Water-Energy-Food Security: New Challenges and New Solutions for Water Management

This report presents the proceedings of a May 2012 conference in Winnipeg, Canada, focused on the 'Water-Energy-Food (W-E-F) security nexus'. The document explores the interdependencies between water, energy, and food systems, emphasizing the need for integrated governance, the use of Earth Observations for monitoring, and the potential of the bioeconomy to provide sustainable solutions for these linked risks.

• The Water-Energy-Food (W-E-F) security nexus is described as a "tightly interwoven cluster of risk" that connects global water, energy, and food systems. This includes specific challenges such as the use of water for power generation and oil extraction, biofuel production, irrigation, and the pollution of water caused by livestock and agricultural fertilizers.
• Conventional governance models are often insufficient for managing the W-E-F nexus because water flow does not follow political boundaries. The report advocates for "innovative polycentric governance models" to build the resilience needed for future uncertainties across various scales, from local basins to global issues.
• Earth Observations (EO) are identified as critical, low-cost tools for monitoring water security. Specifically, soil moisture and evapotranspiration are highlighted as strategic variables; soil moisture drives atmospheric and hydrological processes, while evapotranspiration is highly correlated with crop yield in water-limited conditions.
• The bioeconomy is proposed as a foundational component of the Green Economy and a solution for the W-E-F nexus. It is defined as an economy where raw materials for energy and industry are derived from renewable, plant-based sources. A pilot project in the Lake Winnipeg Basin demonstrates this by harvesting cattails for bioenergy, which also allows for the recovery of phosphorus to be recycled as fertilizer.
• Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is viewed as a proven process for balancing economic, environmental, and societal needs, but its implementation at the basin scale is still in early stages, particularly in developing countries. Barriers include fragmented policies, lack of stakeholder engagement, and the tendency to treat the water needs of agriculture, energy, and industry separately.
• There is a strong correlation between political security and water security. Political instability can severely hinder basin development, as seen in the Okavango Basin where land mines from a civil war delayed development. Conversely, technical and scientific cooperation on data-sharing can serve as a starting point for broader political agreements, as observed in the Jordan River Basin.
• Data scarcity in many regions leads to unsustainable water management, particularly regarding groundwater and water quality. In developing countries, the lack of data to build models allows the exploitation of energy resources to outpace the creation of necessary regulations and controls.

APA

Lawford, R., Marx, S., & Zubrycki, K. (2012). Water-Energy-Food Security: New Challenges and New Solutions for Water Management. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/wefs_conference_proceedings.pdf

Chicago

Lawford, Richard, Sina Marx, and Karla Zubrycki. Water-Energy-Food Security: New Challenges and New Solutions for Water Management. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2012. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/wefs_conference_proceedings.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lawford |first1=Richard |last2=Marx |first2=Sina |last3=Zubrycki |first3=Karla |title=Water-Energy-Food Security: New Challenges and New Solutions for Water Management |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2012 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/wefs_conference_proceedings.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lawford2012waterenergyfood, author = {Lawford, Richard and Marx, Sina and Zubrycki, Karla}, title = {{Water-Energy-Food Security: New Challenges and New Solutions for Water Management}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2012}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/wefs_conference_proceedings.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }