Across the globe, increasing water scarcity, climate-induced uncertainty, and growing demand for natural resources are compounded by inefficient resource use. These issues threaten local livelihoods, water–food–energy security and the long-term sustainability and availability of natural resources.
The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) aims to generate insights through trade-off analysis and metrics on coordinated development actions that work across water, energy, food and planetary health silos to address these challenges.
IWMI conducts research, innovation and development of solutions that support transformative, regionally differentiated and context-specific solutions across the water, food and energy sectors. It works across disciplines to improve system efficiency through research methods ranging from participatory data collection to the use of complex integrated models and drawing on collective expertise from policy analysis to engineering.
IWMI’s work on the water–food–energy nexus:
Explores powering water and food systems with sustainable and renewable energy sources. For example, solar-powered irrigation, and small hydropower for irrigation and food processing.
Develops tools and models — for example, dashboards and scorecards — to support informed decision-making.
Ensures equitable access to water, energy and food resources and governance opportunities for men and women, for example through empowerment programs.
Creates training materials and courses to enhance knowledge and skills in effective water–food–energy nexus management.
Advances farming methods that reduce water and energy use, lower emissions and protect the environment.
Improves the efficiency and sustainability of food production through trade-offs, including understanding the water footprint of food products cultivated in different locations.
Ongoing food system inequalities and pressures on planetary boundaries requires a paradigm shift among agricultural research for development (AR4D) actors to produce effective innovation for sustainable environmental and social outcomes. Building on insights from Agricultural Innovation System literature and recognizing the influence of personal and systemic biases within AR4D, the following recommendations address upstream challenges, interdisciplinary collaboration, emphasize outcome-driven scaling, adaptive project implementation, and integrate critical considerations for social differentiation.
Empowerment / Social inclusion / Innovation scaling / Sustainable Development Goals / Agricultural innovation systems / Agricultural research for development Record No:H053821
Despite substantial contemporary research and a growing trend in exploring the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus, most research efforts have been invested in macro-level supply-side infrastructure and policies. However, prioritizing demand-side management policies can provide new opportunities and untapped potential for addressing interconnected resource challenges. Demand management inherently encompasses users’ consumption patterns, behaviors, socio-economic conditions, and choices, thereby necessitating active engagement and participation. Understanding household-level demands is fundamental to assess the demand for and consumption of water, energy, and food, as well as to inform policy decisions. In this context, our study investigated household consumption patterns within the interconnected WEF nexus, including daily practices such as cooking and washing, conservation measures, household governance, and their cross-cutting relationships with climate change. As a case study, we conducted our research in the Jabal Al Natheef neighborhood of Amman City, Jordan. Our findings reveal that households can propose and enact climate-friendly decisions. Significant gender-related differences were also observed in decisions made across WEF household practices. Additionally, households’ perspectives highlighted governance issues and revealed gaps in policy implementation along with the need for more inclusive decision-making processes. Our results underscore the importance of understanding household-level WEF nexus dynamics and daily practices in informing environmental policies, particularly those related to climate action. Such policies are best developed from the bottom-up by incorporating household insights, rather than relying solely on top-down, one-size-fits-all solutions.
Socioeconomic aspects / Gender / Climate change / Nexus approaches / Food security / Energy efficiency / Water use / Governance / Households / Policies / Inclusion Record No:H053755
Study Region: Three major irrigation oases in Uzbekistan (Bukhara, Samarkand and Kashkadarya)
Study focus: The study employs remote sensing to develop enhanced methodologies for quantifying water use in Central Asian irrigation oases from 2017 to 2022. By integrating earth observation data into a water balance approach, we quantify variables that are typically challenging to measure, such as groundwater overdraft and non-growing season water use for soil preparation. A key aspect of agricultural water management in the region is utilizing water from reservoirs. Here we introduce a novel approach that combines optical remote sensing with satellite laser altimetry to monitor the availability and use of active water storage in reservoirs.
New hydrological insights for the region: Results indicate that water from reservoir storage satisfies up to 14.9 % 2.2 % of the annual demand, but another 11.5 % 5.2 % are groundwater withdrawals. Our analysis indicates a necessary average annual reduction in groundwater extractions by at least 8.0 % 1.6 % for sustainability. Additionally, highly energy-intensive water pumping from Amu Darya River provides more than half of the water resources used in Bukhara and Kashkadarya, resulting in a significant carbon footprint of the region’s agricultural production. The detailed breakdown of water uses and irrigation water consumption by crop type informs efficient, sustainable water management, offering new opportunities for agricultural water accounting in Central Asian irrigation oases.
Remote sensing / Groundwater / Water balance / Oases / Water storage / Water demand / Integrated water resources management / Irrigation water / Agricultural water use Record No:H053754
A NEXUS Gains transboundary river basin brief shares examples of the Initiative’s work across five work packages in the Blue Nile Basin, covering Ethiopia and Sudan.
Government / Llivelihoods / Aquatic ecosystems / Nexus approaches / Food security / Energy demand / Water supply / Water resources Record No:H053400
