event 09 Jul 2021

Publication // Understanding the conceptual frameworks and methods of the WEF Nexus at the household level for development-oriented policy support: a systematic review

By Leonard Chirenje Itayi, Geetha Mohan and Osamu Saito. Food, energy, and water are vital components for human well-being. Conceptualizing the Nexus approach is an important step in designing a robust framework that adequately captures the dynamic interfaces occurring in WEF interactions. This review found that most research on the WEF Nexus has focused on the national, regional, and global scales. At the local scale, there is a need for further research. Therefore, to overcome these gaps, this paper proposes a WEF Nexus framework at the local household scale that includes socio-economic determinants.

Total number of publications WEF Nexus household level

Total number of FEW publications by country. © The authors

Abstract

This paper undertakes a systematic review of the literature to understand current trends in the food–energy–water (FEW) Nexus for development-oriented policy support. The paper follows three steps: (a) a bibliometric analysis of FEW Nexus research, (b) a content analysis of FEW Nexus research, and (c) development of a framework that fills existing gaps in FEW Nexus research. The review found that FEW Nexus approaches have gained ground in academia as a resource management tool and policy guide; however, the process does not have a robust conceptualization. The current FEW Nexus approaches focus on national, regional, and international scales of analysis to understand the three sectors’ interactions. Further, these approaches underline the Nexus processes, which have been researched in detail, including synergies and tradeoffs. However, research on the FEW Nexus has not adequately explored the social factors that form part of the Nexus, especially at the local household scale. Factors such as the gender dynamics of resource ownership, work roles at different scales, household incomes, and culture are essential components that are yet to be explored in FEW Nexus research. Most of the existing frameworks on the FEW Nexus overemphasize models and the quantitative measurement of processes while paying limited attention to social aspects. Still, these social aspects are crucial, especially on the household scale; therefore, to overcome these gaps, this paper proposes a FEW Nexus framework at the local household scale that includes socio-economic determinants.

In

March 2021

By

Environmental Research Letters, Volume 16, Number 3

Citation

Itayi, C. L., Mohan, G., & Saito, O. (2021). Understanding the conceptual frameworks and methods of the food–energy–water Nexus at the household level for development-oriented policy support: a systematic review. Environmental Research Letters, 16(3), 033006. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abd660

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Understanding the conceptual frameworks and methods of the food-energy-water nexus at the household level for development-oriented policy support: A systematic review

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