Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
7.7
3.3
Journals
Sustainability
Special Issues
Sustainable Development Challenges and Future Trends of Water–Energy–Food Nexus
sustainability-logo
Submit to Sustainability Review for Sustainability Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Sustainable Development Challenges and Future Trends of Water–Energy–Food Nexus

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (9 August 2025) | Viewed by 3364

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Elena Maria Otazo Sánchez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Chemistry Department, Institute of Engineering and Basic Science, Hidalgo State Autonomous University, Pachuca 42184, Hidalgo State, Mexico
Interests: global warming; water quality; water management; scenarios
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ramón Razo Zárate

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Forest Engineering Department, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Hidalgo State Autonomous University, Pachuca 42184, Hidalgo State, Mexico
Interests: climate change; protected forest; carbon sequestration

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of Sustainability calls for contributions of studies focused on the Water–Energy–Food (WEF) nexus strongly related to sustainability, which impacts all aspects of society, whether technological, economical, or social. Sustainability is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes articles and communications in this interdisciplinary area.

The Water–Energy–Food nexus is a concept that highlights the interconnectedness of these three essential resources and their impact on sustainable development. The history of the nexus can be traced back to the early 2000s, when researchers and policymakers began to recognize the need for a more integrated approach to managing water, energy, and food systems. Sustainable development challenges related to the nexus include an increasing demand for water, energy, and food due to population growth and urbanization, as well as the impacts of climate change on resource availability. These challenges require innovative solutions to ensure long-term sustainability, considering the interdependencies between water, energy, and food resources.

Future trends in the Water–Energy–Food nexus include adopting integrated resource management approaches, such as water-smart agriculture and renewable energy technologies. There is also a growing emphasis on promoting cross-sectoral collaboration and stakeholder engagement to address the complex challenges of the nexus related to interconnectedness and opportunities for sustainable development by adopting holistic approaches to resource management towards achieving a more sustainable and resilient future.

We invite you to submit high-quality, original research articles or reviews to extend the current state of knowledge. This includes technical and social findings and trends. All manuscripts will be peer reviewed by experts in the field.

Dr. Elena Maria Otazo Sánchez
Dr. Ramón Razo Zárate
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • WEF future trends and scenarios
  • evaluating the WEF nexus
  • energy demands related to water and food
  • water demands for energy and food
  • adaptation actions related to the WEF nexus
  • expanding the nexus to other resources
  • binary nexus
  • food security and agriculture
  • sustainable development goals (SDGs)
  • social studies

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

25 pages, 5279 KB  
Article
Evaluating Land Suitability for Surface Irrigation Under Changing Climate in Gardulla Zone, Southern Ethiopia
by Shako K. Kebede, Zemede M. Nigatu and Haimanot Aklilu
Sustainability 2025, 17(18), 8165; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17188165 - 11 Sep 2025
Viewed by 756
Abstract
Climate change substantially affects water resources and agriculture, highlighting the critical importance of assessing land suitability for surface irrigation. This study was initiated with the objective of assessing the present and future land suitability for surface irrigation in the Gardulla Zone of Southern [...] Read more.
Climate change substantially affects water resources and agriculture, highlighting the critical importance of assessing land suitability for surface irrigation. This study was initiated with the objective of assessing the present and future land suitability for surface irrigation in the Gardulla Zone of Southern Ethiopia, utilizing meteorological, topography, soil, land cover, and proximity data. The analytic hierarchy process and weighted overlay analysis were employed to assign factor weights, while future climate projections were downscaled via a statistical downscaling model (SDSM4.2) under the shared socio-economic pathways (i.e., SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5) scenarios. Irrigation suitability mapping was performed via inverse distance-weighted interpolation. The results revealed that 8% of the area is highly suitable, 54.3% is moderately suitable, 30% is marginally suitable, and 2.3% is unsuitable under current climate conditions. In the future periods, under both SSP scenarios, highly suitable land increases (up to 9.7% and 10.3% by 2050s and 10.8% and 13.5% by the 2080s under SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5, respectively), whereas unsuitable land decreases (down to 0.6% by 2080s under SSP5.8.5). In terms of area, highly to moderately suitable land expanded by 1357.6–6867.7 ha, depending on the scenario and timeframe. The study concludes that climate change is expected to affect the suitability of land for surface irrigation potential in the study area and similar hydroclimatic settings, highlighting the need for forward-looking policies and adaptation options. Therefore, it is recommended to promote climate-smart irrigation systems by integrating site-specific suitability mapping into regional land-use planning and prioritizing investment in small-scale, community-managed surface irrigation schemes that reduce water losses and ensure long-term agricultural sustainability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Development Challenges and Future Trends of Water–Energy–Food Nexus)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

26 pages, 2954 KB  
Article
Can Green Finance Be a Regulator of “Water–Energy–Food” Synergy? Evidence from the Yangtze River Delta
by Yuchao Wang
Sustainability 2024, 16(12), 4931; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16124931 - 8 Jun 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1820
Abstract
The synergistic relationship between water, energy, and food faces increasing challenges. Green finance as a policy tool promotes high-quality and efficient development of water, energy, and food subsystems. However, whether it can improve the synergistic relationship of “water–energy–food” (WEF) still needs to be [...] Read more.
The synergistic relationship between water, energy, and food faces increasing challenges. Green finance as a policy tool promotes high-quality and efficient development of water, energy, and food subsystems. However, whether it can improve the synergistic relationship of “water–energy–food” (WEF) still needs to be studied. Using the panel data of 38 prefecture-level cities in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) from 2013 to 2021, and network DEA and panel regression models, we study the impact of green finance on the level of synergy of “water–energy–food”. The results of the study show that green finance can promote the synergy level of “water–energy–food” in the Yangtze River Delta city cluster, which was first inhibited and then promoted from 2013 to 2021. The impacts of green finance on the efficiency of the three subsystems are also characterized by a “U” shape. However, linear impacts show differences, with green finance improving the efficiency of the water subsystem but not the energy and food subsystems. The implementation of China’s national strategies empowers green finance. The digital strategy, the “dual carbon” strategy, and the new urbanization strategy have increased the effectiveness of green finance in contributing to the level of water–energy–food synergy. Regional heterogeneity analysis shows that the promotion effect of green finance mainly exists in non-resource-based cities, non-main grain-producing areas, and non-cities along the South-to-North water diversion route and large cities. Finally, this paper puts forward relevant policy recommendations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Development Challenges and Future Trends of Water–Energy–Food Nexus)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop