Water, Energy and Food Nexus: Policy Relevance and Challenges

Abstract

Connections between water, food, and energy are at the center of long-term economic and environmental development and protection. Water, energy and food are the keys to economic input and a necessary component of economic progress. The adoption of water management policies and techniques that support the sustainable use of resources while promoting economic growth is becoming an important concern, particularly in countries where water and food scarcity are critical or problematic. This study aimed at evaluating Water, Energy and Food Nexus (WEF), and as well as challenges of its implementation. This study looked at the articles that were published on WEF nexus between 2015 and 2021 acquired from the Scopus database, focusing on gaps and implementations. I searched for relevant key terms in the database and the search found hundreds of articles on WEF, of which 28 articles were relevant to the scope of the study and these articles were downloaded as BibTeX file for the analysis and the analysis was done using R programming. A number of insights and implications were identified based on the analyses of the findings of the reviewed research in order to increase the policy relevance and overall implementation of the WEF nexus by public policy and decision-making institutions. To boost uptake of the findings, the study gives an outline of the primary constraints and challenges that restrict the policy relevance of the WEF nexus.

Biomonitoring–Health Risk Nexus of Potentially Toxic Metals on Cerithidea obtusa: A Biomonitoring Study from Peninsular Malaysia

“…It is not exaggerated to also point out that the proposed biomonitoring–safety guidelines–THQ–PTWI nexus can be a trigger and a driving force for the momentum of fast development over the long term which focuses on the mangrove ecosystem. This is because the seafood—energy–water nexus is an essential economic input and also an indispensable criterion for global economic development [ 93 ]. Surely, seafood is a crucial natural resource from the coastal mangrove for human survival and economic growth.…”

“…Surely, seafood is a crucial natural resource from the coastal mangrove for human survival and economic growth. Comprehensive information on seafood safety and the sustainability of the water–seafood–energy nexus at a global scale in terms of heavy metal contamination is urgently required [ 93 ].…”

Bridging the gap between the water-energy-food nexus and compound risks

“…Governance in the WEF nexus is non-trivial, as sectoral management has historically been siloed and sectors are governed by different agencies across different temporal and geographical scales, and research on policy issues may be pivotal to implementation of the nexus approach [3]. Considering the landscape of existing research on WEF nexus governance, future research should welcome interdisciplinary dialogue, methods, and application and directly examine how climate change increasingly challenges nexus connections [12,13].…”

The Connections between Mussel Watch for Potentially Toxic Metals and Nexus Seafood-Water-Energy

“…It also considered biomonitoring and health risk assessments via assessments in terms of safety guidelines, target hazard quotient of PTMs, and comparison to provisional tolerable weekly intake of PTMs, of the mussel resources along the chain (Figure 1). This knowledge can help the mussel seafood industry supply chain attain sustainability via cogent policymaking and management with the concept of Nexus food-energy-water [10][11][12][13].…”