Food, Energy and Water Nexus: A Brief Review of Definitions, Research, and Challenges

Abstract

Vast expansion in consumption is leading to natural resource scarcity and global warming. The integrated management of natural resources, such as food, energy, food (FEW) as one of the most important aspects has been proposed as a solution to meet these challenges. The FEW nexus is a world-wide solution for simultaneously assessing the development and implementation of various approaches focusing on energy, water and food security, sufficiency. This approach is intended to foster sustainable development and improve the quality of life of communities while preserving the natural, human and social capital, address the long-term sustainability challenges and protecting all-natural resources. This paper tries to review some recent research on this topic. For this purpose, first, we describe some facts about demand growth and exponential consumption in these three areas, with emphasis on presented statistics. Then, the most critical research published in this field is reviewed, considering that it took a decade or so before that the original idea was introduced. The most important policymakers of this emerging concept, including committees and conferences, and finally significant challenges and opportunities to the implementation along with future insights, are addressed.