5/30/2023 0 Comments Nexus definitionFood-security strategies and agricultural policies also play roles in determining how water is allocated and should be reviewed in the context of water scarcity and climate change. On the other hand, such subsidies could distort the benefits and costs of solar-powered systems and mask their long-term competitiveness compared with other energy sources. Solar pumps potentially offer 2 300–2 500 hours of uninterrupted, daytime energy per year their low cost and year-round availability could encourage farmers to overuse groundwater, and their decentralized character makes them challenging to regulate.Įnergy subsidies and other financing mechanisms can be used to promote solar-powered irrigation systems and to regulate water use – such as by making payments conditional on the use of water-efficient agricultural practices. Some countries are promoting solar irrigation in the framework of national action plans against climate change as a way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture.Īlthough the promise of solar-powered irrigation systems is great, such systems also have the potential to threaten aquifers in the same way that pumps powered by free or subsidized grid electricity have done in the past. In many rural areas, solar irrigation initiatives can be a way of providing broader access to energy for agriculture, as well as for other uses in rural areas where reliable access to electricity is lacking or diesel is expensive. Solar irrigation is an increasingly reliable, relatively low-cost, clean-energy solution for agricultural water management in areas with high incident solar radiation. Avoiding the problems of groundwater depletion, therefore, requires strongly coherent policies on energy, land use and irrigation. The final report of the assessments is available here.Įspecially in water-scarce countries, the provision of cheap energy for pumping groundwater for irrigated agriculture can lead to groundwater depletion and a loss of water quality, with potentially severe consequences for those who have come to depend on groundwater irrigation. The assessments were discussed with a broad range of stakeholders from the countries and sectors involved. The assessments took stock of the state of land, water and energy resources and ecosystems by describing the governance systems in the selected transboundary basins and the interlinkages between sectors, taking into account the impacts of climate change and socio-economic drivers. FAO provided guidance and expertise on the assessments’ methodologies and processes, especially for the Syr Darya Basin. Given its cross-cutting nature, putting the water–energy–food nexus concept into action means developing new partnerships among FAO’s technical divisions and external agencies and stakeholders.įAO is an active member of a UNECE-led task force established at the sixth session of the Parties to the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Rome, 28–30 November 2012) to oversee assessments of the water–energy–food–ecosystem nexus in selected transboundary basins. Transboundary nexus assessments with UNECE by supporting multistakeholder dialogue.by designing and appraising response options and.FAO has identified four areas of work through which it can help manage the nexus: The water–energy–food nexus is about understanding and managing these often-competing interests while also ensuring the integrity of ecosystems. The approach distinguishes between natural resources on the one hand and, on the other, the various goals and interests to be achieved with the same (limited) resources. The result of that process is a conceptual approach that revolves around the complex and interlinked uses of water, energy and food. With this mandate, FAO embarked on a process to define what the nexus means for the food and agriculture sector. At its 24th session, the Committee on Agriculture (FAO’s main technical advisory committee) approved FAO’s “Water Governance for Agriculture and Food Security” programme, specifically mentioning the water–energy–food nexus. The first challenge in dealing with the water–energy–food nexus is to understand it.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |