Applying the nexus – meeting Ethiopia’s development goals by addressing links between water, energy and food

The document examines the food-energy-water nexus in Ethiopia's Lake Tana and Beles River basins, using the SEI nexus toolkit (WEAP-LEAP) to model three development scenarios. It finds that agricultural intensification and energy transitions are interdependent and potentially competitive, noting that Ethiopia has reached a "biomass ceiling" where demand for fuel, food, and fodder equals primary productivity. The analysis highlights trade-offs between hydropower production and maintaining critical water levels in Lake Tana, suggesting that a coordinated nexus approach is essential to meet the targets of the Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP) and the Climate Resilient Green Economy Strategy (CRGE) without compromising environmental sustainability.

• Agricultural transformation and energy transition in the Upper Blue Nile basin are interdependent and may be competitive, as intensified agriculture increases energy requirements while the energy system remains heavily dependent on biomass from croplands.
• Ethiopia has reached a "biomass ceiling," meaning the amount of biomass used for food, fodder, and fuel is approximately equal to the amount that grows in the country. This situation threatens biodiversity and may limit long-term economic development, necessitating a shift away from traditional biomass for energy and a reduction in livestock grazing on croplands.
• There is a conflict between upstream irrigation and other water needs; while upstream withdrawals can reduce water available for hydropower and ecosystems, properly managed dams can mitigate seasonal flow variations. This necessitates stakeholder dialogue regarding reservoir operations and dam governance.
• The SEI nexus toolkit (WEAP-LEAP) facilitated joint learning among scientists, NGOs, and planners from the water, energy, agriculture, and environment sectors, allowing them to assess the impacts of different development scenarios on ecosystems and stakeholders in the upper Blue Nile region.
• Comparison of development scenarios shows that prioritizing the maintenance of Lake Tana's water levels (the Nexus scenario) significantly reduces hydropower production compared to the National plans scenario, which achieves high hydropower output but compromises the lake's water levels.
• Under a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario, predicted biomass demand is more than double the amount produced in the study area, a situation described as untenable without substantial imports.

APA

Karlberg, L., Hoff, H., Amsalu, T., Andersson, K., Binnington, T., Flores-López, F., de Bruin, A., Gebrehiwot, S. G., Gedif, B., Heide, F. Z., Johnson, O., Osbeck, M., & Young, C. (2014). Applying the nexus – meeting Ethiopia’s development goals by addressing links between water, energy and food. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-PolicyBrief-Karlberg-nexus-Ethiopia.pdf

Chicago

Karlberg, Louise, Holger Hoff, Tadesse Amsalu, Kim Andersson, Taylor Binnington, Francisco Flores-López, Annemarieke de Bruin, et al. Applying the nexus – meeting Ethiopia’s development goals by addressing links between water, energy and food. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2014. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-PolicyBrief-Karlberg-nexus-Ethiopia.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Karlberg |first1=Louise |last2=Hoff |first2=Holger |last3=Amsalu |first3=Tadesse |last4=Andersson |first4=Kim |last5=Binnington |first5=Taylor |last6=Flores-López |first6=Francisco |last7=de Bruin |first7=Annemarieke |last8=Gebrehiwot |first8=Solomon G. |last9=Gedif |first9=Birhanu |display-authors=etal |title=Applying the nexus – meeting Ethiopia’s development goals by addressing links between water, energy and food |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2014 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-PolicyBrief-Karlberg-nexus-Ethiopia.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{karlberg2014applying, author = {Karlberg, Louise and Hoff, Holger and Amsalu, Tadesse and Andersson, Kim and Binnington, Taylor and Flores-López, Francisco and de Bruin, Annemarieke and Gebrehiwot, Solomon G. and Gedif, Birhanu and Heide, Friedrich zur and Johnson, Oliver and Osbeck, Maria and Young, Charles}, title = {{Applying the nexus – meeting Ethiopia’s development goals by addressing links between water, energy and food}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2014}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-PolicyBrief-Karlberg-nexus-Ethiopia.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }