Coupling characteristics of China's food-energy-water nexus and its implications for regional livelihood well-being

Abstract

Food, energy and water (FEW) are critical resources for livelihood well-being. FEW is embedded throughout the upstream production and downstream consumption processes via the supply chain dominated by economic activities. In the context of rapid population growth and increasing resource scarcity, it is crucial to reveal the trade-offs and synergies among regions and sectors from the perspective of supply chain for achieving regional sustainability. This study constructed a China's multi-regional and multi-sector FEW flow network and identified the critical supply chains and nodes. The efficiencies and benefits of the critical supply chains were evaluated through integrating multiple dimensions of socio-economic benefits, resource availability and negative environmental impacts. Additionally, this study also assessed the regional livelihood well-being related to the FEW nexus in terms of three dimensions: availability, accessibility and stability. The impacts of the FEW subsystems and their interactions on livelihood well-being were thus analyzed. The results indicated that: 1) agriculture, food processing industry, and construction industry were the critical nodes of the FEW nexus in China; 2) some critical supply chains and nodes were inefficient due to resource waste or negative environmental impacts; 3) the level of livelihood well-being related to the FEW nexus in most regions didn't match the economic development level and position in supply chains. In order to enhance synergies and turn resource advantages into economic advantages, the government should strengthen economic and trade cooperation among regions on the one hand, and provide appropriate ecological compensation for the regions bearing a large amount of FEW resource supply on the other hand.