Food production, and thus food security, is inherently linked to land use, as well as to energy and water resources, whether the food is produced from grains from croplands, livestock from rangelands, or seafood from aquaculture. Therefore, competition of land use for urban development and other non-agricultural uses has significant implications for food security. Food production relies on water availability and its temporal dynamics as crop growth and rangeland forage relies on soil moisture in root systems. This is changing as temperature and precipitation dynamics shift as local manifestations of climate change, and as a result of competition for water from other uses such as hydropower, residential and industrial demand, and other uses. Over the past decades, climate patterns have noticeably changed, leading to more frequent floods and severe droughts that devastate crops, affected fisheries and altered ecosystem services. At the same time, food production, processing and delivery continued relying heavily on the energy that provides power for agricultural irrigation, fertilization and transport. Furthermore, farmland is increasingly devoted to the production of biofuels, creating additional competition for land and complicating tradeoffs between water, energy and food security.

A systems approach is needed to address these global challenges that considers the nexus of water, energy, food and environment.  The Water-Energy-Food Nexus (WEF Nexus) describes the complex and inter-related nature of global resource systems. It means that the three goals — water security, energy security and food security — are inextricably linked and that changes in one area have impacts in one or both of the others. In this context, the WEF Nexus has emerged as a useful way to address the complex and interrelated issues of sustainable natural resource management. It provides a conceptual approach to better understand and systematically analyze the interactions between the natural environment and human activities in order to achieve optimal management strategies to meet sustainable development goals. By identifying and balancing the trade-offs among different stakeholders (sectors, communities and individuals) synergy can be achieved, allowing for more integrated and cost-effective planning, decision-making, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. 

Workshop Objectives

A number of WEF Nexus frameworks have been proposed but practical implementation of these frameworks must be further refined and case studies must be conducted to demonstrate the benefits and effectiveness for sustainable watershed management. The workshop objectives, therefore, are: 

1. To share experiences and knowledge of water-energy-food nexus research from different disciplines, institutions and nations;
2. To discuss current WEF Nexus frameworks and develop next steps to further validate and apply them to address practical issues related to water-energy-food securities;
3. To identify gaps and priorities in future research in the area of water-energy-food securities and land use policies and steps to pursue future funding. 

Expected Outcomes

1. Expanded / strengthened WEF Nexus network both on campus and internationally
2. Development of a white paper on current state and future research, funding and collaborations
3. Development of 2-3 preliminary proposal concepts with specific targeted funding agencies

Linking All Types of Teachers in International Cross Cultural Education.

Food production, and thus food security, is inherently linked to land use, as well as to energy and water resources, whether the food is produced from grains from croplands, livestock from rangelands, or seafood from aquaculture. Therefore, competition of land use for urban development and other non-agricultural uses has significant implications for food security. Food production relies on water availability and its temporal dynamics as crop growth and rangeland forage relies on soil moisture in root systems. This is changing as temperature and precipitation dynamics shift as local manifestations of climate change, and as a result of competition for water from other uses such as hydropower, residential and industrial demand, and other uses. Over the past decades, climate patterns have noticeably changed, leading to more frequent floods and severe droughts that devastate crops, affected fisheries and altered ecosystem services. At the same time, food production, processing and delivery continued relying heavily on the energy that provides power for agricultural irrigation, fertilization and transport. Furthermore, farmland is increasingly devoted to the production of biofuels, creating additional competition for land and complicating tradeoffs between water, energy and food security.

A systems approach is needed to address these global challenges that considers the nexus of water, energy, food and environment.  The Water-Energy-Food Nexus (WEF Nexus) describes the complex and inter-related nature of global resource systems. It means that the three goals — water security, energy security and food security — are inextricably linked and that changes in one area have impacts in one or both of the others. In this context, the WEF Nexus has emerged as a useful way to address the complex and interrelated issues of sustainable natural resource management. It provides a conceptual approach to better understand and systematically analyze the interactions between the natural environment and human activities in order to achieve optimal management strategies to meet sustainable development goals. By identifying and balancing the trade-offs among different stakeholders (sectors, communities and individuals) synergy can be achieved, allowing for more integrated and cost-effective planning, decision-making, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. 

Workshop Objectives

A number of WEF Nexus frameworks have been proposed but practical implementation of these frameworks must be further refined and case studies must be conducted to demonstrate the benefits and effectiveness for sustainable watershed management. The workshop objectives, therefore, are: 

1. To share experiences and knowledge of water-energy-food nexus research from different disciplines, institutions and nations;
2. To discuss current WEF Nexus frameworks and develop next steps to further validate and apply them to address practical issues related to water-energy-food securities;
3. To identify gaps and priorities in future research in the area of water-energy-food securities and land use policies and steps to pursue future funding. 

Expected Outcomes

1. Expanded / strengthened WEF Nexus network both on campus and internationally
2. Development of a white paper on current state and future research, funding and collaborations
3. Development of 2-3 preliminary proposal concepts with specific targeted funding agencies

Food production, and thus food security, is inherently linked to land use, as well as to energy and water resources, whether the food is produced from grains from croplands, livestock from rangelands, or seafood from aquaculture. Therefore, competition of land use for urban development and other non-agricultural uses has significant implications for food security. Food production relies on water availability and its temporal dynamics as crop growth and rangeland forage relies on soil moisture in root systems. This is changing as temperature and precipitation dynamics shift as local manifestations of climate change, and as a result of competition for water from other uses such as hydropower, residential and industrial demand, and other uses. Over the past decades, climate patterns have noticeably changed, leading to more frequent floods and severe droughts that devastate crops, affected fisheries and altered ecosystem services. At the same time, food production, processing and delivery continued relying heavily on the energy that provides power for agricultural irrigation, fertilization and transport. Furthermore, farmland is increasingly devoted to the production of biofuels, creating additional competition for land and complicating tradeoffs between water, energy and food security.

A systems approach is needed to address these global challenges that considers the nexus of water, energy, food and environment.  The Water-Energy-Food Nexus (WEF Nexus) describes the complex and inter-related nature of global resource systems. It means that the three goals — water security, energy security and food security — are inextricably linked and that changes in one area have impacts in one or both of the others. In this context, the WEF Nexus has emerged as a useful way to address the complex and interrelated issues of sustainable natural resource management. It provides a conceptual approach to better understand and systematically analyze the interactions between the natural environment and human activities in order to achieve optimal management strategies to meet sustainable development goals. By identifying and balancing the trade-offs among different stakeholders (sectors, communities and individuals) synergy can be achieved, allowing for more integrated and cost-effective planning, decision-making, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. 

Workshop Objectives

A number of WEF Nexus frameworks have been proposed but practical implementation of these frameworks must be further refined and case studies must be conducted to demonstrate the benefits and effectiveness for sustainable watershed management. The workshop objectives, therefore, are: 

1. To share experiences and knowledge of water-energy-food nexus research from different disciplines, institutions and nations;
2. To discuss current WEF Nexus frameworks and develop next steps to further validate and apply them to address practical issues related to water-energy-food securities;
3. To identify gaps and priorities in future research in the area of water-energy-food securities and land use policies and steps to pursue future funding. 

Expected Outcomes

1. Expanded / strengthened WEF Nexus network both on campus and internationally
2. Development of a white paper on current state and future research, funding and collaborations
3. Development of 2-3 preliminary proposal concepts with specific targeted funding agencies

Linking All Types of Teachers in International Cross Cultural Education.

Linking All Types of Teachers in International Cross Cultural Education.

Linking All Types of Teachers in International Cross Cultural Education.