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.
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:
Indonesian cultural festival, performances, food
At the age of seventy, after years of consolidating his empire, the Great Lord Hidetora Ichimonji (Tatsuya Nakadai) decides to abdicate and divide his domain amongst his three sons. Taro (Akira Terao), the eldest, will rule. Jiro (Jinpachi Nezu), his second son, and Saburo (Daisuke Ryu) will take command of the Second and Third Castles but are expected to obey and support their elder brother. Saburo defies the pledge of obedience and is banished.
The screening is organized by Dr. Ethan Segal from the History Department.
Arabic Diwan is a gathering of Arabic students who are in the Arabic program, where they speak the language and learn about the culture in a relaxed environ­ment with our Fulbright teaching assistant. Students from all Arabic language levels are encouraged to attend. Also, we extend the invitation to the Arabic speaking students at the English Center.
For more information please contact Fatima Alaiwi, .
Join your fellow Indian and South Asian language learners for Chai and Chat. Practice speaking the language you're learning in a relaxed environment.
A MSU Film Collective presentation. Fall theme: Work/Place
The Forgotten Space follows container cargo aboard ships, barges, trains and trucks, listening to workers, engineers, planners, politicians, and those alienated by the global transport system. We visit displaced farmers and villagers in Holland and Belgium, underpaid truck drivers in Los Angeles, seafarers aboard mega-ships shuttling between Asia and Europe, and factory workers in China, whose low wages are the fragile key to the whole puzzle.
Directed by Allan Sekula
filmstudies.cal.msu.edu/filmcollective
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.
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:
with Dr. Yasu Komori, MSU Associate Professor, James Madison College
FLAS Fellowships
Global Speaker Program
Asian Studies Center Newsletter
AIFIS-MSU Conference on Indonesian Studies
