System complexity and policy integration challenges: The Brazilian Energy- Water-Food Nexus

Mercure, Jean-François; Paim, Maria-Augusta; Bocquillon, Pierre; Lindner, Steve; Salas, Pablo de Benavides y; Martinelli, P.; Berchin, Issa Ibrahim; Guerra, José Baltazar Salgueirinho Osório de Andrade; Derani, Cristiane; Albuquerque, Celso Lopes de; Ribeiro, João Marcelo Pereira; Knobloch, Florian; Pollitt, Hector; Edwards, Neil R.; Holden, Philip B.; Foley, Aideen; Schaphoff, Sibyll; Faraco, Rafael Ávila; Viñuales, Jorge E.

doi:10.1016/j.rser.2019.01.045

Cited by 132 publications

(81 citation statements)

References 85 publications

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“…The main topics found in the reviewed papers included "politics" [75,[122][123][124][125], "economics" [118], "climate change" [125][126][127][128][129][130], "water, energy and food security" [5,131], "crises and risks" [55,61,132], "sustainable development" [20,133], and "governance" [16,38,41,57,134].…”

Section: Methods Type and Assessment Toolsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Literature Review to Propose a Systematic Procedure to Develop “Nexus Thinking” Considering the Water–Energy–Food Nexus

et al. 2019

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There is a growing interest in the literature on the theme of the water–energy–food nexus, as there is growing recognition that sectors that share natural resources have interdependent and interconnected systems. Despite the widespread popularity of nexus thinking, it still lacks standardized procedures and methodologies to assist in its development. Therefore, this paper proposes, from a literature review, a systematic procedure to assist in the development of management models based on nexus thinking. To this end, 304 papers were analyzed using the following criteria: nexus concept, type of approach, geographic scale, elements in the nexus system, application context, and types of assessment methods and tools. The results of the review served as the basis for determining the procedure, which consisted of four steps: (a) understanding nexus thinking, (b) identification of composing variables, (c) evaluation (diagnosis and prognosis), and (d) decision-making. In addition to the standardization of these steps, the main information used to compose the procedure was organized and synthesized with a mind map.

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Section: Methods Type and Assessment Toolsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Context Of Applicationmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Literature Review to Propose a Systematic Procedure to Develop “Nexus Thinking” Considering the Water–Energy–Food Nexus

et al. 2019

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“…A host of social and environmental implications have been documented, due to these policy paths, with Stattman, et al [40] (p. 22) listing "geographical concentration, single crop focus, dominance of agribusiness, and exclusion of family farmers" as among the most pertinent. An array of other unsustainable production practices have also been highlighted, ranging from poor labour conditions [42], and rampant unemployment, due to increasing mechanisation of farming practices [43] to land-use change [44], water depletion [45], and competition with food crops [46].…”

Section: The Pik Nexusmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Views on its effectiveness, however, are rather polarised. For example, Mercure, et al [46] (p. 236) argue that ZAE Cana is a "technical instrument of a merely indicative nature", which pays no attention to the potential for competition between sugarcane and food production. Nogueira and Capaz [50], in turn, take a more favourable stance and maintain that Brazilian biofuels contribute to food security and have a negligible impact on food production.…”

Section: Policiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The programme sets out a number of commitments and technical objectives, such as preventing soil erosion, conserving water resources, phasing-out pre-harvest field burning, and protecting riparian forests [51]. Appraisals so far have been positive, with Mercure, et al [46] noting that it has performed well in eliminating sugarcane burning, and Benites-Lazaro, et al [47] (p. 586) calling the programme "an important achievement" that has promoted the incorporation of sustainable practices in the sugarcane sector.…”

Section: Policiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Understanding the Implications of Alternative Bioenergy Crops to Support Smallholder Farmers in Brazil

et al. 2020

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Smallholders constitute more than three quarters of the world’s farmers, and despite their numbers, they commonly lack opportunities to advance their development status. Bioenergy production and consumption can help sustain smallholders’ energy needs and generate employment and income, but it also raises concerns over social justice and equity, especially where crops used for bioenergy could also be used for food. This perspective paper is grounded in a literature review related to three different crops in Brazil: sugarcane, landrace maize and sweet potato. It seeks to determine if these crops offer the potential to support smallholder farmers’ development in a more equitable way, focusing on opportunities for their use in bioenergy. We review the literature to identify policies shaping the smallholder development context in relation to these crops, assessing whose knowledge informs policy and institutional decision making, and highlighting the policy attention afforded to the different crops from different sectors. We further evaluate the literature on each crop in relation to water use and calorific value (i.e., food and energy). Our review indicates that while sugarcane has received the most policy and institutional attention, its development is largely anchored in research and development investments that support large-scale commercial farms and agri-businesses. Smallholders have not benefited or had the opportunity to engage in relevant policy decision making for sugarcane cultivation. At the same time, smallholders hold valuable untapped knowledge on the cultivation of sweet potato and landrace maize, both of which have the potential to generate development opportunities for smallholders. Our review suggests that the environmental impact of landrace maize and sweet potato in terms of water use is significantly lower than sugarcane, while they can generate more calories for energy or food consumption and offer diversification opportunities. Despite that these alternative crops offer considerable untapped potential to support rural development, more research is still needed to harness these benefits. Changes are needed to address inequities in policies, institutions and the types of knowledge informing decision making. Such changes need to afford smallholder farmers greater recognition and participation in decision making, so that the distribution of benefits from the three study crops can reach them to support their development better.

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The water–energy–food–land–climate nexus: Policy coherence for sustainable resource management in Sweden

et al. 2023

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The concept of a ‘nexus’ across issues regarding the management of natural resources has gained increasing academic attention in recent years, but there is still relatively limited research on the application of the nexus approach for evaluating policies. This study analyses coherence among the main goals of five policy areas (water, energy, food, land, and climate) in Sweden, drawing upon a desk review, expert assessment, and interaction with stakeholders. The main objective is to enhance understanding of opportunities and challenges posed by such a nexus, understand policy interactions in Sweden, and provide insights into the use of policy coherence analysis as an integral part of resource nexus assessments. The analysis reveals synergies and conflicts between policy goals. For example, Sweden's environmental quality objectives (EQOs) regarding land and all the goals regarding water are either synergistic or neutral. Likewise, climate policy goals are well aligned with the goals regarding energy and ground water quality. On the other hand, the key goal for agriculture, which is food production, is the least coherent with those of the other policy areas. There are conflicts between the EQOs and goals regarding agricultural and forestry production. Stakeholders also indicate that climate goals are treated with higher priority than the goals of other policy areas. Notably, some interactions between policy goals are synergistic or conflicting depending on the context or their interpretation. Implementation of existing goals depends on relevant stakeholders' interests, priorities and interpretations, and on existing prevailing discourses in society, often supported by higher level policies.

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System complexity and policy integration challenges: The Brazilian Energy- Water-Food Nexus

Cited by 132 publications

References 85 publications

A Literature Review to Propose a Systematic Procedure to Develop “Nexus Thinking” Considering the Water–Energy–Food Nexus

A Literature Review to Propose a Systematic Procedure to Develop “Nexus Thinking” Considering the Water–Energy–Food Nexus

Understanding the Implications of Alternative Bioenergy Crops to Support Smallholder Farmers in Brazil

The water–energy–food–land–climate nexus: Policy coherence for sustainable resource management in Sweden

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