This document discusses the water-energy-food-environment (WEFE) nexus challenges facing many countries, especially in the context of climate change impacts. It summarizes the goals and workstreams of the NEXUS Gains initiative, which aims to develop integrated solutions and tools to strengthen governance across sectors to boost productivity, access to clean energy, and capacity building in focal regions. Key outcomes include new modeling and decision support tools, improved water security, gender-sensitive clean energy models, and strengthened multi-stakeholder platforms.

1. NEXUS Gains
Realizing Multiple Benefits
Across Water, Energy, Food and
Ecosystems (Forests, Biodiversity)
Claudia Ringler, co-lead NEXUS Gains & IFPRI
Islamabad | October 24, 2022

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Water/Energy/Food/Environment (WEFE)
Nexus Challenges in a Climate Crisis
2007-08 food, fuel &
fertilizer crisis
2011-12 food, fuel &
fertilizer crisis
2021-22 food, fuel &
fertilizer crisis
-4%
-2%
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
GDP
growth
in
LMICs
Food,
fuel
&
fertilizer
price
indices
(2000=100)
Source: Headey and Hirvonen (2022) using data from FAO, the World Bank and the IMF.

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150 million more people hungry in 2021
compared to 2019
Source: SOFI (2022).

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Do we still have a food/fuel crisis? Yes
• Price spikes came on the heal of low
GDP growth in LMICs
• Food inflation levels increased in the
last few months over levels earlier in
the year
• Prices remain above levels prior to
COVID19
• New export bans (f.ex. India for rice)
• The war has not ended, more
adverse food impacts well possible
• Growing adverse climate extremes
further push up food prices

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Agricultural productivity in peril
(before the floods)
Source: Statistic by IFPRI (2022).
• Continued high fuel & fertilizer prices
dampen agricultural productivity and
production, suggesting lasting impacts
• Countries relying on groundwater (GW)
irrigation also have to deal with high
diesel prices (f.ex. Bangladesh/ Pakistan)
• In GW depending areas, household water
security is also negatively affected
Fertilizer price index 2019-100

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Climate extremes—a crisis multiplier
Source: UNOCHA Oct 4, 2022.
• 33 million people affected, mostly in the
poorer provinces
• 1,717 people died, including 639 children,
and an additional 12,867 were injured
• Rural infrastructure destroyed
• $30 bn reconstruction costs and
economic damage (equivalent to 10% of
GDP)
• Long-term effects: childhood
undernutrition and disease, a new
generation that has to live below its
potential

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Nutrition status remains unacceptably poor
(before the most recent crises)
Source: SUN (2019).

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NEXUS Gains Workstreams
1. Co-developing and scaling NEXUS innovations
using foresight methodologies and trade-off
analyses
2. Boosting water productivity across scales (farm to
watershed to basin) and sectors using a whole
systems lens
3. Energizing food and water systems sustainably
and inclusively
4.Strengthening cross-sectoral, multi-stakeholder
governance at community, national and regional
levels
5. Developing Capacity for WEFE Actors, Including
Emerging Women Leaders
Photo credit: Anton Jankovoy / Shutterstock.com

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What NEXUS Gains can contribute
1. Stakeholders use integrated modeling tools to assess
tradeoffs and synergies and develop prioritized nexus
innovations in at least 2 focal regions
• Tool for comprehensive large-scale WEFE assessment
(indicators dashboard, maps, time series etc.)
• E-flow analysis tool coupled with basin models
• Scale Agro-biodiversity Index to national/ basin levels
2. Water productivity across scales and storage diagnostic
tools are used to significantly improve water security in at
least 2 focal regions
• Decision support system for (bundled) interventions to
boost water productivity at basin scale
• Strategic diagnostic to design, evaluate and implement
integrated water storage solutions
Photo credit: Hamish John Appleby, IWMI

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3. Private investors and policymakers use scalable gender-sensitive clean
energy business and finance models to accelerate sustainable rural
clean energy access in at least 3 focal regions
• Inclusive business models for sustainable clean energy access in
agri-food systems
4. Policymakers and other stakeholders are using science-policy dialogues,
multi-stakeholder forums, co-developed groundwater governance toolbox
and guidelines to strengthen nexus governance across systems,
sectors and boundaries in all basins
• Groundwater governance toolbox to address growing competition,
degradation and depletion of resources in hotspots
• Establish and facilitate cross-sectoral, inclusive multi-stakeholder
platforms to leverage integrated
5. At least 40 emerging women leaders in government, private sector,
investors, research and NGOs have increased capacity to identify, assess
and implement one or more nexus innovations
End of Initiative Outcomes and Examples
of Core Innovations
Photo credit: Hamish John Appleby, IWMI

11. NEXUS Gains
Realizing Multiple Benefits
Across Water, Energy, Food and
Ecosystems (Forests, Biodiversity)
Contact:
Matthew McCartney, IWMI, Lead: m.mcartney@giar.org
Claudia Ringler, IFPRI, Co-Lead: c.ringler@cgiar.org
Mohsin Hafeez: Pakistan Lead: m.hafeez@cgiar.org