Research and Engagement Plan of Water-Energy-Food Nexus Knowledge-Action Network released

The Future Earth Water-Energy-Food-Nexus Knowledge-Action Network (Nexus KAN) is a collaborative platform which aims to better understand the interactions between water, energy and food systems, their trade-offs and synergies with the goal to promote sustainable and equitable access for all.

The Research and Engagement Plan is the result of a collaborative work led by the KAN Development Team, which consists of experts of diverse disciplines from Future Earth Global Research Projects, Regional Centres and other relevant communities. The process of developing the report included review of literature and nexus initiatives around the world and discussions at several on-line meetings and a in-person workshop held in Paris in 2017.

Following an overview of the nexus concept and its main limitations, the report defines nexus challenges as "current or anticipated threats to equitable and sustainable access to energy, water and food whose causes and/or consequences are embedded in the interactions between these three components."  The report further presents the following with several case studies:

• Typologies of key nexus challenges based on the resulting factors;
• Key areas of knowledge gaps;
• Guiding principles; and
• Priority areas of activities for the Nexus KAN

Proposing integration of knowledge and perspectives across scales as one of the priority activities for the KAN, the Research and Engagement Plan highlights the importance for regional perspectives, knowledge and priorities to be elevated in the global sustainability agenda.

Nexus KAN activities, that are expected to contribute to the underlying objective of the KAN, will be overseen by a recently formed Steering Committee. Among the members of the Committee are Makoto Taniguchi, Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Japan, the host institute for the Regional Centre for Future Earth in Asia, Jiaguo Qi, Monsoon Asia Integrated Research for Sustainability, a Future Earth Global Research Project focusing on Asia, and Aditi Mukherji, International Center for Integrated Mountain Development, Nepal.

Download the Research and Engagement Plan of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus Knowledge-Action Network.