Research for a new world: Critical thinking for the water–energy–food–ecosystems nexus (basins)

A river basin – the breadbasket of millions – battered by floods just a few months earlier, slowly dries up; struck by climate change, over-abstraction of water and degradation of soils and land. As the river flow and reservoir levels fall, hydropower production declines. Farmers start to rely more heavily on groundwater, but access to energy for their irrigation wells is expensive. Many, especially women, are without access and a voice; others pump too much and ratchet up the water stress of the whole basin. Soils turn to dust, crops wilt, livestock and wildlife perish. While communities lack the governance structures for inclusive action, their leaders are hampered by the national borders that cut across the basin. In the heat, the potential for conflict simmers.
Situations like this reveal the critical nexus of water, energy, food and ecosystems (WEFE). As the land, water and biodiversity resources we depend on become increasingly scarce, we can no longer afford to make decisions about food production without considering the implications for water and nature, or decisions about water without considering the energy costs and implications for biodiversity. For a sustainable future, it is imperative that we consider interlinked systems as a whole. To this end, the new CGIAR Research Initiative NEXUS Gains seeks a new approach to resource management: reimagining the whole nexus so that we successfully protect and safeguard vital natural resources whilst simultaneously realizing benefits for food security and nutrition, livelihoods and biodiversity.
NEXUS Gains is building on the work of the recently concluded CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE). We hope that you recognize the importance of systems change, share our excitement about the possibilities, and will join us by following the work of NEXUS Gains in this newsletter series.