A review of the water–energy–food nexus measurement and management approach

Abstract

Water, energy, and food are the fundamental resources for improving living conditions and sustainable development. Because substantial interdependencies and relationships exist among these three sectors, the word nexus between water–energy–food is being used to indicate the importance of managing them together and not in isolation. This paper reviews and analyzes the current status of water–energy–food nexus approach, which has attracted widespread attention in the past few years, with the aim to understand the nexus thinking and illustrate the methods and tools used in the nexus analysis. This is expected to help the policy makers and researchers to be better informed about the options for sustainable securing and managing these three resources. In addition, such integration between these three sectors will significantly help in achieving the goals of sustainable development, since the water–energy–food nexus is directly related to three goals 2, 6, and 7, which are, respectively, related to ensuring access to food, water, and sustainable energy for all.