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Assessing the security of the water–energy–food nexus is a topic of great importance, which allows determining the situation of each resource to implement actions for sustainable management of these resources in today's society. For this reason, a systematic procedure is proposed to evaluate the synergies of the water–energy–food nexus in a large region that is divided into subregions that allow considering their interactions. The new procedure considers the availability, accessibility and regional interdependence of resources while annexing economic and social aspects. A composite index called the WEF Global Index is developed, which involves the WEF nexus index and has nine indicators that evaluate the availability, accessibility and regional interdependence of each resource in the water–energy–food nexus. This new index considers the Gross Domestic Product per capita and the involved population. As a case study, the 32 states of Mexico were considered to assess the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy and the security of the water-energy-food nexus at the state level. For this, the composite index was evaluated in the years 2019 and 2020. The results show that from 2019 to 2020, the value of the global index increased in 13 states, in 21 states the security index of the WEF nexus increased, and in 9 states the GDP per capita index increased. On the other hand, the results indicate that in 11 states there was no improvement in the nexus security index due to the increase in water demand, which considerably affected the water availability indicator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research about Community-Based Rural Tourism (CBRT) shows that participation of local stakeholders is a key factor in the pursuit of sustainability and supports the idea of using collaborative methods like Participatory Action Research (PAR) with local initiatives to address management and planning issues. This paper describes a case study in which tourism sustainability indicators (SIs) for a CBRT initiative were constructed through PAR with a group of women in rural Mexico. It reconstructs the steps and the process through which the indicators were established and implemented, and proposes a critical analysis of the assessment and its impacts on the group. The findings show that, provided that the SIs are adapted to the rural context, the co-construction of tourism SIs has led to assess the tourism activity using criteria adapted to the women's needs and vision. The PAR process encouraged collective action, horizontal dialogue and made more visible the inter-relations and power relations between the stakeholders, demonstrating the potential for collaboration and empowerment in a transdisciplinary perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a methodological framework for assessing the sustainability of solid biofuels in Mexico. The designed framework comprises 13 normalized indicators and two diagnostic studies, covering the economic, social, environmental, and institutional sustainability dimensions, and their intersections. Indicators are normalized using the concept of load capacity of a system, similarly to the planetary boundaries. Thus, the graphical representation of results facilitates their multidimensional analysis. The framework was applied to three case studies: traditional fuelwood in rural households, charcoal for restaurant grilling, and electricity cogeneration from sugarcane bagasse. This was part of an iterative process of testing and refining the framework and simultaneously demonstrating its application in the Mexican bioenergy context. This led to the conclusion that the resulting framework (a) provides a useful, quantitative, and comprehensive overview of both broad and specific sustainability aspects of the assessed system; (b) requires a balance of accessible but also scattered or sensitive data, similarly to most existing frameworks; (c) is highly flexible and applicable to both modern and traditional solid biofuels; and (d) is simple to communicate and interpret for a wide audience. Key directions for improvement of the framework are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous and Western communities are faced with increasing issues of sustainability compromising their natural resources and cultural heritage, for example, a cross-pollination/complementary approach in relation to their current knowledge systems and discourses on sustainability. There is a need for methods that integrate different discourses relating to sustainability to identify the most pressing needs in terms of sustainability. Sustainability assessments are a type of impact assessment that focus on enhanced sustainability both now and in the future; however, the literature on indigenous sustainability assessment methods, is scarce. To address this gap, we have developed a novel Sustainability Assessment method for Indigenous Communities (SAIC). The SAIC method combines Western and indigenous sustainability objectives and principles, in order to extend the range of options for action to address sustainability. The SAIC method consists of two sections (i) values and considerations and (ii) procedure. The "values and considerations" section establishes the fundamental participatory and ethical considerations for conducting sustainability assessments in indigenous communities, and the "procedure" section establishes a set of 55 indicators in eight categories. The method was tested in a Zapotec, indigenous community in México. Results show that this community was rated highly in all eight categories. However, indicators for family planning and access to health services were rated poorly. The identified issues can be used as guidelines for decision making in future regional projects and development plans. The results reveal further areas for improvement, such as strengthening the links to national or international networks and increasing the use of renewable energies. The method presented in this paper provides an assessment approach based on Western and indigenous sustainability discourses, which is suitable for assessing indigenous communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present project was aimed toward obtaining a model of sustainable gardening practices for a horticultural intervention (HI) in Ahuazotepec, México. Different mulching materials (sand, compost, plastic, and sawdust) were evaluated in terms of sustainability and food and nutrition security using a set of locally relevant multidimensional indicators. A vegetable production field-test was established and monitored during two seasons. The global sustainability of the treatments was in the order of Compost>Plastic>Sand>Sawdust. Compost mulch was an economic, environmental, and socially sustainable option to improve vegetable and nutrient yields, and thus can be recommended for an HI in low-input systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the level of sustainability of conventional and organic dairy cattle production units (CPU) in the Zoque Region of the Mexican state of Chiapas through evaluating attributes and indicators of sustainability and through a sustainability index (SI) value. Four organic or conventional CPU with high or low SI values were identified. The organic CPU with high SI had the highest SI value. The attribute of sustainability self-management contributed more to the SI value. All CPU need to strengthen some of the attributes of sustainability evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In developing countries rural communities frequently face conditions of economic poverty, yet these areas are often rich in natural resources and biodiversity. We propose the concept of Green Rural Enterprise (GRE) and a methodology for its assessment by scoring 38 indicators based upon: (1) wise use of natural resources, (2) territorial rural development, (3) local rural groups and (4) sustainability-driven enterprise. Three cases of the auto-evaluation of community-based ecotourism groups are presented, where self-assessment is emphasised as an empowering tool. This method is useful for NGOs and funding agencies to compare and evaluate conservation ventures and to facilitate joint-work between them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper a methodology for evaluating the feasibility of economic subsidies on land use systems using local indicators of sustainability in the Constitucion region, Calakmul, Campeche (Mexico), is proposed. In order to identify the sustainability indicators for evaluating the Jalapeño pepper (Capsicum annum L.), and Maize (Zea mayz L.) crop systems, local farmers, policymakers and agronomists were interviewed and a list of 17 indicators were obtained. Both evaluating models were approved by the Municipal Council for Sustainable Rural Development of Calakmul (CMDRS), committee that endorses subsidies to farmers through an application contest. The Jalapeño pepper got 69.40% and the Maize crop system got 54.10%. The main identified limitations in both crop systems are the lack of crop-production technologies, lack of organisation among farmers and deficient trading of the harvests. The methodology proposed here, is meant to help farmers, policymakers and agronomist to identify the main limitations in the production of the regional main crop systems, in order to invest the scarce resources in solving this problem. We believe the methodology could be applied in other regions of Mexico; so far the indicators are adjusted to local conditions of each region to be used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to develop indicators that allow us to progress in the evaluation of the sustainable use of water in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua. In order to measure sustainability, a systematic model was proposed involving society, institutions, infrastructure and the environment that would allow us to advance in the knowledge about interaction between society and its environment. Progress was achieved in the developing and measurement of some indicators, such as those related to quality of life and current state of water infrastructure and treatment. Using existing data, it was possible to develop and measure the following indicators for the sustainable use of water: 1. secure access to water; 2. access to adequate sanitation systems; 3. domiciliary connections; 4. water price; 5. water consumption, and 6. waste water treatment. Results indicate that the municipal water system of Ciudad Juarez presents good indicators for sustainable use of water, however, they do not take into account the negative rate of recharge extraction of the city's water supply system or of the quality of water for human consumption. The author considers that other indicators related to institutional and legal frame works, citizen participation, water quality, and environmental impact must be developed and estimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable development, as a multi-dimensional concept, is difficult to measure. Some efforts using indicators and indices have appeared in recent years, but most were developed on a national scale. Use of sustainability indicators has proven valuable for attaining better management of the environment by minimizing information gaps and maximizing community capabilities in terms of economic, social, environmental, and institutional sustainability dimensions. However, at least in the case of developing countries, the potential exists that national sustainability measures, based on national-level indicators, may mask problems in sub-national zones with highly unsustainable conditions. This paper proposes a methodology to evaluate sustainable development at a local level, the use of which could be helpful in comparing different regions within a country or even among different countries. National sustainability indicators should result from a combination (whether additive or proportional) of regional sustainability indicators, as developed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]