Water–energy–food nexus analysis: A multi-stakeholder alliance-based framework

Abstract

Addressing the Water–Energy–Food Nexus has become the main point of many studies due to the necessity of finding a solution that fits the demands while considering the strong interdependence among the nexus elements and taking care of their sustainable security. However, managing the elements of the nexus is also a matter of making decisions in a multi-stakeholder environment, where the final solution should ensure the security of the nexus for all the participants. In this sense, we present a multi-stakeholder approach for the optimal management of resources and the mitigation of conflicts among stakeholders. The nexus security is modeled by sustainability indicators to measure the availability, accessibility and sufficiency of water, energy and food. Soft-clustering and multi-objective strategies, as well as the concept of ideological distance, are used for performing a similarity analysis in multi-criteria and multi-stakeholder environments to forecast alliances among participants and mitigate conflicts. For testing these ideas, the supply chain of water, energy and food utilities in a state in the northern part of Mexico, where there is strong competition for resources, is presented as a case study. This study indicates that it is possible to reduce the discussion among several stakeholders to a few groups, facilitating consensus.