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The food–energy–water (FEW) nexus has emerged as an alternative for managing resources in the food, energy, and water systems. However, there are limited case studies applying this approach in the Latin American and Caribbean region. This region stands to benefit significantly from the FEW nexus approach due to its heavy reliance on hydropower for electricity generation and unevenly distributed and poorly managed water resources. In this study, an urban FEW nexus framework was used in the Otun River Watershed (ORW) to evaluate changes in food, energy, and water demand for four scenarios. Additionally, regional climate models (RCMs) were used to forecast water availability in the ORW from 2030–2039. The results show that water demand could increase by 16% and energy demand will increase by roughly 15% for scenario 2, while water demand in scenario 3 will likely remain unchanged in relation to the current conditions (base scenario). Enhancing water resources management in the ORW will involve a variety of measures, including: implementing practices to reduce water losses in distribution systems, developing green infrastructure and decentralized wastewater systems, and embracing urban and peri-urban farming. Successful application of urban FEW nexus solutions requires involvement from stakeholders across the food, energy, and water systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In addition to the aspects of power generation, land use, aesthetics, nature conservation, and multifunctionality considered so far, there are still overlooked issues in the relatively new topic of solar landscapes. I reveal a connection with a supposedly not equally contemporary theme: ecological succession. Understanding succession provides the background for interrelationships, and explains why, in large solar parks, the occurrence of large operational disruptors, such as trees, cannot be sustainably countered with the usual maintenance measures. Woody plants benefit from the thousands of safe sites amongst the modular panel constructions, and softwoods often avoid being cut due to their flexibility, or grow back from their stumps. Stronger and stronger over time. Instead of relying exclusively on labour-intensive and costly mowing, managers can make use of grazing animals. In this way, simply anticipating the ecological succession process and taking it into account when planning and managing a solar park can boost overall sustainability. The recommendation makes connections with social dimensions and can result in ethically produced meat.

The food-energy-water (FEW) nexus has been argued as an approach to improve system resilience and sustainability theoretically. However, there is limited empirical understanding of which governance factors lead to FEW nexus collaboration in practice. The purpose of this study is to investigate the conditions associated with FEW nexus collaboration in cities in resilience planning: does it arise from risk of resource insecurity, pre-existing governance mechanisms, or both? The study analyzed the 22 cities in the United States that are part of the Resilient Cities Network using fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis. The results show that food, energy, and water insecurity are not sufficient to explain FEW nexus collaboration in resilience planning. However, the results do show that FEW nexus collaboration is present in resilience planning in (a) cities that do experience water insecurity and employ two of three investigated governance conditions--policy coherence, stakeholder participation, or institutional support--or (b) that employ all three governance conditions, regardless of whether or not they experience water insecurity. It concludes that the risk of resource insecurity alone is not sufficient to explain cities' implementation of FEW nexus collaborations and provides policy recommendations for increased FEW nexus collaboration in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greenhouse agriculture is expected to play a critical role in sustainable crop production in the coming decades, opening new markets in climate zones that have been traditionally unproductive for agriculture. Extreme hot and humid conditions, prevalent in rapidly growing economies including the Arabian Peninsula, present unique design and operational challenges to effective greenhouse climate control. These challenges are often poorly understood by local operators and inadequately researched in the literature. This study addresses this knowledge gap by presenting, for the first time, a comprehensive set of benchmarks for water and energy usage, CO 2 emissions (CO 2 e) contribution, and economic performance for low-, mid-, and high-tech greenhouse designs in such climates. Utilising a practical and adaptable model-based framework, the analysis reveals the high-tech design generated the best results for economic return, achieving a 4.9-year payback period with superior water efficiency compared to 5.8 years for low-tech and 7.0 years for mid-tech; however, the high-tech design used significantly more energy to operate its mechanical cooling system, corresponding with higher CO 2 e per unit area (8.3 and 4.0 times higher than the low- and mid-tech, respectively). These benchmarks provide new insights for greenhouse operators, researchers, and other stakeholders, facilitating the development of effective greenhouse design and operational strategies tailored to meet the challenges of hot and humid climates. • First comprehensive benchmarks for greenhouse performance in hot humid climates. • Practical model-based framework assesses greenhouses of various tech-levels. • Existing greenhouse tech with optimisations is economically viable in coastal Arabia. • Inefficient evaporative cooling and high CAPEX make mid-tech worst investment. • High-tech shows best payback period and water efficiency but worst CO 2 impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Civil infrastructure underpins urban receipts of food, energy, and water (FEW) produced in distant watersheds. In this study, we map flows of FEW goods from watersheds of the contiguous United States to major population centers and highlight the critical infrastructure that supports FEW flows. To do this, we draw upon detailed records of agriculture, electricity, and public water supply production and couple them with commodity flow and infrastructure information. We also compare the flows of virtual water embedded in food and energy commodity flows with physical water flows in inter‐basin water transfer projects around the country. We found that the virtual blue water transfers through crops and electricity to major US cities was 53 billion and 8 billion m3 in 2017, respectively, while physical interbasin water transfers for crops, electricity, and public supply water averaged 20.8 billion m3. Highways are the primary infrastructure used to import virtual water associated with food and fuel into cities, although waterways and railways are most utilized for long‐distance transport. All of the 204 watersheds in the contiguous US support the food, energy, and/or water supplies of major US cities, with dependencies stretching far beyond each city's borders. Still, most cities source the majority of their FEW and embedded water resources from nearby watersheds. Infrastructure such as water supply dams and inland ports serve as important buffers for both local and supply‐chain sourced water stress. These findings can inform efforts to reduce water resources and infrastructure risks in domestic supply chains. Key Points: Civil infrastructure enables US cities to access FEW resources from distant watershedsMost cities depend on nearby watersheds for FEW and embedded waterVirtual water transfers through food and energy exceed physical water transfers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Civil infrastructure underpins urban receipts of food, energy, and water (FEW) produced in distant watersheds. In this study, we map flows of FEW goods from watersheds of the contiguous United States to major population centers and highlight the critical infrastructure that supports FEW flows. To do this, we draw upon detailed records of agriculture, electricity, and public water supply production and couple them with commodity flow and infrastructure information. We also compare the flows of virtual water embedded in food and energy commodity flows with physical water flows in inter‐basin water transfer projects around the country. We found that the virtual blue water transfers through crops and electricity to major US cities was 53 billion and 8 billion m3 in 2017, respectively, while physical interbasin water transfers for crops, electricity, and public supply water averaged 20.8 billion m3. Highways are the primary infrastructure used to import virtual water associated with food and fuel into cities, although waterways and railways are most utilized for long‐distance transport. All of the 204 watersheds in the contiguous US support the food, energy, and/or water supplies of major US cities, with dependencies stretching far beyond each city's borders. Still, most cities source the majority of their FEW and embedded water resources from nearby watersheds. Infrastructure such as water supply dams and inland ports serve as important buffers for both local and supply‐chain sourced water stress. These findings can inform efforts to reduce water resources and infrastructure risks in domestic supply chains.

Agrivoltaics is presented as a possible solution to the need for new sources of renewable energies, also responding to the increasing demand for feed/food and energy in a strongly efficient and sustainable manner. To this aim, agrivoltaics proposes to combine agricultural and renewable energy production on the same land using photovoltaic technology. The performance of this new production model strongly depends on the interaction between the two systems, agricultural and photovoltaic. In that sense, one of the most important aspects to consider are the effects of the shadows of the photovoltaic panels on the crop land. Overall, the experiment clearly indicated that a fourth cycle of escarole is possible under the PVs of agrivoltaics. Both fresh weight and size of the salad bowls were significantly increased by the shade provided by the PVs. Escarole appeared to be very tolerant to the shade and commercial yields were boosted, compared to full sun treatments, even under extended shade conditions. Such an effect can be likely explained by an overall amelioration of the water status in shaded plots. Therefore, a further study of the behavior of escarole under agrivoltaic conditions will be desirable.

Territorial spatial planning involves fixability and flexibility in different driving factors related to control and development orientation, and they play an important role in regional sustainable development, especially in developing countries such as China. With rapid urbanisation and industrialisation, China has been impacted by conflicts between development and protection in territorial space. To integrate the contradictions among different territorial spatial planning measures, planners and scholars have started to focus on studies regarding fixability–flexibility relationships and integration. However, the relationship between and integration of fixability and flexibility in territorial spatial planning have yet to be clearly summarised. This paper explores an innovative research direction for the fixability–flexibility relations in territorial spatial planning from a new perspective, the Food–Energy–Water Nexus, which is a dynamic and comprehensive framework for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) studies. This paper covers the existing research on fixability and flexibility in territorial spatial planning. Moreover, after summarising the conflicts of fixability and flexibility, the dialectical relationship between and the integration of fixability and flexibility are researched. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The food-energy-water (FEW) nexus highlights the interdependencies between the systems that people rely on for these essential resources. For example, globally, over two thirds of freshwater withdrawals are used to produce food, and another 10% is used during energy generation. In addition, the food system uses one eighth of global net energy. Seafood is a nutritionally important food, and it is critical to use freshwater and energy resources efficiently throughout seafood supply chains to safeguard future supplies and to reduce environmental impacts. Diverse seafood production methods result in highly variable resource use across supply chains, which may contribute to siloed efforts within supply chains to improve efficiency, instead of larger efforts that involve multiple seafood supply chains. Additionally, efforts to develop and implement efficiency strategies must be informed by fishers, aquaculturists, processors, and other seafood supply chain actors to avoid investing time and resources into strategies that will have low uptake. A significant proportion of seafood is imported into the U.S., so engaging with industry and stakeholders in the U.S. and abroad is critical for understanding and improving the FEW nexus associated with seafood consumed by Americans. Methods: To understand how resources are being used, current and potential strategies to improve resource use, and relevant motivations and barriers, we conducted 47 semi-structured interviews from 2019 to 2021 with seafood supply chain actors, including producers and processors. Seafood supply chains included were farmed catfish produced in the U.S., farmed pangasius and shrimp produced in Vietnam, farmed Atlantic salmon produced in Norway, and wild-caught sockeye and pink salmon caught in the U.S. Results: We provide detailed descriptions of stages within each supply chain regarding resource use and efficiency strategies, and report higher-level findings that apply across supply chains. There was variation across settings regarding how resources are used and opportunities and barriers for improving efficiencies, but we also found commonalities in settings, indicating that resource-saving strategies or innovations could lead to increased efficiency across multiple supply chains. Interviewees shared that cost savings drove past adoption of, and high interest in, energy conservation practices. Generally, direct costs did not motivate reduced use of freshwater, but associated costs like energy to run pumps and supplies to treat contaminated surface water drove interest in reducing water use. Discussion: Efforts to improve resource use in the U.S. seafood supply should focus on identifying and scaling-up strategies that (i) involve improved efficiency of more than one resource and/or (ii) apply across multiple settings. This work should involve partnerships between industry, government agencies, and academic researchers, and should be informed by supply chain actors' experiences and insights. The qualitative insights from this study encompass rich descriptions of FEW-relevant factors at the level of specific supply chain stages as well as findings across six major seafood supply chains in three countries. The study provides an essential complement to existing quantitative characterizations of resource use, and enables nuanced and informed responses to challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen-rich effluents from anaerobic processes present nutrient resource recovery opportunities for fertilizer applications in hydroponic systems, thus facilitating agricultural production in less conventional contexts such as urbanized areas. However, the high ammonia and soluble chemical oxygen demand, which is common in anaerobic digestate, can inhibit crop development in a hydroponic system, requiring conditioning to enable optimal performance of the system. This study examines the use of three nutrient sources to support the growth of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) in vertical hydroponic systems: (i) synthetic permeate (SP) solution, (ii) desorption solution (DS) from an anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR), and (iii) DS modified with acetic acid addition. Two light conditions were used to observe the effect of photon flux (from 150–200 to 10–15 μmol/[m2·s]) on lettuce crop development and nitrification efficiency of the treated AnMBR permeate. Fresh and dry mass of the harvested lettuce crops as well as chlorophyll content were measured as an indicator of crop quality after a 13-day development period. Crops grown under well-lit conditions in DS had harvested fresh weight (2929.0 ± 454.6 mg/plant) than SP-grown crops (2646.2 ± 908.8 mg/plant). The lighting conditions did not significantly impact the nitrification efficiency; thus nitrate, the preferred form of nitrogen for supporting lettuce crop development, was sufficiently available to support crop growth in the recirculating hydroponic systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionThe food-energy-water (FEW) nexus highlights the interdependencies between the systems that people rely on for these essential resources. For example, globally, over two thirds of freshwater withdrawals are used to produce food, and another 10% is used during energy generation. In addition, the food system uses one eighth of global net energy. Seafood is a nutritionally important food, and it is critical to use freshwater and energy resources efficiently throughout seafood supply chains to safeguard future supplies and to reduce environmental impacts. Diverse seafood production methods result in highly variable resource use across supply chains, which may contribute to siloed efforts within supply chains to improve efficiency, instead of larger efforts that involve multiple seafood supply chains. Additionally, efforts to develop and implement efficiency strategies must be informed by fishers, aquaculturists, processors, and other seafood supply chain actors to avoid investing time and resources into strategies that will have low uptake. A significant proportion of seafood is imported into the U.S., so engaging with industry and stakeholders in the U.S. and abroad is critical for understanding and improving the FEW nexus associated with seafood consumed by Americans.MethodsTo understand how resources are being used, current and potential strategies to improve resource use, and relevant motivations and barriers, we conducted 47 semi-structured interviews from 2019 to 2021 with seafood supply chain actors, including producers and processors. Seafood supply chains included were farmed catfish produced in the U.S., farmed pangasius and shrimp produced in Vietnam, farmed Atlantic salmon produced in Norway, and wild-caught sockeye and pink salmon caught in the U.S.ResultsWe provide detailed descriptions of stages within each supply chain regarding resource use and efficiency strategies, and report higher-level findings that apply across supply chains. There was variation across settings regarding how resources are used and opportunities and barriers for improving efficiencies, but we also found commonalities in settings, indicating that resource-saving strategies or innovations could lead to increased efficiency across multiple supply chains. Interviewees shared that cost savings drove past adoption of, and high interest in, energy conservation practices. Generally, direct costs did not motivate reduced use of freshwater, but associated costs like energy to run pumps and supplies to treat contaminated surface water drove interest in reducing water use.DiscussionEfforts to improve resource use in the U.S. seafood supply should focus on identifying and scaling-up strategies that (i) involve improved efficiency of more than one resource and/or (ii) apply across multiple settings. This work should involve partnerships between industry, government agencies, and academic researchers, and should be informed by supply chain actors’ experiences and insights. The qualitative insights from this study encompass rich descriptions of FEW-relevant factors at the level of specific supply chain stages as well as findings across six major seafood supply chains in three countries. The study provides an essential complement to existing quantitative characterizations of resource use, and enables nuanced and informed responses to challenges.

As climate change has worsened, so too has the risk weather-driven natural disasters pose to critical infrastructure, such as vital food, energy, and water systems. While both the concepts of a food-energy-water (FEW) nexus and resilience emphasize the interdependence of complex systems, academic studies have largely neglected a potential synthesis between the two. When applied in tandem, we believe the FEW nexus and resilience can be mutually reinforcing. Nexus approaches can enhance cross-sectoral evaluation and decision making in resilience planning, and resilience-oriented approaches can better situate the FEW nexus within a broader social, ecological, and governance context. From the small body of existing academic literature considering these concepts in tandem, we have identified a promising foundation for relevant future research that targets three key challenges: coordination, scale, and heterogeneity. Responding to these challenges, in turn, can lead to actions for constructing more resilient infrastructure systems that meet vital human needs in the midst of increasingly frequent floods and other extreme weather events.

The advent of climate change with the recognition of interlinkages between Food‐Energy‐Water (FEW) resource security has brought forth a renewed emphasis on ascertaining the FEW footprints of varied policy interventions. The nexus approach through an IO framework explores the interplays and synergies between sectoral flows and their FEW footprints. India is currently undergoing great transformations under policy interventions on both the economic and environmental front. The country has been attracting investments to expand its manufacturing base, while also aiming to transition into a greener economy. The district of Pune has a balanced and diversified economic profile, spread across manufacturing, as well as knowledge‐based tertiary sectors. However, rapid urbanization has put an undue burden on its FEW resources, challenging urban sustainability. Hence cohesive strategies are of priority to ensure sustainable and equitable development. Toward this end, the current study presents the first‐ever district‐level economy‐wide FEW nexus study in India. Results indicate that the most resource‐intensive sectors in Pune district include the food processing sector, motor vehicles, and electrical engineering and instruments. Based on this comprehensive footprint analysis, priority sectors are identified to pursue sector‐wise efficiency analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the nexus between food, energy, and water systems (FEW) is critical for basins with intensive agricultural water use as they face significant challenges under changing climate and regional development. We investigate the food, energy, and water nexus through a regional hydroeconomic optimization (RHEO) modeling framework. The crop production in RHEO is estimated through a hierarchical regression model developed using a biophysical model, AquaCropOS, forced with daily climatic inputs. Incorporating the hierarchical model within the RHEO also reduces the computation time by enabling parallel programming within the AquaCropOS and facilitates mixed irrigation—rainfed, fully irrigated and deficit irrigation—strategies. To demonstrate the RHEO framework, we considered a groundwater‐dominated basin, South Flint River Basin, Georgia, for developing mixed irrigation strategies over 31 years. Our analyses show that optimal deficit irrigation is economically better than full irrigation, which increases the groundwater pumping cost. Thus, considering deficit irrigation in a groundwater‐dominated basin reduces the water, carbon, and energy footprints, thereby reducing FEW vulnerability. The RHEO also could be employed for analyzing FEW nexus under potential climate change and future regional development scenarios. Key Points: A new regional hydroeconomic optimization modeling framework is proposed for mixed irrigation regimes using AquaCropOSOptimal deficit irrigation strategy is economically better than full irrigation by reducing the cost and energy for groundwater pumpingCrop simulation module and optimization module are linked using Bayesian Hierarchical Model to reduce computation time [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Capturing the social dynamic processes among household members that work to shape consumption patterns presents a complex problem for household resource conservation studies. To bridge the gap between the individual and household, we propose and test a series of quantitative measures that explore the underlying structure of household social dynamic processes through the lens of social practice theory. Based on previous qualitative research, we develop measures to test five distinct social dynamic processes that either encourage or deter pro-environmental action: enhancing, norming, preferring, constraining, and allocating. In a sample of households (n = 120) from suburban Midwestern USA, we find that positively framed social dynamic processes (enhancing and positive norming) positively predict variance in frequency of food-, energy-, and water-conserving pro-environmental actions. Pro-environmental orientation of the individual respondent, in turn, is positively associated with perception of positively framed dynamics. These findings suggest that social dynamic processes influence individual decision-making about household consumption, supporting previous research that illustrates consumption as embedded within the relationships that form residential life. We suggest ways forward for quantitative social science researchers to explore consumption through a practice-based approach that considers the influence of social institutions on emission-intensive lifestyles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food, energy and water (FEW) systems are inextricably linked, and thus, solutions to FEW nexus challenges, including water and food insecurity, require an interconnected science and policy approach framed in systems thinking. To drive these solutions, we developed an interdisciplinary, experiential graduate education program focused on innovations at the FEW nexus. As part of our program, PhD students complete a two-course sequence: (1) an experiential introduction to innovations at the FEW nexus and (2) a data practicum. The two courses are linked through an interdisciplinary FEW systems research project that begins during the first course and is completed at the end of the second course. Project deliverables include research manuscripts, grant proposals, policy memos, and outreach materials. Topics addressed in these projects include building electrification to reduce reliance on fossil fuels for heating, agrivoltaic farming to combat FEW vulnerabilities in the southwestern United States, assessment of food choices to influence sustainable dining practices, and understanding the complexities of FEW nexus research and training at the university level. Evaluation data were generated from our first three student cohorts (n = 33 students) using a mixed method, multi-informant evaluation approach, including the administration of an adapted version of a validated pre-post-survey to collect baseline and end-of-semester data. The survey assessed student confidence in the following example areas: communication, collaboration, and interdisciplinary research skills. Overall, students reported confidence growth in utilizing interdisciplinary research methods (e.g., synthesize the approaches and tools from multiple disciplines to evaluate and address a research problem), collaborating with range of professionals and communicating their research results to diverse audience. The growth in confidence in the surveyed areas aligned with the learning objectives for the two-course sequence, and the interdisciplinary project experience was continually improved based on student feedback. This two-course sequence represents one successful approach for educators to rethink the traditional siloed approach of training doctoral students working at the FEW nexus.

An agent-based modeling framework is developed and employed to replicate the interactions among urban farms. The objectives are to efficiently manage an urban farm's food, energy, and water resources, decrease food waste, and increase the food availability for the local community. A case study of eleven farms was investigated in Vancouver, Canada to study the linkages between the resources in the urban food, energy, and water nexus. Each urban farm in the simulation belonged to a community microgrid generating electricity from solar and wind. The local farms aimed to provide fresh produce for their respective local communities. However, at some points, they lacked supply, and at other points, there was excess supply, leading to food waste. Food waste can be converted into fertilizers or bioenergy. However, an alternative solution must be employed due to the natural resources required for production, efficiently managing resources, and adhering to sustainability guidelines. In this paper, an optimization framework was integrated within the agent-based model to create a micro supply chain. The supply chain directly linked the producers with the consumers by severing the links involved in a traditional food supply. Each urban farm in the study collaborated to reduce food wastage and meet consumer demands, establishing farmer-to-farmer exchange in transitional agriculture. The optimization-based micro supply chain aimed to minimize costs and meet the equilibrium between food supply and demand. Regular communication between the farms reduced food waste by 96.9% over 16 weeks. As a result, the fresh food availability increased for the local community, as exemplified by the consumer purchases over the same period. Moreover, the simulation results indicated that the renewable energy generation at the community microgrids aided in the generation of 22,774 Mwh from solar and 2568 Mwh from wind. This has the potential to significantly reduce CO2 emissions in areas that heavily rely on non-renewable energy sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greenhouse farming systems have the potential to sustainably relieve the stresses on food supply systems caused by a globally increasing population, together with the reduction of available agricultural land due to urbanization and soil degradation. However, literature regarding the sustainable design and operation optimization of greenhouse process systems remains scarce. This work focuses on the optimal planning and scheduling of a greenhouse farming system dependent on the utilized farming technologies, the available crops, and the selected geographic location. Ad extremum, the derived greenhouse optimization framework enables the generic trade-off analysis among completely isolated and transparent greenhouses, as well as energy and water saving greenhouses. Planning and scheduling decisions include the cover material transmissivity and isolation, cooling, heating, wetting and drying technologies, multi-crops farming strategies, irrigation, as well as artificial lighting and a dynamic shading system. To derive sustainable greenhouse system solutions, this work follows a food-energy-water nexus approach by analyzing not only an economic objective, but also resource-use objectives and a societal benefit objective, in the form of the nutritional value of the produced food basket, over one year of operation at an hourly timescale. Accordingly, this approach results in a multi-objective multi-scale mixed-integer linear programming optimization problem of large size. Various solution strategies to reduce the computational burden and solve this optimization problem to global optimality are discussed. The Pareto-front envelope for Doha, Qatar is characterized by a best-possible solution vector of $2.949M/year, 144 MW/year, 124 m 3 /year, and farming of carrot, lettuce, tomato, and spinach. In turn, the best trade-off solution for farming this nutrition optimal food basket consist of an annualized system cost of between $3.2M and $3.5M, energy-use between 186 and 189 MW, and water-use of 138 m 3. [Display omitted] • A generic multi-scale greenhouse farming planning and scheduling optimization framework is presented. • To allow for quarter-yearly multi-crops farming decisions, the greenhouse operating space is discretized via modularization. • Sustainable greenhouse farming solutions are obtained via the multi-objective optimization of system cost, resource-use and nutritional output. • Strategies overcoming the encountered multi-objective system complexity are discussed, resulting in globally optimal solutions. • The identified best trade-off solution farms spinach, tomato, carrot and lettuce, which simultaneously achieves the maximum nutritional output. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The food–energy–water nexus (FEWN) postulates that sustainable decision-making regarding the interconnected resources food, energy and water must consider all involved resources holistically. Due to its multi-scale complexity, modeling challenges and computational intractability regarding the interconnected FEWN optimization remain. To overcome these challenges, this work proposes employing surrogate models based on data-driven and model optimization techniques, while quantifying the introduced errors due to both the selected approximation and optimization methods. In turn, we derive a mixed-integer linear FEWN planning and scheduling optimization model based on a greenhouse farming, a renewable energy and a reverse osmosis desalination water supply system, which is initially computationally intractable. This computational complexity is first discussed and overcome for the energy–water nexus supply system, before solving the complete FEWN supply system by utilizing strategies such as relaxation, modularization and convex hull reformulation. [Display omitted] • Large scale planning and scheduling FEWN MILP is solved to global optimality. • Impact of errors due to selected complexity mitigation strategies is discussed. • Value of versatile and detailed optimal scheduling results is emphasized. • Significance of water storage systems on interconnected resource supply is analyzed. • Cost of cooperation and competition among FEWN sub-systems is derived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Causalities of 50 SDG targets in human-earth system were assessed from an expanded food-energy-water nexus. • Higher-order influence and bridging targets in the interaction network were identified. • Targets 8.4 and 6.4 can be the top priorities for future governance actions. • Targets 2.4, 13.1, 6.3, 15.1, and 15.5 were secondary priorities, with attention to trade-offs. • Implementing target 2.3 in isolation could pose systemic risks. The six Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—Food (2), Water (6), Energy (7), Economy (8), Climate (13), and Ecology (15)—collectively referred to as FWEECE, form the interdependent core of the human-earth system. Understanding their complex interactions is crucial for identifying transformative actions that maximize synergies and minimize trade-offs, thereby helping to rescue the 2030 Agenda. However, current research on SDG causal interactions in FWEECE remains limited. This study used structured expert elicitation to evaluate the causal interactions of 50 SDG targets in FWEECE. We applied network analysis, community detection, similarity analysis, systematic analysis, and prospective structural analysis to identify the higher-order influence, modularity, similarity, potential role, and structural function of each target within the network. Our results indicated that targets 8.4 (sustainable consumption and production) and 6.4 (increasing water-use efficiency) could be top prioritized in the global governance actions. Five targets related to food systems, water quality, climate resilience, and ecosystem protection (2.4, 13.1, 6.3, 15.1, and 15.5) were secondary priorities, while target 2.3 (increasing agricultural productivity) was considered as a high-risk. The trade-offs among food production, economic growth, and ecosystem conservation remained a major challenge for achieving FWEECE. This study provides new insights for future global priorities and is significant for promoting policy coherence and human-earth system coordination. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Territorial spatial planning involves fixability and flexibility in different driving factors related to control and development orientation, and they play an important role in regional sustainable development, especially in developing countries such as China. With rapid urbanisation and industrialisation, China has been impacted by conflicts between development and protection in territorial space. To integrate the contradictions among different territorial spatial planning measures, planners and scholars have started to focus on studies regarding fixability–flexibility relationships and integration. However, the relationship between and integration of fixability and flexibility in territorial spatial planning have yet to be clearly summarised. This paper explores an innovative research direction for the fixability–flexibility relations in territorial spatial planning from a new perspective, the Food–Energy–Water Nexus, which is a dynamic and comprehensive framework for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) studies. This paper covers the existing research on fixability and flexibility in territorial spatial planning. Moreover, after summarising the conflicts of fixability and flexibility, the dialectical relationship between and the integration of fixability and flexibility are researched.

The water–energy–food (WEF) nexus is an integrated conceptual tool for achieving sustainable development especially for countries facing limitations in one or more of its three pillars. The approach relies on bringing different stakeholders from the water, food and energy sectors together to collaboratively plan and adopt a holistic approach to resources management. This enables them to address sector-specific issues and develop a comprehensive understanding of the connected sectors leading to better outcomes. However, WEF nexus implementation is currently in its infancy in many countries and stakeholders are in the process of learning how to effectively communicate and collaborate with each other. In this paper, we report the state of the WEF nexus in Jordan, a dry country grappling with water, energy and food production challenges in a changing climate. Stakeholders from line ministries, academics, private sector players and non-state actors were brought together to discuss the status of the WEF nexus and identify challenges that need to be overcome for full realization of the WEF nexus as an operational framework for integrated development at country level. Stakeholders identified 7 cardinal lessons in the process of WEF nexus implementation in Jordan. These are that (i) data/information sharing is vital (ii) WEF nexus requires funding, (iii) collaborations among actors is key, (iv) inclusivity in planning is necessary, (v) clear responsibilities and boundaries among stakeholders are needed, (vi) sustainability and cohesion are a must and (vii) building trust among and within organizations is a primary ingredient for success. A deeper understanding of the interrelated dynamics of these challenges is required to foster the WEF nexus in Jordan as the issues are grave but not insurmountable. It is therefore suggested that deliberate efforts are needed from a technical and policy angle to ensure full operationalization of the WEF nexus approach in Jordan and elsewhere.

The concepts of interdependent resource management have roots in the mid-20th century, and, more recently, the term ‘nexus’ has been used to describe the interconnected relationships among various resources, including food, energy, water, climate, and land. United States and European science foundations have shown a growing interest in the food-energy-water (FEW) nexus, leading to increased research on their joint management. Concurrently, in response to the looming threats of climate change, many cities in the United States have addressed climate governance by developing climate action plans (CAPs) for both mitigation and adaptation. However, one major criticism of the FEW nexus is the limited translation of the research into practical policies and implementation, such as CAPs. To assess the incorporation of FEW nexus principles into climate planning, we systematically evaluate 100 CAPs from large United States cities (population over 100 000). We identified primary themes and objectives for each resource, examining explicit or implicit connections within the CAPs. Our findings show that the energy sector is a central focus in nearly every CAP (98%), followed by water (75%), and food (66%). Within the food sector, we observed a significant emphasis on food waste reduction and composting (about 80%) compared to other food-related topics. Among water-related matters, drinking water receives the most attention, compared to wastewater and stormwater. Notably, the most discussed food-energy-water (FEW) links are those that involve energy, particularly the water-for-energy and food-for-energy connections, found in over half of the documents (56%). Our analysis promotes the integration of the FEW nexus into CAPs while discussing the barriers to its effective implementation.

Food, energy, and water resources form a complex system called Food–Energy–Water Nexus (FEWN) that is crucial for the survival of human beings. These resources interact with each other in a way that achieving the objectives of one can conflict with the objectives of the others. Therefore, there is a need to have approaches such as Multi-Objective Optimization Evolutionary Algorithms (MOEAs) to address the conflicting objectives in FEWN. However, MOEAs are inefficient in solving problems with more than 3 objectives and with at least 100 decision variables. In recent years Large-Scale Many-Objectives Optimization Evolutionary Algorithms (LSMaOEAs) have been developed to solve such problems. The performance of these algorithms has been tested on some real-world applications and benchmark problems. However, evaluation of their performance on the Food–Energy–Water Nexus (FEWN) rarely appears in existing literature. In this paper we propose a Large-Scale Many-Objectives Problem in Food–Energy–Water Nexus (LSMaOPFEWN) that consists of 5 objectives and 315 decision variables. This problem is formulated as a Leontief Input–Output model that promotes sustainable consumption and production of resources in FEWN. Thereafter, we report experiments that evaluated the performance of selected LSMaOEAs on LSMaOPFEWN. Experimental results demonstrate that Linear Combination-based Search Algorithm (LCSA) performs better than 4 other selected algorithms due to its enhanced exploration and exploitation capability. This paper demonstrates that an algorithm utilizing dimensionality reduction techniques can be effective in solving a real world LMaOPFEWN.

The increasing worldwide population is leading to a continuous increase in energy and food demand. These increasing demands have led to fierce land-use conflicts as we need agricultural land for food production while striving towards renewable energy systems such as large-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, which also require in most of the cases agricultural flat land for implementation. It is therefore essential to identify the interrelationships between the food, and energy sectors and develop sustainable solutions to achieve global goals such as food and energy security. A technology that has shown promising potential in supporting food and energy security, as well as supporting water security, is agrivoltaic (AV) systems. This technology combines conventional farm activities with PV systems on the same land. Understanding the microclimatic conditions in an AV system is essential for an accurate assessment of crop yield potential as well as for the energy performance of the PV systems. Nevertheless, the complex mechanisms governing the microclimatic conditions under agrivoltaic systems represent an underdeveloped research area. In this study, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model for a vertical AV system is developed and validated. The CFD model showed PV module temperature estimation errors in the order of 0–2 °C and ground temperature errors in the order of 0–1 °C. The shading caused by the vertical PV system resulted in a reduction of solar irradiance by 38%. CFD modelling can be seen as a robust approach to analysing microclimatic parameters and assessing AV system performance.

Background.: U.S. households produce a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions, indicating a potential to reduce their carbon footprints from changing food, energy, and water (FEW) consumption patterns. Behavioral change to FEW consumption is needed, but difficult to achieve. Interactive and engaging approaches like serious games could be a way to increase awareness of possible measures, leading to more sustainable behavior at a household level. This study looks into the experiences and effects of a digital game for homeowners with the potential to reduce FEW resource consumption impacts. Intervention.: In this study, we developed and implemented a digital game to explore its potential to raise awareness of the consumption and conservation of FEW resources and the efficacy of conservation messages. This study aims to measure learning outcomes from game participation and to assess the suitability of the game for informing resource conservation actions. Methods.: We tested a proof-of-concept of a digital four-player game, called HomeRUN, with 28 homeowners. The data collected include homeowners' values and preferences with regard to FEW resources. The patterns of game actions are analyzed with an emphasis on the effectiveness of conservation messaging in informing household consumption behavior. Results.: About 65% of the respondents agree that they gained a better understanding of the greenhouse gas emission impacts of FEW resource consumption after playing the game. Over 57% of the respondents agree that the game experience would influence their future consumption behavior, while a quarter of the respondents are unsure. Overall, we demonstrate the HomeRUN game has potential as a tool for informing conservation efforts at a household level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a lack of data on resources used and food produced at urban farms. This hampers attempts to quantify the environmental impacts of urban agriculture or craft policies for sustainable food production in cities. To address this gap, we used a citizen science approach to collect data from 72 urban agriculture sites, representing three types of spaces (urban farms, collective gardens, individual gardens), in five countries (France, Germany, Poland, United Kingdom, and United States). We answered three key questions about urban agriculture with this unprecedented dataset: (1) What are its land, water, nutrient, and energy demands? (2) How productive is it relative to conventional agriculture and across types of farms? and (3) What are its contributions to local biodiversity? We found that participant farms used dozens of inputs, most of which were organic (e.g., manure for fertilizers). Farms required on average 71.6 L of irrigation water, 5.5 L of compost, and 0.53 m2 of land per kilogram of harvested food. Irrigation was lower in individual gardens and higher in sites using drip irrigation. While extremely variable, yields at well-managed urban farms can exceed those of conventional counterparts. Although farm type did not predict yield, our cluster analysis demonstrated that individually managed leisure gardens had lower yields than other farms and gardens. Farms in our sample contributed significantly to local biodiversity, with an average of 20 different crops per farm not including ornamental plants. Aside from clarifying important trends in resource use at urban farms using a robust and open dataset, this study also raises numerous questions about how crop selection and growing practices influence the environmental impacts of growing food in cities. We conclude with a research agenda to tackle these and other pressing questions on resource use at urban farms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resilience, defined as the ability of a system to adapt in the presence of a disruptive event, has been of great interest with food systems for some time now. The goal of this research was to build understanding about resilient food systems that will withstand and recover from disruptions in a way that ensures a sufficient supply of food for all. In large, developed countries such as the USA and Canada, the food supply chain relies on a complex web of interconnected systems, such as water and energy systems, and food production and distribution are still very labor-intensive. Thanks to economies of scale and effective use of limited resources, potential cost savings support a push towards a more centralized system. However, distributed systems tend to be more resilient. Although distributed production systems may not be economically justifiable than centralized ones, they may provide a more resilient alternative. This study focused on the supply-side aspects of the food system and the food system's water, energy, and workforce disruptions to be considered for the resilience assessment for the USA, with an example for the state of Texas. After the degree of centralization (DoC) was calculated, the resilience of a food system was measured. Next, the relationship between labor intensity and production of six major food groups was formulated. The example for Texas showed that the decentralization of food systems will improve their resilience in responding to energy and water disruptions. A 40 percent reduction in water supply could decrease the food system performance by 28%. A negative correlation was found between the resilience and DoC for energy disruption scenarios. A 40 percent reduction in energy supply could decrease the food system performance by 34%. In contrast, achieving a more resilient food system in responding to labor shortage supports a push towards a more centralized system the decentralization of food systems can in fact, improve their resilience in responding to disruptions in the energy and water inputs. In contrast, achieving a more resilient food system in responding to labor shortage supports a push towards a more centralized system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humanity's growing appetites for food and energy are placing unprecedented yield targets on our lands. Chasing those ever‐expanding land intensification targets gave rise to monocultures and sharpened the divide between food and energy production groups. Here, we argue that this does not have to be a zero‐sum game if food and energy can be co‐generated in the same land. Co‐generation can lead to sustainable intensification but requires a paradigm shift in the way we manage our resources, particularly light. Using an extended model of plant photosynthesis and transpiration, we demonstrate how plants react to different incident light spectra and show that manipulating light could be effective for boosting land and water efficiencies, thus potentially improving soil health. This knowledge can possibly unlock the real potential of promising modern agricultural technologies that target optimization of light allocations such as agrivoltaics. This study suggests that the blue part of the light spectrum is less efficient in terms of carbon assimilation and water use and could be more effectively used to produce solar energy, while the red part could efficiently produce biomass. A sensitivity analysis to the most important crop and environmental variables (irradiance, air temperature, humidity, and CO2 concentration) shows that plant response to different light treatments is sensitive to environmental boundary conditions and is species‐specific. Therefore, further research is necessary to assess which crops and climates are more suitable to optimize the proposed food‐water‐energy nexus. Plain Language Summary: Achieving sustainability for the deeply interlinked water, energy, and food systems requires revolutionary, rather than incremental, solutions at their nexus. This includes forms of food and energy co‐generation like agrivoltaics, which can boost land and water efficiencies and improve soil health. Advancements along those lines require deep understanding of how plants react to different incident light spectra. In this paper, we demonstrate the importance of different light spectra, and show that those spectra, if optimized in terms of their utilization, could lead to sustainable and more efficient food and energy systems. For example, the red part of the light spectrum is more efficient in terms of carbon assimilation and water use while the blue part could be more effectively used to produce solar energy. Key Points: We develop a photosynthesis and transpiration model to account for different light spectraThe red part of the light spectrum is more efficient for plant photosynthesis and water useThe blue part of the light spectrum could be used for solar energy production [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Recent work examining the impact of climate-change induced extremes on food-energy-water systems (FEWS) estimates the potential changes in physical flows of multiple elements of the systems. Climate adaptation decisions can involve tradeoffs between different system outcomes. Thus, it is important for decision makers to consider the potential changes in monetary value attributed to the observed changes in physical flows from these events, since the value to society of a unit change in an outcome varies widely between thing like food and energy production, water quality, and carbon sequestration.Methods: We develop a valuation tool (FEWSVT) that applies theoretically sound valuation techniques to estimates changes in value for four parameters within the food-energy-water nexus. We demonstrate the utility of the tool through the application of a case study that analyzes the monetary changes in value of a modelled heat wave scenario relative to historic (baseline) conditions in two study regions in the United States.Results: We find that food (corn and soybeans) comprises the majority (89%) of total changes in value, as heatwaves trigger physical changes in corn and soybeans yields. We also find that specifying overly simplified and incorrect valuation methods lead to monetary values that largely differ from FEWSVT results that use accepted valuation methods.Discussion: These results demonstrate the value in considering changes in monetary value instead of just physical flows when making decisions on how to distribute investments and address the many potential impacts of climate change-induced extremes.