Research Seminar: Achieving Water Security in the Context of the Food-Energy-Water Nexus

Water problems have become more and more alarming as unexpected consequences of development have undermined eco-hydrological systems, while causing conflicts in socio-economic systems around the world. In response, national and international communities have been promoting innovative concepts and procedures, including efforts focused on integrated water resources management (IWRM), water security, and the food-energy-water (FEW) nexus in recent years. All these efforts are key tenants of sustainable development, but moving forward from exhortation to action has been a common critical challenge for all. Treating water as a privileged resource more or less sets water in a reactive role, in which the competition for water among socioeconomic sectors (e.g., energy, food, etc.) often ends with depletion of water quantity and/or degradation of water quality. Indeed, efforts for food security started in the Green Revolution have contributed to numerous water problems around the world, and the present pursuit of energy security can cause new water problems (e.g., biofuel production may consume too much water; hydraulic fracturing for gas extraction needs considerable amounts of water and can pollute water). I argue that in the context of the FEW nexus, the role of water should be shifted from a reactive to an active entity along with food and energy sectors. The FEW nexus paradigm provides water communities new channels to move forward convergent research and practice to achieve water security and climate resilience broadly. As an example, the modeling analysis of the FEW systems in the US Midwest Corn Belt will be discussed.

Poster