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What is needed for an optimal nexus system
Water, energy and food are inextricably linked. This is the so-called ‘nexus’. There is growing recognition that an approach is needed that considers the interactions between water, food and energy, while taking into account the synergies and trade-offs that arise from the management of these three resources.
The nexus is not a mature concept and there is room for developing further insights. The nexus’ strength lies in implementing a multi-sectoral, multi-stakeholder process. Given that the nexus is still largely water-sector driven, the inclusion of other sectors (e.g. food and energy) is crucial for the further development of the nexus approach.
WUR has executed a quick scan to answer the following questions: Is the nexus concept sufficiently developed to be used for evidence based analyses to support the water related policy of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, where the main focus is on food policy? What are the essential elements of water, food security and energy to optimise the nexus system?
Recommendations
Thus resulting in the following recommendations (shortened):
Governance oriented
- Increase policy coherence by ensuring that synergies and trade-offs among water, food and energy are identified in both the design and implementation of policies, plans and investments.
- Abandon silo thinking and vested interests (Ringler et al., 2013).
- Take into account political and market forces in the form of subsidies, profit seeking and state agendas (Allen and Matthews, 2016; p87).
- An important institutional pre-condition to make nexus solutions work is the political will in the respective country to coordinate and cooperate across sectors, ministries and authorities (ACCWaM, 2017).
- The nexus requires strengthening the capacities of the institutions in the three sectors for better integration and joint planning.
Knowledge oriented
- Comprehensive food security and climate change research analysing access, volatility, extreme events and nutrition should be high on the science agenda, as well as information and behavioural change support in complex nexus environments (Von Braun and Mirzabaev, in Dodds and Bartram 2016; p67);
- Consolidation of data and methodologies of the nexus approach, to stimulate the dissemination of the nexus approach;
- Knowledge sharing of nexus approach experiences will enhance learning from best practices.
Overall recommendations
- Implementation of the nexus approach in a country, region, watershed, landscape taking into account:
- Recognition that implementation of the nexus approach is a ‘country, region, watershed, landscape’-driven and owned process (this calls for a ‘long-term’ relationship)
- Recently acquired nexus insights, starting but not limited to water, food and energy.
- Established development goals for the chosen area Political will of the prospective partner
- Existing ‘silos’ and related ongoing plans and programmes are to be respected
- Building on Dutch strengths, expertise and interest
- The farmer (entrepreneur) makes integrated decisions if he receives the correct (price)signals (see chapter 2). The private business model supported by the nexus approach should be identified, as well as the barriers which prevent implementing these business cases (see for example van Meijl et al., 2017).
- Link a knowledge to the investment programme (see previous) to incorporate learning by doing.