The Food–Energy–Water Nexus: Boundaries, Processes, and the Circular Economy

Dear Colleagues,

Waste generated in the “nexus” between the management of water and the production of food and energy is unsustainable. By identifying these dysfunctional linear streams, where waste generated adds to landfill, climate change and environmental degradation, there is potential to use it, turn it into a marketable product, or harvest it and contribute to the Circular Economy.

We are particularly interested in case studies, nationally and internationally, the extent to which the circular economy has been achieved, assessment of problems encountered, and strategies to engage with stakeholders and communities, as well as what processes can identify and delineate boundaries around the plurality of food, energy, and water systems in each context (actors, issues, geographies, power relations), and how they shift over time. As the use of the Living Lab concept in studies becomes more common, how successful this has been in studies of the nexus—is it possible to compare across Living Labs with their different politics, policies, inequalities and geographies?

We solicit papers from academia, stakeholders, and practitioners illustrating the many ways in which these wastes are identified, how they are converted into something useful for society, a scalable commercial product for example, and how wasteful consumption has been reduced. We invite comments on the sustainability of such approaches: are they technologically and/or politically feasible and economically sound? What new processes have been developed enabling the study of the nexus and conversion of the wastes, and how successful are they?

Prof. Dr. Susanne Charlesworth
Dr. Marco Van De Wiel
Dr. Richard Nunes
Dr. Jana Fried
Guest Editors

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