The water-energy-food nexus in Latin America and the Caribbean

This report provides an overview of the water-energy-food nexus in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), focusing on the interdependencies between these sectors and the challenges posed by climate change, population growth, and resource distribution.

• In Latin America and the Caribbean, water serves as the central element of the nexus, supporting industry, agricultural production, and hydropower generation. Adopting 'nexus thinking'—an approach to optimize outcomes and resolve trade-offs across sectors—is described as a prerequisite for the region to meet its Sustainable Development Goals and UNFCCC climate agreement targets.
• Despite an abundance of land, energy, and water resources used to drive economic growth, the region faces persistent high inequality, with millions lacking food, energy, and water security. The intensive exploitation of energy, mineral, and agricultural resources has led to deforestation and large-scale pollution, which threatens the ecosystem services and water security essential to the region's citizens and economies.
• Climate change is exacerbating existing threats through extreme weather events and shifting rainfall patterns. Recent examples include the 2014 drought in south-east Brazil and severe droughts in Amazonia, which demonstrated vulnerabilities even in areas typically characterized by water abundance.
• The region suffers from a significant mismatch between water availability and population or economic centers. In Peru, 97.5% of surface water is in the Amazon basin, while only 30% of the population lives there. In Mexico, 72% of water is available in the South, whereas over 75% of the population, irrigated land, and economic activity is located in the central and northern regions above 1000m.

APA

Climate and Development Knowledge Network (2015). The water-energy-food nexus in Latin America and the Caribbean. https://cdkn.org/resource/water-energy-food-nexus-latin-america-caribbean

Chicago

Climate and Development Knowledge Network. The water-energy-food nexus in Latin America and the Caribbean. 2015. https://cdkn.org/resource/water-energy-food-nexus-latin-america-caribbean.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |title=The water-energy-food nexus in Latin America and the Caribbean |date=28 April 2015 |url=https://cdkn.org/resource/water-energy-food-nexus-latin-america-caribbean |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateanddevelopmentknowledgenetwork2015waterenergyfood, author = {{Climate and Development Knowledge Network}}, title = {{The water-energy-food nexus in Latin America and the Caribbean}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2015}, month = apr, url = {https://cdkn.org/resource/water-energy-food-nexus-latin-america-caribbean}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }