEW data, and 2) engage local stakeholders to improve their social capacity to adequately manage the FEW nexus (Hibbett et al, 2020). Gaps in local supply chain data and local supply chain management capacity cannot be filled without the input and involvement of community members, including staff and officials of local government agencies and non-profits, FEW providers and private sector leaders, and diverse groups of citizens.…”