Methods of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus

Food-Water-Energy, Kimberly Burnett, Water Resources, Christopher Wada, Environment, Energy, Publications, Working Papers

This paper focuses on a collection of methods that can be used to analyze the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus. We classify these methods as qualitative or quantitative for interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research approaches. The methods for interdisciplinary research approaches can be used to unify a collection of related variables, visualize the research problem, evaluate the issue, and simulate the system of interest. Qualitative methods are generally used to describe the nexus in the region of interest. The authors discuss each of these methods along with accompanying case studies from research sites in Japan and the Philippines.