SpringerLink
Log in

Incorporating Social System into Water-Food-Energy Nexus

  • Published:
Water Resources Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The current study introduces a conceptual socio-hydrological-based framework for the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus. The proposed conceptual framework aims to investigate how farmers' dynamic agricultural activities under different socio-economic conditions affect the WEF systems. The WEF nexus model has been integrated with an Agent-Based Model, reflecting the farmers’ agricultural activities. Furthermore, the agent-based model benefits from Association Rule Mining to define farmer agents’ agricultural decision-making in various conditions. The processes within the WEF nexus are simultaneously physical, socio-economic, ecological, and political. Indeed, there are interrelated interactions among the mentioned processes in ways that have not yet been properly delineated and mapped. Thus, to obtain sustainable outcomes, the current study investigates trade-offs among natural resources and social systems in the WEF nexus approach. The proposed socio-hydrological WEF nexus framework may provide more in-depth future insights for policy-makers through capturing bidirectional feedbacks among farmers and WEF systems. In other words, the proposed framework can help policymakers to capture the dynamic impacts of agricultural activities by farmers on the WEF nexus, which may vary due to different socio-economic conditions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
EUR 32.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or Ebook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price includes VAT (Germany)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • AghaKouchak A, Feldman D, Hoerling M, Huxman T, Lund J (2015) Water and climate: Recognize anthropogenic drought. Nature News 524:409–411

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Saidi M, Elagib NA (2017) Towards understanding the integrative approach of the water, energy and food nexus. Sci Total Environ 574:1131–1139

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ashraf S, AghaKouchak A, Nazemi A, Mirchi A, Sadegh M, Moftakhari HR, Anjileli H (2019) Compounding effects of human activities and climatic changes on surface water availability in Iran. Clim Change 152(3–4):379–391

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bakarji J, O’Malley D, Vesselinov VV (2017) Agent-based socio-hydrological hybrid modeling for water resource management. Water Resour Manag 31(12):3881–3898

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Biba S (2016) The goals and reality of the water–food–energy security nexus: the case of China and its southern neighbours. Third World q 37(1):51–70

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Biggs EM, Bruce E, Boruff B, Duncan JM, Horsley J, Pauli N, Haworth B (2015) Sustainable development and the water–energy–food nexus: A perspective on livelihoods. Environ Sci Policy 54:389–397

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cai X, Wallington K, Shafiee-Jood M, Marston L (2018) Understanding and managing the food-energy-water nexus–opportunities for water resources research. Adv Water Resour 111:259–273

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daher BT, Mohtar RH (2015) Water–energy–food (WEF) Nexus Tool 2.0: guiding integrative resource planning and decision-making. Water Int 40(5–6):748–771

  • Dang Q, Konar M (2018) Trade openness and domestic water use. Water Resour Res 54(1):4–18

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Grenade R, House-Peters L, Scott CA, Thapa B, Mills-Novoa M, Gerlak A, Verbist K (2016) The nexus: reconsidering environmental security and adaptive capacity. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 21:15–21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Vito R, Portoghese I, Pagano A, Fratino U, Vurro M (2017) An index-based approach for the sustainability assessment of irrigation practice based on the water-energy-food nexus framework. Adv Water Resour 110:423–436

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Di Baldassarre G, Sivapalan M, Rusca M, Cudennec C, Garcia M, Kreibich H, Sanderson MR (2019) Sociohydrology: Scientific challenges in addressing the sustainable development goals. Water Resour Res 55(8):6327–6355

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Emami F, Koch M (2018) Agricultural water productivity-based hydro-economic modeling for optimal crop pattern and water resources planning in the Zarrine River Basin, Iran, in the wake of climate change. Sustainability 10(11):1–35

  • Endo A, Tsurita I, Burnett K, Orencio PM (2017) A review of the current state of research on the water, energy, and food nexus. J Hydrol: Reg Stud 11:20–30

    Google Scholar 

  • Foran T (2015) Node and regime: Interdisciplinary analysis of water-energy-food nexus in the Mekong region. Water Altern 8(1):12–25

    Google Scholar 

  • Foster T, Brozović N (2018) Simulating Crop-Water Production Functions Using Crop Growth Models to Support Water Policy Assessments. Ecol Econ 152:9–21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ghale YAG, Altunkaynak A, Unal A (2018) Investigation anthropogenic impacts and climate factors on drying up of Urmia Lake using water budget and drought analysis. Water Resour Manage 32(1):325–337

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gocsik É, Saatkamp HW, De Lauwere CC, Lansink AO (2014) A conceptual approach for a quantitative economic analysis of farmers’ decision-making regarding animal welfare. J Agric Environ Ethics 27(2):287–308

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Han J, Kamber M, Pei J (2006) Data mining: concepts and techniques. Morgan Kauffman, San Francisco

    Google Scholar 

  • Henareh Khalyani A, Mayer AL, Norman ES (2014) Water flows toward power: socioecological degradation of Lake Urmia. Iran Society & Natural Resources 27(7):759–767

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoff H (2011) Understanding the Nexus, Background Paper for the Bonn Conference 2011: the Water-energy-food Security Nexus. Stockholm, Stockholm Environment Institute

  • Howells M, Hermann S, Welsch M, Bazilian M, Segerström R, Alfstad T, Wiberg D (2013) Integrated analysis of climate change, land-use, energy and water strategies. Nat Clim Chang 3(7):621–626

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hunt D (2008) Farm power and machinery management. Waveland Press

    Google Scholar 

  • ICIMOD (International Center for Integrated Mountain Development) (2012) Contribution of Himalayan Ecosystems to Water, Energy, and Food Security in South Asia: A Nexus Approach. Available at: https://lib.icimod.org/record/1898

  • Jepsen MR, Leisz S, Rasmussen K, Jakobsen J, MØller-Jensen L, Christiansen L (2006) Agent-based modelling of shifting cultivation field patterns, Vietnam. Int J Geogr Inf Sci 20(9):1067–1085

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karnib A (2018) Bridging science and policy in water-energy-food nexus: using the Q-Nexus model for informing policy making. Water Resour Manage 32(15):4895–4909

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kepner RA, Bainer R, Barger EL (1982) Principles of farm machinery third edition, third reprint

  • Khazaei B, Khatami S, Alemohammad SH, Rashidi L, Wu C, Madani K, Aghakouchak A (2019) Climatic or regionally induced by humans? Tracing hydro-climatic and land-use changes to better understand the Lake Urmia tragedy. J Hydrol 569:203–217

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuil L, Carr G, Prskawetz A, Salinas JL, Viglione A, Blöschl G (2019) Learning from the Ancient Maya: Exploring the impact of drought on population dynamics. Ecol Econ 157:1–16

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kurian M (2017) The water-energy-food nexus: trade-offs, thresholds and transdisciplinary approaches to sustainable development. Environ Sci Policy 68:97–106

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li M, Fu Q, Singh VP, Ji Y, Liu D, Zhang C, Li T (2019a) An optimal modelling approach for managing agricultural water-energy-food nexus under uncertainty. Sci Total Environ 651:1416–1434

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li M, Fu Q, Singh VP, Liu D, Li T (2019b) Stochastic multi-objective modeling for optimization of water-food-energy nexus of irrigated agriculture. Adv Water Resour 127:209–224

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li M, Singh VP, Fu Q, Liu D, Li T, Zhou Y (2021) Optimization of agricultural water–food–energy nexus in a random environment: an integrated modelling approach. Stoch Env Res Risk Assess 35(1):3–19

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martinez-Hernandez E, Leach M, Yang A (2017) Understanding water-energy-food and ecosystem interactions using the nexus simulation tool NexSym. Appl Energy 206:1009–1021

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Molajou A, Afshar A, Khosravi M, Soleimanian E, Vahabzadeh M, Variani HA (2021) A new paradigm of water, food, and energy nexus. Environ Sci Pollut Res. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-13034-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Newell JP, Goldstein B, Foster A (2019) A 40-year review of food–energy–water nexus literature and its application to the urban scale. Environ Res Lett 14(7):073003

  • Nourani V, Molajou A (2017) Application of a hybrid association rules/decision tree model for drought monitoring. Global Planet Change 159:37–45

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nourani V, Sattari MT, Molajou A (2017) Threshold-based hybrid data mining method for long-term maximum precipitation forecasting. Water Resour Manage 31(9):2645–2658

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Panahi DM, Kalantari Z, Ghajarnia N, Seifollahi-Aghmiuni S, Destouni G (2020) Variability and change in the hydro-climate and water resources of iran over a recent 30-year period. Sci Rep 10(1):1–9

    Google Scholar 

  • Pouladi P, Afshar A, Afshar MH, Molajou A, Farahmand H (2019) Agent-based socio-hydrological modeling for restoration of Urmia Lake: Application of theory of planned behavior. J Hydrol 576:736–748

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pouladi P, Afshar A, Molajou A, Afshar MH (2020) Socio-hydrological framework for investigating farmers’ activities affecting the shrinkage of Urmia Lake; hybrid data mining and agent-based modelling. Hydrol Sci J 65(8):1249–1261

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pouladi P, Badiezadeh S, Pouladi M, Yousefi P, Farahmand H, Kalantari Z, Sivapalan M (2021) Interconnected governance and social barriers impeding the restoration process of Lake Urmia. J Hydrol 598:126489

  • Purwanto A, Sušnik J, Suryadi FX, Fraiture CD (2021) Water-energy-food nexus: Critical review, practical applications, and prospects for future research. Sustainability, 13(4):1919

  • Ramaswami A, Boyer D, Nagpure AS, Fang A, Bogra S, Bakshi B, Rao-Ghorpade A (2017) An urban systems framework to assess the trans-boundary food-energy-water nexus: implementation in Delhi, India. Environ Res Lett 12(2):025008

  • Rasul G (2014) Food, water, and energy security in South Asia: A nexus perspective from the Hindu Kush Himalayan region. Environ Sci Policy 39:35–48

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ravar Z, Zahraie B, Sharifinejad A, Gozini H, Jafari S (2020) System dynamics modeling for assessment of water–food–energy resources security and nexus in Gavkhuni basin in Iran. Ecol Indic 108:105682

  • Saed B, Afshar A, Jalali MR, Ghoreishi M, Aminpour Mohammadabadi P (2019) A water footprint-based hydro-economic model for minimizing the blue water to green water ratio in the Zarrinehrud river-basin in Iran. AgriEngineering 1(1):58–74

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scott CA, Crootof A, Kelly-Richards S (2016) The Urban Water–Energy Nexus: Building Resilience for Global Change in the Urban Century. Environ Res Manag Nexus App 113–140. Springer, Cham

  • Scott CA, Kurian M, Wescoat JL (2015) The water-energy-food nexus: Enhancing adaptive capacity to complex global challenges. In Governing the nexus (pp. 15–38). Springer, Cham

  • Shang Y, Hei P, Lu S, Shang L, Li X, Wei Y, Lei X (2018) China’s energy-water nexus: Assessing water conservation synergies of the total coal consumption cap strategy until 2050. Appl Energy 210:643–660

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith M (1992) CROPWAT: A computer program for irrigation planning and management (No. 46). Food & Agriculture Org

  • Spiegelberg M, Baltazar DE, Sarigumba MPE, Orencio PM, Hoshino S, Hashimoto S, Endo A (2017) Unfolding livelihood aspects of the water–energy–food nexus in the dampalit watershed, Philippines. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies 11:53–68

    Google Scholar 

  • Taniguchi M, Endo A, Gurdak JJ, Swarzenski P (2017) Water-Energy-Food Nexus in the Asia-Pacific Region. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies 11:1–8

    Google Scholar 

  • Tian H, Lu C, Pan S, Yang J, Miao R, Ren W, Melillo J (2018) Optimizing resource use efficiencies in the food–energy–water nexus for sustainable agriculture: From conceptual model to decision support system. Curr Opin Environ Sustain 33:104–113

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ULRP (Urmia Lake Restoration Program) (2015) Urmia Lake restoration program. Brief Report and Projects Outline

  • ULRP (Urmia Lake Restoration Program) (2017) Challenges of Urmia Lake and Restoration Program International Cooperation Division. Int Coop Div. Tehran, Iran

  • United Nations (2016) Agriculture development, food security and nutrition, Report of the Secretary General, Item 25. 71st Session of the UN General Assembly, New York

  • Waughray D (2011) Water security the water-food-energy-climate nexus: the World Economic Forum water initiative (No. 333.91 W3)

  • White DJ, Hubacek K, Feng K, Sun L, Meng B (2018) The Water-Energy-Food Nexus in East Asia: A tele-connected value chain analysis using inter-regional input-output analysis. Appl Energy 210:550–567

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolfe ML, Ting KC, Scott N, Sharpley A, Jones JW, Verma L (2016) Engineering solutions for food-energy-water systems: it is more than engineering. J Environ Stud Sci 6(1):172–182

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang YE, Ringler C, Brown C, Mondal MAH (2016) Modeling the agricultural water–energy–food nexus in the Indus River Basin, Pakistan. J Water Resour Plan Manag 142(12):04016062

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yekom Consulting Engineering Company (2016a) Executive solutions for 40 percent reduction in irrigation water demand, The Zarrineh-Rud River and Simineh-Rud River basin, Volume 2: The current situation and proposed plan. Iran Ministry of Energy (In Persian)

  • Yekom Consulting Engineering Company (2016b) Executive solutions for 40 percent reduction in irrigation water demand, The Zarrineh-Rud River and Simineh-Rud River basin, Volume 3: Social characteristics, operating scheme, and assessment of the cooperation of stakeholders. Iran Ministry of Energy (In Persian)

  • Zhang X, Vesselinov VV (2017) Integrated modeling approach for optimal management of water, energy and food security nexus. Adv Water Resour 101:1–10

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang YF, Li YP, Huang GH, Ma Y (2021) A copula-based stochastic fractional programming method for optimizing water-food-energy nexus system under uncertainty in the Aral Sea basin. J Clean Prod 292:126037

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Civil Eng., Iran University of Science & Technology, Tehran, Iran

    Amir Molajou & Abbas Afshar

  2. Lyles School of Civil Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA

    Parsa Pouladi

  3. Ecological Sciences & Engineering Interdisciplinary Graduate Program, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA

    Parsa Pouladi

Authors
  1. Amir Molajou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Parsa Pouladi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Abbas Afshar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Amir Molajou: Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Writing - original draft. Parsa Pouladi: Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Writing - Review & Editing, Visualization. Abbas Afshar: Supervision, Methodology, Review & Editing.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Amir Molajou.

Ethics declarations

Ethics Approval

Not applicable.

Consent to Participate

Not applicable.

Consent for Publication

The authors give their full consent for the publication of this manuscript.

Conflicts of Interest

None.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Molajou, A., Pouladi, P. & Afshar, A. Incorporating Social System into Water-Food-Energy Nexus. Water Resour Manage 35, 4561–4580 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-021-02967-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-021-02967-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation