Nexus on IWA Water Wiki // Call for Submissions on the Water-Energy-Food Security Nexus

Water, energy and food security rely on water infrastructure. Recognition of the closely bound interaction between water, energy and food production and use - the nexus - has led to new demands for water infrastructure and technology solutions. The vision is coordinated planning, development, optimization and operation of portfolios of water infrastructure for multiple goals and benefits across sectors. Solutions will bridge divides — among agriculture, ecosystems, energy, industry, and cities — and strengthen the resilience of economic growth. The Water-Energy-Food Security Nexus ties three mutually-dependent securities together. Their inter-linkage is not new, but vitally important in our changing world. With population increase, land-use changes and climate change having rapid and drastic impacts on water resources, the management and governance of water resources needs to be approached in a coherent and improved cross-sectoral way, across scales and with a sense of urgency. At the heart of the nexus debate are water infrastructure and technology. How is water infrastructure currently being used? What technologies are available to optimize across water supply sources? How can infrastructure be made more functional and sustainable to secure water supplies, food production and energy generation, without compromising the ecosystems we all rely on? Development of infrastructure plays a pivotal role in making water available for agriculture, electricity generation and water supply. This infrastructure includes engineered structures such as dams, reservoirs, canals and irrigation systems. But it also includes ecosystems and watersheds that act as 'natural infrastructure': mangroves that buffer against severe storms, floodplains that absorb flood waters, forests that stabilize soils, lakes and wetlands that clean and store water. If this natural infrastructure is healthy and well-functioning, it supports built infrastructure to protect, store, clean and deliver water for cross-sectoral nexus water requirements. We are looking for articles, case studies, reports and poster presentations between 500 and 2000 words: - What type of water infrastructure and technology is being used to provide water for multiple uses including water supply, food production and energy generation? - How is water infrastructure being optimized to share benefits across sectors? How are trade-offs negotiated? How does this change operation of existing infrastructure and planning of new developments? - What elements (social, political, ecological, economic, technical, etc.) are needed for infrastructure to have improved functionality while sustaining water, energy and food security? - What have been obstacles to optimizing water infrastructure for multiple uses of water supply, food and energy, and how have these been navigated? {http://www.iwawaterwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/HotTopics/WebHome|IWA Water Wiki Website}