Abstract The availability of water is crucial for ensuring global food security, particularly in regions most affected by climate change. Understanding the trade-offs and synergies between the availability of water and the food sector is crucial for ensuring water and food security. This study employs a holistic approach to aid decision-makers in the water and food sectors for developing sustainable strategies in Upper Sakarya Watershed located in a semi-arid region dominated by agricultural activities. Several agricultural water management scenarios are assessed based on various criteria: i) water budget at the basin scale, ii) economic feasibility, and iii) stakeholder opinions. The WEAP model was used to evaluate the hydrological analysis of management scenarios. In addition, socioeconomic analyses and stakeholder perspectives on the management scenarios are incorporated into the integrated investigation of the water-food nexus. The most effective scenario in terms of water consumption relative to the baseline scenario can result in a reduction of 60 million m 3 of irrigation water per year. According to the economic analysis, significant contributions to the farmer’s income by €5.4–13.5 per m 3 of water use compared to reference scenarios can be achieved by the most feasible scenarios. The most effective scenarios show parallel trends between water conservation and positive economic contribution. Moreover, stakeholders anticipated that the implementation and sustainability of the most effective scenarios can be vulnerable to technical, practical, and political constraints. This holistic approach demonstrated the need for a multi-dimensional assessment of the water-food nexus that incorporates the perspective of stakeholders. Graphical Abstract

Incorporating water quality into food-water nexus reveals hidden benefits of technological progress

West Java, as the province with the largest population contribution nationality, is currently facing serious challenges in form of massive land conservation, especially the conversion of agricultural and forest land into residential areas. This Phenomenon is exacerbated by climate change, which significantly affects changes in rainfall patterns and causes sustainability in hydrological cycle. The impact is seen in the decline in irrigation functions due to limited water availability, which in turn decrease the number of harvest and weakens food security. This study examines spatial water security by integrating analyses of land cover change and demographic pressure over the period 2014 and 2024. A geospatial approach was employed to track land cover dynamics using satellite imagery, assess climate variability based on rainfall data, and capture socio-economic stressors through demographic and food production data. These datasets were systematically analysed using descriptive and quantitative statistical methods to evaluate the relationship between environmental change and the increasing demand for water resources. The study result show that land conservation significantly reduces the ecological function of the landscape, worsens water security, and threatens food productivity. In addition, the continuous increase in population increases the burden on food and water systems, creating dependencies vulnerable to climate variability. Therefore, this study emphasizes the urgency of adaptive spatial planning to climate change, controlling urbanization, and utilizing spatial monitoring technology strategies to strengthen food and water security in long term.

Climate change presents interconnected challenges to global agriculture, particularly within vulnerable regions, such as the Pannonian Biogeographical Area (PBA), which experiences extreme weather events. Traditional reductionist approaches have proven insufficient against complex issues such as increasing droughts, high temperatures, floods, and new pests and diseases. This review proposes and validates innovative systemic solutions to enhance climate resilience across identified critical key agricultural sectors: crop production, agroforestry, the water-food nexus, and cattle production. Utilizing a consistent model, four deep demonstration sites will be established in two sectors (Serbia and Hungary) to develop and test the proposed solutions. Multi-environment trials replicated across eight additional diverse European environments will provide a robust validation of performance under varied conditions, mimicking real-world agricultural complexities across Serbia, Croatia, Romania, and Czechia. This holistic, systems-thinking approach aims to create comprehensive strategies that build climate resilience, secure agricultural production, foster long-term sustainability within the PBA, and serve as a blueprint for broader European implementation.

Algae-based nanoparticles for enhancing sustainable applications in integrated food-water ecosystem.

As the global population continues to rise, food demand is projected to increase by 60% by 2050. The global water–food nexus is under increasing pressure as agricultural systems struggle with growing climate variability, unsustainable water extraction, and rising competition for limited water resources. Agriculture is the largest consumer of freshwater globally, accounting for 70% of all withdrawals, with surface and groundwater serving as its primary sources. Water is a vital input that influences every stage of food crop development, from germination to harvest. This paper investigates the spatio-temporal interplay of surface and groundwater resources on food crop production in the Santa Agrarian Basin. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining secondary data from satellite imagery (ASTER, HydroSHEDS), climatic records (1980–2024), and agricultural statistics. Primary data were collected through 397 questionnaires, 12 key-informant interviews, and two focus group discussions conducted across 10 communities. Geospatial analysis using QGIS and ArcGIS quantified changes in surface and groundwater potential, while crop water requirements were calculated using the FAO CROPWAT 8.0 tool for tomato and Irish potato. Findings revealed a 50% decline in first-order stream length between 1980 and 2024, with groundwater emerging as the primary irrigation source after 2010. Crop water requirement analysis showed high irrigation dependencies: tomatoes (571.3 mm) and Irish potato (514.3 mm), with supplemental needs exceeding 40–50%. Crop output followed hydrological trends, with peak yields of water-intensive crops reaching 15,100 tons in 2007–2008, then falling to 6,000 tons by 2024 due to aquifer depletion. The paper recommends integrated water governance and the implementation of managed aquifer recharge in high-potential areas such as Pinyin and Mbu to promote water sustainability and agricultural resilience.

The synergistic relation among land resources, water resources, and food production plays a crucial role in sustainable agricultural development. This research constructs a coupling coordination assessment system of the land–water–food (LWF) nexus from 2005 to 2020 for 31 provinces (municipal cities, autonomous regions) in China, and explores the current development status of land, water, and food systems at multiple scales as well as the coupling coordination characteristics of the LWF nexus. The exploring spatial data analysis and spatial Tobit model are used to explain the spatial correlations and influencing factors of coupling coordination development on the LWF nexus. On that basis, the gray GM (1,1) model is used to forecast the future development of the LWF nexus in China. The results show that the comprehensive development indexes of the land system, water system, food system, and LWF nexus are on the rise, but the land system lags behind the water system and food system. The coupling coordination degree of the LWF nexus in different regions ranges from 0.538 to 0.754, and the coupling coordination development of the LWF nexus in China has reached the preliminary coupled coordination type, with an evolutionary process similar to that of its comprehensive development level. Further empirical research shows that there is a significant positive spatial correlation between coupling coordination development levels for the LWF nexus in China. The level of urbanization and agricultural industry agglomeration have negative effects, while economic development, ecological environment, and scientific and technological progress have positive effects. The prediction results indicate that the coupling coordination degree of the LWF nexus in China will show a stable upward trend from 2024 to 2025, and most provinces will reach the intermediate coupled coordination type in 2025. This study can inform decision-making for policy-makers and practitioners and enrich the knowledge hierarchy of the LWF nexus’ sustainable development on the national and regional scales.

Efforts to promote human development through agriculture highlight issues that require balanced approaches, considering socio-environmental factors, including equitable water allocation in regions with significant inequalities. This study aims to assess human development disparities across Brazilian regions, particularly in municipalities with high water consumption for irrigation in agriculture and livestock watering. Using public data from 2007 and 2016, a total of 300 municipalities were selected each year for analysis based on water use types. The study compared groups using the Firjan Index of Municipal Development (FIMD) as a measure of human development, employing the Kruskal–Wallis test with a 95% confidence level. We found statistically significant differences in FIMD distribution across all of the groups studied. We also verified that a set of municipalities in the Southeast did not experience significant advancements in development between 2007 and 2016, despite having high water allocations for livestock watering. Additionally, intense water use for irrigation was insufficient to elevate less advantaged regions, such as the Northeast, where half of the municipalities were classified with moderately low values in both years. The challenges in this water–food nexus study highlight the need for more integrated policies to ensure greater justice in human development and in the distribution of natural resource exploitation for agribusiness income.

Phosphorus recovery through enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) processes from agricultural wastes holds promise in mitigating the impending global P shortage. However, the complex nutrient forms and the microbial augments, expected to exert a profound impact on crop rhizomicrobiome and thus crop health, remained unexplored. In this study, we investigated the impacts of EBPR biosolids on crops growth and rhizomicrobiome in comparison to chemical fertilizer and Vermont manure compost. Our findings revealed that EBPR biosolid augmentation promoted the best maize shoot growth traits with the least nutrient deficiency, evidencing its agricultural benefits. Biosolid augmentation significantly impacted the rhizomicrobiome with decreased biodiversity but higher activities with enriched taxa capable of utilizing various carbon sources. The novel single-cell Raman spectroscopy phenotyping technique uncovered the surprisingly high abundance (up to 30%) of polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs) in the rhizosphere and their distinctive variations in different biosolid amendments. Furthermore, the interactions between EBPR-derived PAOs such as Candidatus Accumulibacter phosphatis and soil native plant growth promoting rhizobacteria highlighted the previously overlooked status and yet-to-be-characterized functions of PAOs in P cycling. This study provides a novel perspective leveraging EBPR biosolids to facilitate plant growth with agronomic benefits, thereby contributing to more sustainable and ecologically responsible agricultural practices.

Climate change presents interconnected challenges to global agriculture, particularly within vulnerable regions, such as the Pannonian Biogeographical Area (PBA), which experiences extreme weather events. Traditional reductionist approaches have proven insufficient against complex issues such as increasing droughts, high temperatures, floods, and new pests and diseases. This review proposes and validates innovative systemic solutions to enhance climate resilience across identified critical key agricultural sectors: crop production, agroforestry, the water-food nexus, and cattle production. Utilizing a consistent model, four deep demonstration sites will be established in two sectors (Serbia and Hungary) to develop and test the proposed solutions. Multi-environment trials replicated across eight additional diverse European environments will provide a robust validation of performance under varied conditions, mimicking real-world agricultural complexities across Serbia, Croatia, Romania, and Czechia. This holistic, systems-thinking approach aims to create comprehensive strategies that build climate resilience, secure agricultural production, foster long-term sustainability within the PBA, and serve as a blueprint for broader European implementation.

Abstract Consumption of fresh produce, such as leafy greens, is often encouraged as part of a healthy diet. Hence, indoor facilities for hydroponic production of leafy greens are increasingly being established. However, fresh produce entails a higher risk of microbial foodborne illnesses than processed foods. Listeria monocytogenes is a major source of fresh produce contamination and is among the leading causes of severe foodborne illnesses in the United States, with a 16% mortality rate. Tools for rapid monitoring are needed for pathogens such as L. monocytogenes to prevent outbreaks. In this manuscript, we have demonstrated the feasibility of a multi-aptamer approach for development of label-free aptasensors targeting L. monocytogenes in irrigation water for lettuce hydroponic production. We use screening studies with surface plasmon resonance to rationally develop mixtures of relevant aptamers for targeting L. monocytogenes. Based on this screening, multiple aptamers targeting extracellular structures on intact L. monocytogenes were tethered to platinum-modified laser inscribed graphene electrodes. This is the first report of a L. monocytogenes biosensor based on laser inscribed graphene. We show that mixing multiple aptamers with varying affinity improves the diagnostic performance over one aptamer alone in complex sample matrices (lettuce hydroponic water). Multi-aptamer biosensors showed high accuracy for L. monocytogenes and were at least three times more selective than Escherichia coli (Crooks, K12, O157:H7) with an accuracy of 85%. The limit of detection (10 CFU/10 mL) is based on data which were significantly different after calibration toward L. monocytogenes or E. coli (Crooks) and validated against gold standard molecular analysis (polymerase chain reaction). Rapid screening of pathogens is a global need to meet food safety and water quality regulations. This study shows the importance of sensors targeting more than one bacterial surface structure in complex samples relevant to the food-water nexus.

BackgroundClimate change is increasingly affecting the supply of resources such as water and food. From 2015 to 2018, Cape Town endured its most severe drought on record. Yet, resource management often occurs in isolation, which contrasts with the holistic perspective provided by the nexus concept that recognizes the interdependence of resource sectors. This study employs system dynamics modeling, to examine the City of Cape Town’s (CoCT) water-food trade-offs and interactions using qualitative and quantitative approaches. It assesses various policies proposed by the CoCT, to improve system resilience and to boost future water supplies, examining their efficacy and potential drawbacks. These policies are tested against future scenarios including population growth and climate change predictions of different severities.ResultsThe simulation results show an increase in food demand, which is mainly linked to population growth and a significant decrease in water availability. Without intervention, the CoCT is expected to experience serious water shortages within the 40-year simulation period.ConclusionsThe findings indicate that the CoCT’s strategies will effectively secure adequate water for its expanding population. However, a major concern was found to be the proposed intensification of aquifer exploitation. The model predicts that such an approach could lead to overabstraction of some aquifers, compromising their sustainability.

Pakistan's hydropower sector depends heavily on glacier and snowmelt water that originates from the Upper Indus Basin (UIB). It is expected that climate change may adversely affect future hydropower generation capacity as a result of fluctuations in the magnitude, seasonality and hydrological extremes of the Indus River flow. This study employed the Degree-Day Snowmelt Runoff Model alongside the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer MODIS and daily ground-based hydro-meteorological data to model the snowmelt runoff response in the UIB. The results indicated a significant increase in the annual and seasonal runoff under both RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios, suggesting more water availability for hydropower and irrigation. By the end of the century, annual river flow is projected to increase by 28 % to 69 % under the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 climate scenarios. Consequently, rise in annual river flow is expected to increase the electricity generation capacity of future hydropower projects by 93 % to 167 % under the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios, respectively. The construction of robust multipurpose dams may potentially reduce flood risks in downstream areas during peak flows, while also supplying water for hydropower generation and irrigation during low flows. This, in turn, may enhance the resilience of both the hydropower and agriculture sectors in the face of climate change.

A circular solution to enhance the food-water nexus by nanocellulose technologies for ammonium recovery and reuse, Johnson, Ken I, Ilacas, Grenalynn, Das, Rasel, Chang, Hao-Yen, Sharma, Priyanka R, Dimkpa, Christian O, Hsiao, Benjamin S

Water insecurity (WI) is an underappreciated issue in the US. WI co-occurs with food insecurity (FI), but little work has explored the Water-Food nexus experienced by children. Drawing on individual tap water avoidance, a proxy of WI, and prior-year household food security data from 2-17 year-olds in the National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES) (n=18,252), we describe nationally-representative trends and racial/ethnic disparities in WI and FI. Between 2005-2020, this WI proxy was associated with higher probability of FI with heterogeneity by race/ethnicity and income, and concurrent WI and FI more than doubled from 4.6% (95% CI, 3.0-6.1) to 10.3% (8.4-12.1; P<0.001). Compared to White children, children identifying as Black and Hispanic had 3.5 (2.6-4.7; P<0.001) and 7.1 (5.4-9.3; P<0.001) times the relative-risk ratios of experiencing concurrent WI and FI. The increasing prevalence of US children experiencing concurrent WI and FI alongside observed racial/ethnic disparities is of major public health concern.

With the rapid increase in population and the industrial revolution, the demand for clean energy and water has substantially increased, underscoring their importance for sustainable economic development. Although energy and water infrastructures are often viewed as separate and uncoupled due to distinct processes in power generation and water production, they are fundamentally interlinked within their respective domains. This necessitates a strong coupling to optimally manage power and water resources simultaneously. To address this, a joint optimization algorithm has been developed to manage the supply-side resources of the Energy–Water–Food Nexus (EWFN), including the power, water, food, cogeneration, and storage networks. A mathematical model is first developed to dispatch clear power, potable water, and storage resources, considering constraints related to supply, demand, production, flow, and ramping. Additionally, the integration of a water storage facility alleviates binding constraints, enabling flat production to reduce costs and CO2 emissions. The proposed methodology also allows for the real-time quantification of production costs, energy mix, reserve and curtailed capacities, and energy imbalances. This methodological extension to EWFN includes flexible resources within the grid’s portfolio to promote cleaner production, ensuring that the required amount of water is consumed across all sectors. Finally, the proposed algorithm is tested on freely available datasets, demonstrating that the co-dispatch of energy and water resources in the presence of constraints leads to optimal generation and distribution of power and water without heavily relying on a single-product plant.

The water–energy–food nexus approach to the sustainable management of resources emphasizes chains of interdependence and contingencies of their elements. As these concepts are increasingly relevant for research and policy, educational institutions seek to add materials about them into curricula. This article aimed to identify issues and relevant points for education for sustainability in undergraduate higher education, based on a combined analysis of research results regarding the perceptions, experiences and participation of undergraduates in the water–energy–food nexus in São Paulo, Brazil. The analyses enabled an exploration of the contexts in which education for sustainability is set at higher education institutions by taking into account the perceptions of students. It was observed that university students perceive that their knowledge of issues and topics related to the nexus elements is either limited or sufficient, without remarkable distinctions between responses for public and private institutions, although public ones are viewed as superior in educational level terms.

The food sector in Qatar is confronted with formidable challenges due to its harsh environmental conditions. Striving for total food self-sufficiency in such an environment would inevitably exert pressure on the energy and water sectors. This heightened demand for energy and water translates into increased costs and escalates environmental impacts. Consequently, this study embarks on an in-depth analysis of food production within the context of Qatar's energy-water-food nexus, aiming to demonstrate how varying degrees of food self-sufficiency may impact the demand on Qatar's water and energy sectors, as well as on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Moreover, this study demonstrates to what extent specific subsystems within the nexus can be modified to enhance sustainability. An energy-water-food nexus is meticulously crafted within the proposed framework to elucidate the intricate interdependencies among these sectors, incorporating pertinent external variables. These interconnections are then transmuted into a system dynamics model (SDM), facilitating a nuanced exploration of potential transformations and their ripple effects. Furthermore, a life-cycle thinking approach explicitly tailored to Qatar was implemented to estimate GHG emissions accurately. Four distinct scenarios are rigorously examined using the SDM, spanning from a status quo perspective to ambitious transitions toward full food self-sufficiency. The findings of the scenarios indicate that scenario 4, which partially provides the country with its food demands locally using desalinated water, treated wastewater, and groundwater and satisfies 20 % of its energy demand from solar energy, is the most ideal with an annual 5.36 × 1010 kWh/year energy consumption, 1.73 × 1012 l/year water demand, and 3.26 × 1010 kg CO2 eq./year emissions. The outcomes underscore the imperative for prioritizing less energy-intensive resources to mitigate overall energy consumption. Additionally, achieving an optimal national scenario necessitates a judicious equilibrium between food imports and domestic production.

This study discusses the planning of a regional-scale water–food nexus (WFN) system using an inexact fuzzy chance constraint programming (IFCCP) method. The IFCCP approach can handle uncertainties expressed as interval and fuzzy parameters, as well as the preferences of decision makers. An inexact fuzzy chance constraint programming-based water–food nexus (IFCCP-WFN) model has been developed for the City of Jinan with the consideration of various restrictions related to water and land availability, as well as food and vegetable demands. Solutions for the planting areas for different crops in different periods have been generated under the different preferences of decision makers. The water resource availability would be the priority factor affecting the WFN system under demanding conditions, in which wheat cultivation would be dominated by this factor under fuzzy confidence levels of 0.2 and 0.5, and the planting area of corn would be determined by this factor under high fuzzy confidence levels (e.g., 0.8). In addition, the reliability of irrigation would decrease with increasing fuzzy confidence levels under demanding conditions, limiting the planting areas for crops and leading to a decreasing trend of the system benefit. Adequate water resources would be available for irrigation under optimistic conditions, implying no significant contributions to the planting schemes. Nevertheless, increasing food loss rates would result in more planting areas to satisfy food requirements and thus a greater system benefit under advantageous conditions. Compared with the developed IFCCP-WFN model, the interval-linear-programming-based water–food nexus (ILP-WFN) model can merely reflect the lower and upper bounds of uncertain parameters and neglects the inherent distributional information within the fuzzy parameters. Thus, the ILP-WFN model is unable to reveal the inherent impacts of the fuzzy parameters on the resulting planting strategies.

The Food-Water Nexus in the Post-Revolutionary Mexican Supreme Court