Tackling complexity: understanding the food-energy-environment nexus in Ethiopia's Lake Tana sub-basin

This research paper describes the application of a nexus toolkit, utilizing WEAP and LEAP, to evaluate the interdependencies and potential conflicts between agricultural transformation and energy transition in Ethiopia's Lake Tana Sub-basin.

• The study concludes that agricultural transformation and energy transition in the Lake Tana Sub-basin are interdependent and potentially competitive, as intensified agriculture requires more energy while the energy system remains heavily dependent on biomass sourced partly from croplands.
• Two primary resource scarcity dilemmas were identified: water demand for energy, agriculture, and ecosystem services occasionally exceeds available supply, and the region is approaching a 'biomass ceiling' where biomass needs for fuel, fodder, and food equal the annual increments from terrestrial ecosystems.
• The paper advocates for a stakeholder-driven nexus approach using quantitative and spatially explicit planning tools to resolve resource dilemmas and improve policy decisions regarding resource productivity, environmental pressure, and human security.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2015). Tackling complexity: understanding the food-energy-environment nexus in Ethiopia's Lake Tana sub-basin. https://www.sei.org/publications/tackling-complexity-understanding-the-food-energy-environment-nexus-in-ethiopias-lake-tana-sub-basin/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Tackling complexity: understanding the food-energy-environment nexus in Ethiopia's Lake Tana sub-basin. 2015. https://www.sei.org/publications/tackling-complexity-understanding-the-food-energy-environment-nexus-in-ethiopias-lake-tana-sub-basin/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Tackling complexity: understanding the food-energy-environment nexus in Ethiopia's Lake Tana sub-basin |date=6 February 2015 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/tackling-complexity-understanding-the-food-energy-environment-nexus-in-ethiopias-lake-tana-sub-basin/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2015tackling, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Tackling complexity: understanding the food-energy-environment nexus in Ethiopia's Lake Tana sub-basin}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2015}, month = feb, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/tackling-complexity-understanding-the-food-energy-environment-nexus-in-ethiopias-lake-tana-sub-basin/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }