1. FOOD AS THE FOUNDATION OF HEALTHY COMMUNITIES Module Slides
Unit 1: Food, Energy, Water Connections –
slides 1–17

2. UNIT 1: CONCEPTS & THEMES LIST
The Natural Environment
The Human-Built Environment (Society, Economy, Urban)
Resources, Resource Usage, Resource Management
Human Dependency
Limitations & Capacity
Supply & Demand
Cause & Effect Relationships
Consequences & Impacts
Systems, Interdependency, & Systems in Operation
Agriculture

3. What is a resource?
A resource is a substance in the environment that is three things:
1) useful to people
2) economically & technologically feasible to access and
3) socially acceptable to use. Food, water, energy, air, land, buildings, ideas, etc. are all resources.

4. Food, Energy, & Water Demands – Now and in the Future
Image by Tim (user Kristoferb) from Wikimedia Commons
Image from Pixabay, CC0 license
Image from Pixabay
40%
50%
50%
from 2015 to 2030
Data from IChemE: Institution of Chemical Engineers

5. Limitations in a World of Demands
Earth is only so big…
We can only do what we know…
Adapted from IChemE: Institution of Chemical Engineers
Images from Pixabay:
We can only afford so much…

6. Four Types of Limitations
Biological/Physical Limits: “Earth is Only So Big.” Limits of nature & its resources, biological limits & needs of human beings.
Economic Limits: “We Can Only Afford So Much.” Limits of finance and funding, budgetary limits.
Scientific/Technical Limits: “We Can Only Do What We Know.” Human knowledge limits. Discovery, development & application limits.
Social / Political Limits: “We Can Only Afford So Much.” Limits of human will and alLack of desire to change conditions.

7. FOOD-ENERGY-WATER CONNECTIONS
viewed as a series of bilateral relationships
Image from Pixabay, CC0 license
We need water to grow food
We need water to generate energy
We need energy to supply water
Food transports [virtual] water
The Food Water Energy Nexus - Thinking Explained. Institute of International and European Affairs (time -2:18 seconds) - [
Water: we need water to make our crops grow to produce our energy; water is used to cool power plants and to grow biofuels.
WATER……………… for ENERGY
(an extractor)
Water is needed produce our energy; water is used to cool power plants and to grow biofuels.
WATER……. for FOOD
(a producer & purifier)
Water is needed to make our crops grow .
ENERGY…………………………. for WATER
(an extractor, producer, deliverer, purifier, & disposer)
Energy is needed to treat our water and to transport our food from field to table.
ENERGY…………………………………. for FOOD
Energy is needed to transport our food from field to table.
 FOOD………. for ENERGY
(a producer – biofuels)
 Provides nutrients and calories (energy) for people, and can be used to produce energy
FOOD……… for WATER
(a global transporter)
 Food transports water through sustenance
adapted from “Getting to grips with the water-energy-food nexus?” An IChemE Green Paper; (the case study diagram), p.3
We need energy to produce food
Food can produce energy
Image by Tim (user Kristoferb) from Wikimedia Commons
Image from Pixabay
adapted from “Getting to grips with the water-energy-food nexus?” An IChemE Green Paper; (the case study diagram), p.3

8. THE RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN THE FOOD-ENERGY-WATER SYSTEM
WATER (an extractor) for ENERGY
Water is needed produce our energy; water is used to cool power plants and to grow biofuels.
WATER (a producer & purifier) for FOOD
Water is needed to make our crops grow.
ENERGY (an extractor, producer, deliverer, purifier, & disposer) for WATER
Energy is needed to treat our water & to transport our food from field to table.
ENERGY (an extractor, producer, deliverer, purifier, & disposer) for FOOD
Energy is needed to transport our food from field to table.
FOOD (a producer – biofuels) for ENERGY
Food provides nutrients and calories (energy) for people, and can be
used to produce energy.
FOOD (a global transporter) for WATER
Food transports water through sustenance (water in food & all people eat & drink).
 adapted from “Getting to grips with the water-energy-food nexus?” An IChemE Green Paper; (the case study diagram), p.3

9. HOW HUMANS USE RESOURCES
The Food-Water-Energy Nexus in South Africa. World Wildlife Fund - South Africa (time- 2:31 seconds) - [
HOW HUMANS ENGAGE RESOURCES
By 2050, Earth will be home to a projected 9 billion people who will need to eat, and doing so will require vast amounts of energy and water to produce more food. But in a changing climate, we will have to achieve more with less. If we are going to produce more food to feed more people, we will have to think differently about how we manage water and other resources and produce energy.
Image from King County, WA website.

10. THE SEQUENCE ORDER OF ACTIVITIES WHEN HUMANS USE RESOURCES
1st - DISCOVERY
2nd- EXTRACTION
3rd - PRODUCTION (PROCESSING/PREPARATION)
4th – DISTRIBUTION/DELIVERY
5th – CONSUMPTION/USE
6th – DISPOSAL/WASTE or
6th – REUSE/REPURPOSE

11. IMPRACTICAL USE of RESOURCES
Image from Ron Mader, accessed via Flickr.com.

12. TYPES of PRODUCTION NEEDS for ENERGY & WATER to PRODUCE FOOD
Food production and distribution require energy and water.
Energy production requires water:
Thermoelectric cooling
Hydropower
Extraction and mining
Fuel Production (H2, ethanol, biofuels)
Emission controls
Water production and distribution require energy:
Pumping
Treatment
Transportation
Heating
Introduction to the Nexus
Source: DOE report to Congress, 2006

13. ENERGY AND FOOD REQUIRE WATER
U.S. Freshwater Withdrawals (2005)1
Water withdrawals: water removed from the source (e.g., aquifer, river, lake, or ocean) for use
Public Supply, 13%
Domestic, 1%
Irrigation, 37%
Water consumption: water that is removed from the source such that it is not available for reuse at the same location or downstream
Thermoelectric, 41%
U.S. Freshwater Consumption (1995)2*
Irrigation, 81%
Livestock, 1%
Aquaculture, 3%
Industrial, 5%
Domestic, 6%
Mining, 1%
Withdrawal (billion liters daily)
Consumptio n (billion liters daily)
Thermoelectric
540 (41%)
15 (3%)
Irrigation
490 (37%)
405 (81%)
Commercial, 1%
Thermoelectric, 3%
Mining, 1%
Industrial, 3% Livestock, 3%
Link slides to South Africa videos
The electricity sector is heavily dependent on water, requiring large volumes at a sufficient quality (e.g., temperature) for efficient production levels
Sources: 1USGS, Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 2005, USGS Circular 1344, USGS, Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 1995, USGS Circular 1200, 1998 *1995 is the most recent consumption data collected by the USGS
Introduction to the Nexus 7

14. UNEQUAL WATER USAGE ON A GLOBAL LEVEL
Data source: Water for Energy, World Energy Council 2010 (Fig 3.)
There are geospatial and geopolitical differences in energy, water, and food policies, status quo resource management, environmental regulations, economic conditions, and resource (e.g., land and water) availability, all of which can provide opportunities or cause constraints across the nexus
Introduction to the Nexus

16. Image by: Julien Harneis from Sana'a, Yemen and accessed via

17. These conferences are important to note here to illustrate that the F-E-W issue is globally recognized as a timely and relevant challenge, and is being addressed by diverse interests, sectors, constituencies and stakeholders; Also note that the issue is not all policy and government-focused, but is also being driven by the scientific and academic community. A consistent theme of each example here is that the scale of the issue is international/global.