The Food-Energy-Water (FEW) nexus: An alternative for water management in the Andean Region

The food-energy-water (FEW) nexus has emerged as an alternative for an integrated use of resources required in food, energy, and water systems. Since the initial Nexus conference in 2011, research on this topic has bloomed, as reflected in the vast number of peer-reviewed articles and reports published. In spite of the extensive literature regarding the FEW nexus, studies in Latin American and the Caribbean are limited compared to other regions around the world. This study aims to develop a FEW nexus framework that can be adopted in mixed land use watersheds located in the Colombian Andean region. A pilot study was conducted in the Otun River Watershed (ORW). Study site characterization revealed that the urban area (Pereira/Dosquebradas) has the most considerable influence in the FEW nexus since it has the highest demand for food, energy, and water, and negatively impacts the water quality of the surrounding water bodies due to sewer and runoff discharges. An urban FEW nexus framework was developed to capture attributes and concerns specific to the ORW, with an emphasis on water resources management. These attributes are also reflective of the larger Andean region, where: food production is mainly concentrated in areas located in the eastern part of the country; hydropower is the main source of electricity generation due to steep slopes and year-round rainfall; and, surface water is the main source of water while groundwater usage is limited. Thus, the framework developed can be extended more broadly to the Andean region.