Co-Optimizing Solutions for Water and Food – Scoping the Nexus Challenges in the Agro-Sector and finding Scalable Business Solutions

• Authors: Animesh K. Gain , M. Dinesh Kumar , Joppe Cramwinckel , Julie Oesterlé
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus approach has an opportunity to create sustainable business solutions, especially in the agricultural sector. This report provides a clear understanding of challenges for the most promising and scalable solutions to the interconnected water, energy and food/feed/fiber problems, allowing combined co-optimization. Searching solutions for nexus challenges, a model based assessment of WEF nexus at global scale and a theoretical perspective of integrating economic and ecological objectives are presented. This study explores the opportunities for the global community to develop robust partnerships and cross sector collaboration to foster water security and increase resource use efficiency, particularly in agriculture and food industry, as part of corporate environmental and financial performance goals.

Keywords

EN

Nexus; business solutions; co-optimization; agricultural sector

• Publisher: Sciendo
• Journal: Change and Adaptation in Socio-Ecological Systems
• Year: 2015
• Volume: 2
• Issue: 1

Dates

published

2015-01-01

received

2014-06-24

accepted

2015-09-30

online

2015-12-17

Contributors

author

Animesh K. Gain

• GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Section 5.4 Hydrology, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany

author

M. Dinesh Kumar

• Institute for Resource Analysis and Policy, 202, Riviera Apartments, Dwarkapuri Colony Panjagutta, Hyderabad-82, India

author

Joppe Cramwinckel

• World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Maison de la Paix l Chemin Eugène-Rigot 2 l CP 246 1211 Geneva 21, Switzerland

author

Julie Oesterlé

• World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Maison de la Paix l Chemin Eugène-Rigot 2 l CP 246 1211 Geneva 21, Switzerland

References

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• [8] WBCSD, Sharing water: engaging business why watershed approaches are important to business sustainability, World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Geneva, Switzerland, 2013

Identifiers

DOI

10.1515/cass-2015-0018